2010 Ford Taurus Gains IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2010 Ford Taurus made the headlines one more time, this time thanks to its advanced safety features that brought the car a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). And speaking of safety equipment, the all-new Taurus comes equipped with a wide array of features, including side airbags especially designed to deploy up to 30 percent earlier compared to traditional airbags, radar-enabled advanced collision warning system, Cross Traffic Alert and AdvanceTrac electronic stability control.

The new Taurus scored good performance in all tests, including in front, side and rear tests. Dummy movement was well controlled, the IIHS said in a release.

"The new Taurus is Ford’s safety flagship with a Top Safety Pick, crash-protection and crash-avoidance features that you may not find in luxury vehicles that cost twice as much," Sue Cischke, Ford Group vice president of Ford Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, said.

"A stiffer body structure and new crash-avoidance technologies make the Taurus – already named the safest full-size sedan – even safer," Pete Reyes, Chief engineer, Ford Taurus, added.

Other highlights on the 2010 Taurus include Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning with Brake Support, SecuriCode Keyless Entry Keypad, MyKey, auto high beams/rain-sensing wipers, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Cross Traffic Alert, SYNC and voice-activated navigation system with SIRIUS Travel Link.

"The new Taurus builds on the 2009 model’s tremendous safety record by adding even more state-of-the-art crash-avoidance and crash-protection technologies. You would be hard pressed to find a better-equipped driver aid and safety package in a full-size sedan," Steve Kozak, Chief engineer, Ford Safety Systems, said.