2010 Ford Focus

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Safety - What the Auto Press Says

The big news from Ford is the creation of its MyKey system -- standard on all models -- which is designed to help parents promote safe driving habits in their teens.  MyKey does a number of things to discourage unsafe behaviors, like limiting the top speed to 80 mph, disabling the audio system when seatbelts are not in use and sounding a persistent chime when the vehicle’s speed hits 45, 55 and 65 mph.

The 2010 Ford Focus gets relatively good scores from the federal government in crash testing. The two-door Focus receives the top score of five stars for both driver and passenger protection in a front-end collision while the four-door model receives only four stars in these tests. In side-impact testing, the four-door model receives five stars for front passenger protection and four stars for rear passenger protection.  The two-door Focus receives only three stars in those tests -- a score which is low for the class. Rollover testing resulted in four-star ratings for both the two- and four-door models, which means that they have a 13 and 14 percent chance, respectively, of rollover in a single vehicle crash.

Testing by the insurance industry has not yet been completed for the 2010 Focus, but the 2009 model received good scores.  The two-door model received top scores of “Good” in front, side and rear crash protection testing, making it a Top Safety Pick.  The four-door model also did well, getting ratings of “Good” in both front impact and rear crash protection testing, but a rating of just “Acceptable” for side impact testing.

All 2010 Ford Focus models come with a wide array of standard safety features, including six airbags, Electronic Stability Control and anti-lock brakes.

• "Designed to help keep novice drivers safe, the MyKey system allows parents to program the car so that the sound system doesn't work unless the safety belts are buckled: More than 2,000 unbelted teenagers die in car crashes each year. And statistics suggest that if a teenage embraces one risky behavior, such as not wearing a safety belt, they engage in others, such as speeding, carrying too many passengers and driving intoxicated." -- AutoMedia.com
• "Thanks to large mirrors and small rear pillars, the driver's seat affords a good view to all corners." -- New Car Test Drive