Ford SUV’s Comprehensive Safety Suite
All Ford SUVs, with first applications beginning in the 2002 model year, offer an advanced tire pressure monitoring system, and will feature as standard equipment antilock brakes with Electronic Brake Distribution for significantly reduced stopping distances and lowered front bumper beams for better car-to-SUV crash compatibility. The SUVs will also offer advanced occupant protection technology in the form of Ford’s patented Personal Safety System and Safety Canopy rollover protection system as well as AdvanceTracTM electronic stability programming. Each of these advanced safety technologies have been available on Ford Escape, Explorer, Explorer Sport and SportTrac, Expedition and Excursion since 2005.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
This sensor-based low pressure warning system will alert drivers if a tire becomes under-inflated. It will also warn the driver if the tire is significantly over-inflated. The technology features an active pressure sensor mounted inside each tire with a transmitter that communicates with a receiving module in the vehicle. A lithium battery powers the sensor and transmitter. The receiving module contains the logic to determine if the pressure level transmitted if low, and if so it activates a warning message or light and an audible tone.
This tire pressure monitoring technology differs from tire warning systems that operate with a vehicle’s ABS system to detect variances in wheel spin rates (indicating that one of the tires is under inflated). The advanced sensor technology was chosen for Ford SUVs and trucks because of its ability to operate in four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive applications and the demanding off-road environment.
ABS With Electronic Brake Force Distribution
Stopping distance is a key measure of a braking system’s efficiency. Because SUVs generally are heavier than passenger cars, they generally have greater stopping distances. Ford will apply new technology and improved brake system designs to significantly shorten the stopping distances of all Ford SUVs.
The first application of this technology is on the new Explorer. A four-wheel, three-channel antilock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) is standard on 2002 Explorer. The ABS controls the front wheels independently and the rear wheels in tandem during heavy braking - to improve vehicle control. ABS with EBD employs dynamic proportioning to achieve shorter stopping distances. It works by measuring braking force versus traction and allocating brake force to the wheels that have the best grip for stopping even before the ABS system kicks in this helps reduce braking distance. For example, 2002 Explorer’s stopping distance from 60 mph is a class-leading 131 feet, a 20 percent improvement from the 164 feet stopping distance for the previous model Explorer.
Personal Safety System
Ford’s patented Personal Safety System combines dual-stage front air bags that deploy based on crash severity, sensors that detect if front-seat occupants are wearing safety belts, driver’s seat position sensors, safety belt pretensioners and load-limiting retractors. The fully integrated, computer-driven Personal Safety System - which debutted on the 2000 Taurus - includes nearly a dozen technologically advanced components. The system, in short, “thinks” about and responds to different accident conditions by deploying the vehicle’s occupant protection systems to match those conditions.
Safety Canopy
Ford’s new side impact curtain air bag system, available on the 2002 Explorer at launch, is one of the most advanced side-impact protection systems available on any SUV in the world. But that’s only the beginning. The side curtain air bags will be combined with additional rollover sensor technology. This patented Safety Canopy system will provide additional protection in rollover accidents. Although rollovers represent only a small percentage of SUV accidents, they can have fatal consequences, particularly when a passenger is ejected from the vehicle. About half of all SUV fatalities involve a rollover. During these types of accidents, occupants thrown from the vehicle are up to 10 times as likely to be killed or seriously hurt than occupants who remain inside. Safety belts are the single best tool for keeping passengers inside during a rollover, but the new air bags and rollover-sensing technology will supply an additional line of defense.
The electronic rollover sensors measure how fast the vehicle’s lean angle is changing to determine whether the vehicle is headed for a rollover. If a rollover situation is detected by the system, it deploys the side curtain air bags to help protect passengers and help keep them inside until the vehicle comes to a complete stop. The air bags remain inflated up to six seconds - far longer than conventional air bags - to provide additional occupant protection. The location of the air bags and physics of the deployment decreases the risk of injury to out-of-position passengers.
AdvanceTracTM Electronic Stability Technology
AdvanceTracTM - a computer-driven interactive vehicle dynamics system. This advanced technology will enhance stability in extreme driving situations when drivers may have misjudged speed or road conditions.
Developed in conjunction with Ford’s involvement in Formula One racing, the optional AdvanceTracTM system monitors driver inputs, such as steering, throttle and brakes, and the corresponding vehicle responses - yaw, lateral acceleration and wheel speed - to control brake force distribution and vehicle stability. When required, AdvanceTracTTM applies the brakes at one or more wheels to correct excessive yaw. (Yaw is rotation about the vehicle’s vertical axis. A vehicle spinning out in a turn is an example of excessive yaw motion.) If the vehicle’s yaw rate is excessive, brake force on the outside front wheel helps keep the vehicle on the desired path. If the yaw rate is lower than that intended by the driver, brake force is applied to the inside rear wheel.