2011 F150 Scores Only 3 Stars In Government Safety Tests
Jason Lancaster | Mar 17, 2011 | Comments 12
Last week we published a comprehensive table of 2011 pickup truck crash test ratings, and today we’ve got updated crash test results from the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) website detailing the crash test results of the Ford F-150.
NHTSA government crash tests gave the 2011 Ford F-150 three stars in frontal crash tests. Click to see the full details.
While the 2011 F150 scored an overall crash test rating of 4 stars, the F-150 only scored 3 stars in frontal impacts, making it the second worst truck in terms of frontal impact safety among products for Chevy/GMC, Toyota, and Ram. Only the Ram 1500 scored worse – a paltry 2 stars. Fortunately for Ford, their strong performance in IIHS crash test studies seems to indicate that, overall, the F150 is comparably safe to the Tundra as well as trucks for Chevy and GMC.
Ford's 2011 F-150 crash test results rate it behind both the Tundra and the Chevy/GMC 1500 pickups.
Still, technically speaking, the F150 did not perform as well as the Tundra in the NHTSA tests the F150 had a lower front impact score, but as noted by Tim in the comments, the F150 did slightly better than the Tundra in a couple of ways (albeit small ways)…so the performance is likely closer to “equal” between the Tundra and the F150 than it is towards the Tundra.
As far as Chevy and GMC are concerned, the Tundra all but tied the GM trucks in NHTSA tests while significantly outperforming them in the IIHS tests…which means that the Tundra performed better overall than the GM trucks as well.
Finally, no truck tested has performed worse than the Ram 1500. Not only did the Ram score only 2 stars in frontal crash tests, NHTSA’s side-impact tests results came with a safety warning.
Clearly this is good news for 2011 Tundra owners and great news for consumers in general (unless they own a Ram 1500, that is). Trucks are much safer today than they were not even 10 years ago.
2011 Ford F150 Crash Test Videos
Frontal Impact Crash Test
Check out how much the front of the truck compressed…you would think that this much bending and breaking would expend a lot of energy and give the Ford a better rating.
Side Impact Crash Test
Ford scored a perfect 5 stars in side impact tests, but so did everyone else. The Ram’s side impact score was tarnished, however, by a “safety warning” during the pole side impact test.
Filed Under: Auto News
Very good info for anyone researching for a truck. Not a bad score either.
did they really have to put a sticker on that truck that states “post-test”? it was kinda self explanitory isnt it?
[…] engine development and not enough on SAFETY. We'll have to wait & see about their reliability. 2011 F150 Scores Only 3 Stars In Government Safety Tests | Tundra Headquarters __________________ 2011 4×4 TRD 5.7, Barcelona Red, Dbl Cab, TOW […]
Mickey – Thanks!
Danny – Funny, right? That’s how they do it.
WTF! F150 scored a 5 out of 5 stars in front and side impact from not only the gov crash test but from the IIHS and NHTSA since 2009 and is the same truck in 2011! Who ever wrote this shit is full of crap. If you don’t belive me research the f150 for yourself you will see the truth besides this is a Toyota page there not gonna tell u how good ford is compared to them.
Yeah, for 2011 the NHTSA used a more strict rating system than in 2010. For 2010 the F150 earned a 5-star rating for both front passengers. The 2011 F150 (with the more strict test) earned a 4-star driver and a 2-star passenger rating. The Tundra wasnt much better, earning a 4-star for driver and 3-star for passenger. In the IIHS test, the F150 did even better than the Tundra, as the “a-pillar” was pushed back less on the F150 than it was on the Tundra. Despite that, all of these trucks are safe- these ratings are based on hitting a large truck of the same weight and mass. It should be noted though that the F150 is still a very safe truck. Also fwiw, the 2000 Toyota Tundra also earned a good rating in the IIHS off-set test, the passenger cage held up super well. I like Fords and Toyotas, so I am not “dissing” either one, just explaining this new rating system from NHTSA that makes the F150 sound less safe than it actually is.
In reply to the below, The F150 does rate a little safer than the Tundra. #1 – on the rollover (roof crush) tests, the F150 can hold up 25,234 pounds, whereas the Tundra was rated at 23,069 pounds, which is below the F150, but still excellent, so hats off to both of these trucks! Silverado and Ram 1500 didnt do so well in this test!! See this link… http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ro.....ss.aspx?70
Then in the off-set front crash, the Tundras a-pillar was pushed back 2cm, whereas the F150 was only 1cm. The Silverado was pushed back 3cm. Again, all super ratings, but the F150 did the best and it was also a heaviest truck in the tests. Again, here is the link to that data… http://www.iihs.org/ratings/da.....038;type=f
You have to look into little details before you can say the Tundra is the safest rated overall, because its not.
“Still, technically speaking, the F150 did not perform as well as the Tundra in the NHTSA tests and it didn’t score any better in IIHS testing….which means the Tundra performed better”.
also look at the injury data on the dummies… on the 2009-11 F150, no contact of high pressure on the head, but the 2010 Tundra had a pressure rating of 48. Also chest compression on the F150 was 29, but was 33 on the Tundra. 😉 look at the detailed numbers here… the lower the #s, the better the score… http://www.iihs.org/ratings/da.....038;type=f
Emmanuel _ Warning! It’s good to look before you leap. Check NHTSA’s ratings for the 2011 F150 at SaferCar.gov…then get back to me with an apology.
Tim – All fair points. I stand corrected. Thank you. 🙂
Jason screw you and your apology!!!! Tim proved u wrong with information I already knew. You tried to give ford a low blow by twisting information into ,like Tim said ” making the f150 sound less safe than it actually is”. It’s lonely at the top and when you are the best around everyone is gonna take a shot at you.
Anyone reading this article don’t believe this twisted interpretation of data! The hater that wrote it even admited he was wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve corrected the wording in the article. Thanks for keeping me honest.
This is my opinion you want a great truck buy a ford you want a great car buy a toyota simple take it or leave it