Ford Sport Trac Flunks Rollover Test

February 5, 2004
The Ford Explorer Sport Trac finished dead last in the federal government's new "fishhook" driving test. It earned a dismal two stars, meaning it is likely to roll over in 30 to 40 percent of single-vehicle accidents.

While none of the vehicles tested achieved the highest five-star rating, several earned four-star designations, including the Chevrolet Trailblazer 4x4, Chevrolet Silverado extended cab (4x4 and 4x2), Ford Focus wagon, Subaru Outback wagon, Toyota Echo and Volvo XC90 4x4.

The Sport Trac -- basically an Explorer with a pickup bed -- went up on two wheels during the fishhook test, in which vehicles are driven through a series of sharp turns. It's meant to simulate panic maneuvers a driver might make to avoid a collision.

The four-wheel-drive model of the Sport Trac and several versions of the Explorer were also tested but the results were inconclusive and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to repeat them.

A five-star rating means the likelihood of rollover during a single vehicle crash is less than 10 percent; four-star, between 10 and 20 percent; three-star, between 20 and 30 percent; two-star, between 30 and 40 percent; and one-star, greater than 40 percent.

Rollover Resistance Test Scores
(Includes Corporate Twins of Vehicles Tested)

*During test, the vehicle tipped up on two wheels.
PU = Pickup
SUV = Sport Utility Vehicle

(1) Corporate twin of Chevrolet Trailblazer 4x2
(2) Corporate twin of Chevrolet Trailblazer 4x4
(3) Corporate twin of Chevrolet Silverado xcab 4x2
(4) Corporate twin of Chevrolet Silverado xcab 4x4
(5) Corporate twin of Ford Explorer 4 dr. 4x2
(6) Corporate twin of Ford Explorer 4 dr. 4x4

Safety advcoates pounced on the results.

"Ford didn't learn the lesson ... and continues to produce rollover-prone vehicles," said Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety.

NHTSA in the past based its rollover ratings on a vehicle's static stability factor, which is an engineering calculation based on the track width and the height of the center of gravity. Beginning with the 2004 model year, the rollover risk predictions are based on the static stability factor scores and the vehicle's performance in a dynamic track test.

Trucks are more prone to roll over than cars because they have a higher center of gravity. Nearly a quarter of all fatalities in 2002 -- 10,626 people -- died in rollovers, mosts of them involving SUVs or light trucks.