3rd Gen Safety & other 3rd Gen Questions

[LJ4174]

Hi All...

Been part of this forum for a while, joined when I was thinking of an Expedition EL to tow a camper. I went with an Excursion instead. The Excursion is staying put, also have an 05 Explorer and a 94 Wrangler that aren't going anywhere. The Wrangler and the Explorer were purchased new. I bought the Excursion a little over 5 years ago, I'm the 2nd owner and it only had 55K on it when I bought it, so needless to say, I keep my vehicles. Now we are looking to add an Expedition EL - the Excursion to get groceries for the wife is a bit much, so that will turn into my toy. The kids complain about the Explorer being too small and I use this as daily driver, however I work from home, but travel for work at times. The Wrangler can't even seat my family of 5, but again, not going anywhere... My wife says, what are you going to do, collect cars??? Why yes... Yes I am!!!

I've spent the better part of today reading this forum. Tons of information and I thank you all for that and looking forward to owning an Expedition. However after some searching, etc. as well as other research, I can't find my answer...

Part of the reason the Excursion is tough on my wife, is that she was in a car accident 15 years ago and the injuries from that accident are starting to surface. She has neck, back and rib issues and if she is in another accident, she could be paralyzed (not that we all couldn't), but her C2 was fractured previously and she is more at risk, so safety is a big concern. When I look, it looks like the 2010 and 2011 got 5 star front crash test ratings, I don't think the 12's and 13's were tested (maybe just the 12's), but the 14 only got 3 stars driver's side and 4 stars passenger side. The 15-17 got 5 stars all around. Does anyone know or understand why? I mean, they are essentially all the same body wise and engine with the exception of the 15-17. Did they change something? Was the test itself changed? Any thoughts around this?

I have driven both the 5.4 and the EB and I have read plenty of threads here about them and I ask that this not get turned into one of those threads. I almost bought a 2015 Limited this week, but backed out, but still may make a deal on it, however the 2015 with EB scares me a bit. The 15 had every available electronic option (or as my wife says "Bells and Whistles") and I look at it and think of how much the repairs would cost if something breaks, granted it's an awesome vehicle, but it also $15K-$20K more than anything around 2010 - 2014 - at least in my area. That being said, my family is worth way more than saving $20K and possibly paying for costly repairs, this is why I'd consider the new version, but I also like the styling more as well. That being said, if I can find an older EL with the options we want for a decent price and history, etc. I'd be more inclined to buy that, granted the safety ratings are the same as the 15-17's...

Thank you for any information you can provide...

LJ

 

[bobmbx]

Find a Program Return 2017 EL Platinum. About half the new sticker price, all the bells and whistles, and a bumper to bumper warranty to 36K. Pick up the extended warranty and you've practically got a brand new El Platy at half the cost. Seats 8 comfortably.

 

[LJ4174]

Find a Program Return 2017 EL Platinum. About half the new sticker price, all the bells and whistles, and a bumper to bumper warranty to 36K. Pick up the extended warranty and you've practically got a brand new El Platy at half the cost. Seats 8 comfortably.

Yeah, the one we were looking at was a 2015 Limited and it was Ford Certified, only had 39K miles on it, so 12/12,000 bumper to bumper and then 100K power train warranty, so I was OK with that. Still the price tag was a bit hefty, all but $39K... : \ If I could find the same vehicle, especially safety wise for $15K less, I'd jump on it.

 

[LokiWolf]

We have had 2 15-17’s. The 15 was totaled in a 45 mile an hour crash. Lady took a left in front of my wife on a blinking yellow in the rain. Wife walked away, sore, and shook up, but no injuries. Not sure if they did anything between 14 and 15, but the 15 did its job. We replaced it with its younger brother in a 17. Both are 4x4 Limited EL’s.

I know the 15 had a TON of air bags, front, and side. That could attest to the difference. Also, because the EB Motor is slightly smaller, and sits further back and lower than the 5.4 the cabin penetration rating could be better.

 

[Trainmaster]

The different "star ratings" for different model years may be simply an anomaly caused by the ratings of other cars tested that year. You cannot use the ratings to compare the same model in different years. In reality, the ratings are so politically driven that they are virtually useless.

