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Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee flunk IIHS passenger-side crash test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has uncovered major safety-related problems while crash testing a number of popular midsize SUVs. Among those that scored an overall rating of "poor," the lowest possible score, are the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both SUVs showed a high risk of injury to a front passenger during the IIHS' passenger-side small overlap front crash test. This test simulates what might happen if a car or SUV strikes an immovable object, like a telephone pole, at 40 mph and with roughly 25-percent of its front width. "Although some vehicles in this group offer very good protection, in other models, the airbags, safety belts and structure showed serious deficiencies," says IIHS chief research officer, David Zuby. "In those SUVs, a front-seat passenger would be at risk of injuries to the head, hip or leg in a right-side small overlap front crash." In the 2018 Ford Explorer, the front of the SUV showed the structure was "seriously compromised" during both driver- and passenger-side small overlap crash testing, according to the IIHS. The lower and upper door hinge pillar showed intrusion levels of 15 and 13 inches, while the door sill itself was pushed inward 6 inches toward the crash test dummy. The IIHS states these results indicate a high probability that a front occupant would suffer injuries to their right hip and lower left leg. The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee didn't fare much better. Not only did the Jeep exhibit 10 inches of intrusion at the lower door hinge pillar, the front passenger crash test dummy's head hit the dashboard through the front airbag. Worse still, the side curtain airbag didn't deploy and the front passenger door opened. The IIHS says there is a strong chance this would result in right leg injuries, along with the possibility of a serious head injury. Even vehicles that earned an "acceptable" in the small overlap front crash test showed definite room for improvement. The 2018 Honda Pilot, for example, showed good structural performance during the crash itself. But the front passenger crash test dummy's head slid off the deployed airbag and hit the dashboard hard, indicating a head injury might result in a similar real-world crash scenario. Two other SUVs that scored "acceptable" ratings included the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder and 2018 Toyota Highlander. Scoring top marks of "good," the highest rating, in these IIHS crash tests were the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, 2018 GMC Acadia, and 2019 Kia Sorento.

Ford's new GT Le Mans racer sounds awesome

Ford showed its new GT Le Mans racecar this morning, and we're stoked. The gorgeous new racecar will run in the LM GTE Pro class in the FIA World Endurance Championship and United SportsCar Championship, followed by a four-car showing at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. For those keeping track, the 2016 race will mark the 50th anniversary of Ford's big Le Mans victory in 1966. In addition to images and some limited information, Ford released this video of the Le Mans racecar, and we haven't been able to stop watching. This thing sounds amazing, and it looks super cool racing through the streets of Paris, even if it's all just CGI. Thus, we figured we'd pull the video out again, just in case you missed it the first time. Turn your volume up. This one's really good.

Texas plumber shocked his old Ford F-250 is now in terrorists' hands [w/video]

Do you ever wonder what the a owner is doing with your vehicle after you trade it in? Mark Oberholtzer of Mark-1 Plumbing in Texas City, TX, has no need to imagine, but it's probably his worst nightmare. That's because an image of his old Ford F-250 is now on Twitter as a gun platform in the Syrian Civil War. While the image only appeared recently, Oberholtzer traded the truck in last November. Somehow since then the F-250 made its way from Texas to Syria. According to a report from television station WHOU, the dealer that took the trade said the pickup immediately went to auction. Unfortunately, along the whole route no one ever took Mark-1 Plumbing's name and phone number off the door. So when the image went up on Twitter, everyone knew whom the Ford previously belonged to. The plumbing company makes it abundantly clear that this whole bizarre situation is simply a coincidence, and it has absolutely no ties to the conflict in Syria. However, that isn't preventing people from phoning the business with angry calls and threats. Things are so bad that Oberholtzer keeps the phones unplugged for relief. Scroll down to watch a video of the guy's flabbergasted reaction to finding out what his F-250 is doing now. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.