2023 Ford Explorer has Earned Top Safety Pick Award from IIHS
Photo Source: Ford
A new year equals new trucks, cars, and SUVs. While the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted its testing for the 2023 model year, two Ford vehicles became IIHS Top Safety Pick winners, one of which was the 2023 Ford Explorer. Indeed, North America’s best-selling SUV nameplate historically needs to be a lot of things, one of the most vital is being safe, and the Ford Explorer fares well in crash tests. In the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) review of the Ford Explorer, it scored a full five stars for side crash evaluations and four for rollover tests. The IIHS review resulted in a Top Safety Pick+ award for 2022, with top scores allocated in all categories for 2023. Its headlights were rated “Acceptable,” thus allowing it to receive the Top Safety Pick+ prize.
The Ford Explorer’s Consistent Safety
Ford Explorer three-row midsize SUVs constructed after May 2022 have been deemed worthy of the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ accolade for two consecutive model years. Of note, the 2023 Explorer garnered the IIHS Top Safety Pick award for 2023. Current generation Ford Explorers gave commendable performances in the IIHS “crashworthiness” assessments, scoring the highest possible “Good” rating in all tested categories, including the updated side crash test.
The Platinum trim received the “Acceptable” score in the crash mitigation and avoidance section with its LED projector low-beam and high-beam headlights. Interestingly, the XLT, Limited, and ST trims also received an “Acceptable” score even though these headlights are non-curve adaptive LED reflector lights. Although the Blue Oval’s Explorer did not encounter any alterations for the 2023 model year, the award’s evaluation criteria certainly did.
More Rigid Safety Measures
Each year, the IIHS updates its testing to address ongoing issues on the roadways. The 2023 test only strengthens the requirements to earn an IIHS Top Safety Pick Award, which resulted in fewer winners. As mentioned, the changes in said criteria can be witnessed in the number of winners for 2023 compared to previous years. For example, 2022 saw a total of 101 automotive trims earn one of the two IIHS top honors, while only forty-eight trims qualified in 2023, with twenty Top Safety Pick awards and twenty-eight Top Safety Pick+ winners. As readers can see, the figures are considerably dwarfed from one year to the next. To gain a better understanding of such a radical drop in victors, the new IIHS evaluation criteria for 2023 include the following:
- Headlight rating of Acceptable or Good required for all trim levels
- Updated side impact test with an 82 percent increase in impact energy than the original side impact test
- New nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test required for Top Safety Pick+
As a matter of fact, while previous criteria such as small and moderate overlap front crash tests have been retained, the IIHS did away with scores from evaluations like vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, head restraint evaluations, and roof strength from 2023’s award standards. Ford’s drive to meet the changing needs of vehicle security measures was voiced pointedly by Jim Baumbick, vice president of Ford Product Development and Quality. Baumbick attested, “Safety and quality are two of our top priorities. Receiving this recognition from IIHS for Mustang Mach-E and Explorer has reaffirmed that we’re focused in the right places to help make our customers’ lives better.”
The Ford brand makes a concerted effort to produce automobiles that can rise to any occasion, especially in terms of Safety and security. If the results surrounding the 2023 Ford Explorer have impressed you, please come visit Sunrise Ford. We have a trained service team that can help with an online appointment to get started on all maintenance work and repairs. After all, at Sunrise Ford, we know what it takes to provide a worthwhile experience. Allow us the pleasure of assisting you today.