Great news for Ford – the 2011 Fiesta earned a 2010 Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This marks the first time a mini-car has picked up an award since the introduction of a new roof strength test.
And if that was reason enough to celebrate, this nod also makes it the eighth Ford vehicle to earn the Institute's top designation, which means it has the most "Top Safety Picks" of any automaker.
Helping it pick up a win is the fact that Fiesta is made from high-strength steels, and it features the company's Trinity front crash structure, Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE) Architecture and advanced airbag technologies. Outfitted with an energy-absorbing body structure, the Fiesta's strength and stiffness helps to absorb and redirect crash forces away from the passenger compartment. It also comes with the most standard airbags in its class, as well as standard electronic stability control.
"Fiesta is proof that a small car can deliver big safety, and earning a Top Safety Pick further demonstrates Ford's commitment to providing all of our customers with world-class crash protection," said Sue Cischke, Ford's group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "Fiesta combines rigidity and more airbags – smartly deployed – than its competition, as well as standard stability control."
One of the unique safety features the Fiesta offers is a driver's knee airbag. This airbag helps reduce lower leg injuries during a frontal collision and to work with other safety features. Other Fiesta safety features include dual-stage first-row airbags, side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags.
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