Ford says, "Freestyle starts with the notion that nothing is more important in a family vehicle than safety." The Freestyle's roster of safety technologies, combined with first-round crash testing by the NHTSA, confirms that the company put a high priority on occupant protection. It starts with the Freestyle's underlying structure, which is based upon Volvo's flagship S80 sedan and incorporates many Volvo safety innovations. (Volvo is owned by Ford Motor Company.) An energy channeling, "tripod" vehicle architecture routes crash forces around the passenger compartment, like in the Volvo S80. The Freestyle also includes elements of Volvo's Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), in this case a cross-car beam that deflects side crash forces under the seats. Additional Volvo methods used to provide safety include an horizontally-collapsing steering column that folds at two speeds depending on whether the driver is buckled or not, a roof brace connecting the B-pillars that absorbs side impact and rollover crash forces, and a collapsible driveshaft designed to channel force under and to the rear of the car. Furthermore, in anticipation of meeting future crash standards, the Freestyle's rear architecture has been designed to withstand a 55-mph impact, and according to Ford the third-row seat is farther away from the tailgate than any competing model. Finally, it seems Ford learned a lesson with the Pinto debacle of the 1970s; the Freestyle's fuel tank is placed forward of the rear axle, well away from the back of the vehicle. Standard equipment includes Ford's Personal Safety System of dual-stage, passenger-sensing front airbags, three-point seatbelts in all seating positions, adjustable head restraints in all seating positions, and front seatbelts equipped with pretensioners and load limiting retractors. The Freestyle's front airbags even take the driver's seat position into account when deploying in an effort to better protect shorter stature occupants. People with LATCH-equipped child seats will find the proper anchors installed in both the second- and third-row seats. Optionally available is Ford's Safety Canopy System. The Safety Canopy System includes side-impact airbags and side-curtain airbags with rollover protection. In a rollover accident, the Freestyle's side-curtain airbags remain inflated for an extended period of time to better protect occupants. Another useful safety option is the reverse sensing system, which beeps when it detects objects, such as children, that might be behind the Freestyle and out of view. In testing performed by the NHTSA, the 2005 Ford Freestyle received five-star ratings for frontal and side-impact crashes, the best possible score. At this writing, the NHTSA has not yet rated the Freestyle for rollover tendency, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not performed its regimen of 40-mph offset frontal, 32-mph side-impact, and new rear-impact crash tests.
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