After years of downplaying the importance of vehicle roof strength, Ford has decided to significantly enhance the roof structures of its Expedition, Lincoln Navigator , Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, F-150, F-250, and E-Series Van.
In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford said it would make the vehicles’ roofs considerably stronger than the proposed roof strength standard that would require a vehicle’s roof to withstand a force equal to 2.5 times the vehicle’s weight. The announcement comes only months after American automakers began complaining that the new regulations would be too difficult to achieve.
Ford now says it will make the future vehicles comparable in strength to the Volvo XC90 SUV, which can support 3.5 times its own weight. Ford insists the decision has nothing to do with recent litigation alleging vehicle occupants were killed or injured during rollovers due to insufficient roof structures.
