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Further Problems of Safety Found For Light Trucks, Documents on Design of Explorer Reveal a Series of Compromises

Number 17897
Subject Transportation
Source New York Times
State NY
Year 2000
Publication Date Dec. 11, Dec. 6
Summary Half of all cars purchased in the U.S. are in the light truck category, which include SUVs. "Ford designed its Explorer on a shoestring budget in the late 1980's, bolting a roomy car-like passenger cabin on top of the underbody of a Ranger pickup truck. The high-riding design made the vehicle more prone to rolling over... Sport utility vehicles, which many American busy partly because they seem safer than cars in collisions between the two, roll over so often that their occupants are just as likely to die in an accident as car occupants..."
Category General
Pages 7
Keywords Ford;SUV;sport utility vehicle;rollover rate;tire;Firestone;auto safety;consumer image;SUV drivers;mass production;design changes and flaws;payload;rear suspension;frame rails;track width;sides and roof alterations
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