This is clearly demonstrated when a 2600 pound Kia gets the same safety rating as a 5700 pound Expedition. In a word, "nonsense".

I trust that the safety of any late model full size SUV is exceptional. The differences between a 2016 and a 2018 are probably only apparent in some extremely specific type incidents. And since the 2018 is lighter, any improvement in safety may be questioned. In reality you probably can't find a generally safer passenger vehicle, except perhaps a 2005 Excursion.

 

[coolzzy]

I bought a fully loaded 17 EL XLT (202a package adds leather, heated and cooled seats, HD tow package, nav, power Hatch, remote start etc). Certified pre owned covers the motor to 100k miles which is when I'll be getting rid of it. Partly because of the motor but mostly because we only drive 8 or 9k miles per year and in 5 years I won't need this large of a vehicle anymore (kids will be gone). I love the ecoboost in this truck though, it spanks the 5.4 version. I almost bought a 14 limited but it was no comparison in power and better technology (sync 3 is soo much better than the nav in the 14 and older and better than the MFT in the 15s).

My wife likes that it's a real body on frame SUV, she feels very safe in it compared to any of the crossovers we shopped including the explorer. In a crash, it's hulking size and tons of airbags will keep you safe unless you plow head on into a semi.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

I own a 2015 Ford Expedition Limited 4x4 - purchased new. Before purchase, I researched the SUV crash ratings and was impressed with the 5-star ratings.

I always felt that there are two safety categories; the crash worthiness of the vehicle in a collision and the various safety systems available to a driver to avoid a collision (passive and non-passive). I think some people forget that crash avoidance is so critical.

The Expediton did not offer a front collision warning system or automatic braking. It did offer a blindspot information system (BLIS) and rear cross-traffic warning that I ordered. A lane departure warning system was not offered.

I felt the outward view for the driver was excellent, when compared to other full size SUV’s. The rear camera is excellent (but so are many others).

I have had GM vehicles for years (and still do) with the OnStar system, and I have always maintained the subscription for the automatic crash notification system (it worked very well in my son’s GM vehicle when he was hit head-on and knocked unconscious). Ford does not offer a similar system and that was one factor that almost prevented me from buying the Expedition.

Ford did not offer front knee airbags on the Expedition - but some other SUV’s did not also.

The full-frame, and sheer size and mass should contribute to the crash worthiness of the Expedtion. I do wish that Ford had offered more passive safety features, but I guess the purchase of a new vehicle always involves compromises.

 

[JExpedition07]

Any 3rd gen expy not to mention 2nd gens are completely safe. Mine has airbags everywhere you look. The 5.4L expeditions have some more weight vs the 15-17 so there may be an “ounce” of extra cushion with the bigger cast iron motor. Nothing material. The last tests I saw were a 2012 and 2015.... they got identical ratings, both being very safe. Hence what we already know, the motors and different plastic facias makes no material differences. Trainmaster while a single car may be rated good, it’s not safe against a truck.... IIHS always is careful to say weight equals safety in an accident with another vehicle.


That’s like if our expy hits an excursion head on..... doesn’t matter how many airbags we have we lose the excursion has 2,000 pounds on us. we take most of the force of the accident. We are either gone or severely injured.... they may walk away.

 

[Adieu]

Tougher requirments or changes in the test.

3rd gens should all crash the same. Maaaaaybe just maybe a slight difference with the ecoboost due to weight or motor placement changes, although if it was something drastic like the engine block flying out into the third row from a little love tap, we'd have heard about it from the press by now

....in any case, it's DEFINITELY safer than a wrangler

 

[star-art]

I would guess that all 2007-17 models should perform similarly, assuming they're all equipped with side-impact airbags (not sure what year those became standard, but I know for sure they were in 2009-17 vehicles).

The new 2018 should be the safest option with it's front crash-avoidance radar. But, the new model is made from aluminum so it will be severely damaged in a crash compared to a 2017 or older truck. Check out this video to see the differences in F150 crash tests: