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SPECIAL

Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

Safety and Security

Staff, Wednesday October 31, 2001.

Page 1 of 1

The air bags deploy and inflate from the headliner across approximately 65 per cent of the side glass area within 40 milliseconds of the collision.

The air bags are complemented by a comprehensive, intelligent occupant safety restraint system and a lower front bumper that is on par with many passenger cars.

Side air bags

Explorer is Ford's first off-roader with side-curtain air bags.

The side-curtain air bags are triggered independently of each other and from the driver and passenger front air bags. They deploy within 25 milliseconds and fully inflate within 15 milliseconds. Sensors located at the base of the B- and C-pillar area trigger the deployment.

The location of the air bags and the physics of the deployment decreases the risk of injury to out-of-position passengers.

Personal Safety System

Ford's Personal Safety System is an intelligent restraint system that allows for a number of variables in a crash situation.

The system includes: dual-stage front air bags that deploy based on crash severity; sensors to detect if front-seat occupants are wearing safety belts; driver's seat position sensor; safety-belt pretensioners and load-limiting retractors.

The fully integrated, computer-driven Personal Safety System includes nearly a dozen technologically advanced components that cannot be seen by customers.

The system, in short, ?thinks? about and responds to different accident conditions by deploying the vehicle's occupant protection systems to match those conditions.

A collection of sensors feeds information back to the vehicle's Restraints Control Module - the ?brain? of the system. The module takes into account the driver's seating position, driver and front-seat occupant's safety belt usage and accident severity before deploying appropriate safety technologies during frontal collisions.

For example, the system's passenger seat-weight sensing technology detects certain objects or occupants and turns off the air bag when it's not needed.

The sensor technology was specifically designed to help reduce injuries that can result when people seat young children in the passenger seat contrary to proper child-seating recommendations. Small children should always be seated in proper supplemental safety seats in the rear seat.

At the same time, the ?brain? activates a specific level of air bag protection for front seat occupants - after determining if air bag deployment is necessary at all.

The dual-stage air bags offer two energy levels to deploy air bags in a manner that corresponds to accident severity. A lower, less forceful energy level provides occupant protection for more common, moderate-severity impacts.

Deployment with higher energy levels is required for more severe crash events.

The system also employs pretensioners that tighten the front safety belts and help prevent belted occupants from sliding and bouncing around during a crash.

If crash forces rise to severe levels, a metal bar tucked in the centre of the spool of the safety belt retractor - called an energy management retractor - twists like a wrung-out washcloth. Such action releases small amounts of safety belt webbing in a controlled manner and helps reduce the risk of force-related injuries, especially to the occupant's chest.

Ford researchers anticipate the new Personal Safety System will significantly reduce the rate of air bag deployments for occupants who are wearing their safety belts during accidents.

The system is designed to help further reduce front seat occupants' risk of air bag-related injuries, as well as cut air bag replacement repair bills.

Child safety seat anchorage points are provided in all second-row and third-row seating positions.

Anti-lock brakes

The Explorer features three channel anti-lock brakes that control the front wheels independently and the rear wheels in tandem during heavy braking, thus helping to improve vehicle control in most operating conditions.

In addition, the ABS with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) employs dynamic proportioning to achieve shorter stopping distances.

It works by measuring braking force versus traction and allocating braking force to the wheels that have the best grip for stopping even before the ABS system kicks in.

ControlSlip rear driveshaft

All Explorer models are equipped with a patented new ControlSlip rear driveshaft. In the event of a frontal impact, the driveshaft is designed to telescope, not buckle. This movement helps the vehicle further absorb impact forces and manage energy.

Safety all around

In full frontal impacts, Explorer is expected to be among the safest 4WDs on the road - based on extensive internal testing.

Ford's computer capabilities - the largest among any private company - allowed engineers to perform extensive simulated crash testing, complete with electronic dummies, to refine the vehicle's safety systems. Advanced modelling of every aspect of Explorer's crash performance was conducted on computers before it made its first collision with a barrier in the crash laboratory. The benefit of this sophistication is engineers' ability to fine tune each element of the Explorer safety system for outstanding performance should the need for crash protection ever arise.

The front portion of Explorer's frame includes precisely engineered crush zones, which buckle and dissipate energy in a frontal impact. The fully boxed frame is 350 per cent stiffer throughout, which provides further side-impact protection. Steel beams in the doors also help to prevent intrusion during side impacts.

The design team made Explorer friendlier to other vehicles on the road by lowering its bumper beam height 65mm to be on par with many passenger cars.

To accomplish this, Explorer engineers essentially inverted the frame. The triangular frames typically are designed with straight upper beams and diagonal lower beams that rise upward toward the bumper where the two meet.

The new design consists of diagonal top beams that trace downward to meet straight lower beams, thus creating the lower overall height. Special reinforcements were added to maintain structural rigidity.

The new bumper design will help to reduce damage to cars in common slow-speed incidents.

Security features offer better peace of mind

Explorer is built with Ford's SecuriLock? passive anti-theft key system, which helps deter would-be thieves. A chip inside the key communicates with the vehicle's electronics. Unless the authorized key is used, the vehicle will not start.

In normal operation, as soon as the authorised driver begins moving the vehicle, all the doors "autolock" for added peace-of-mind. Child locks are standard on the rear doors, for safety.

Inside the vehicle, extra security includes two under-floor bins in the five-seat model - one in the seven-seat configuration - which allow valuables to be stored and kept out of sight. A horizontal shade is available to hide the cargo area contents.

The vehicle's air bags were redesigned to be more difficult to steal. Even the spare tyre winch is now inside the rear cargo hatch, so the full-size spare tyre is better protected from theft.

Approach lamps

The vehicle also features perimeter/puddle lighting. Lights hidden on the underside of the side-view mirrors illuminate when the ?unlock? button on the key fob is pushed or when the door handle is pulled. The lights illuminate the entire door area of the vehicle - to light the way for entry or to spotlight any potential danger waiting or lying under or near the vehicle.

SAFETY CHANGES AT A GLANCE

• Side-impact curtain air bags.

• Three channel ABS with electronic brake distribution.

• Driver and passenger dual-stage air bags with tailored deployment characteristics.

• Passenger seat-weight sensor detects objects or occupants and deactivates air bags when necessary.

• New pretensioners and energy-management retractors make safety belts even more effective.

• Child safety seat anchorage points for all second and third row seats.

• Lower front bumper enhances compatibility with other vehicles on the road.

• New patented ControlSlip rear driveshaft helps manage energy during frontal impacts.

• Securilock? passive anti-theft key system.

For further information, please contact
Ford Australia Communications
Phone: 03-9359 8491

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