The current Ford Mustang achieved a lowly two-star rating for overall safety in a series of recent crash tests carried out by Euro NCAP.

Euro NCAP describes any car that receives 2 stars as one that features ‘Nominal crash protection but lacking crash avoidance technology’.

In the case of the iconic muscle-car, there are concerns about its crash protection of adult and child occupants and a ‘worrying lack of safety equipment commonly available on the European market’. Euro NCAP says the results reveal the American “DNA” of the Mustang, and that it is designed to score well in the less wide-ranging US consumer tests. The European variant has seen only minor updates required to meet European (pedestrian) safety regulation, and the Forward Collision Warning system was removed when it was introduced here.

In the frontal offset test, the airbags of both the driver and passenger inflated insufficiently to properly restrain the occupants. In the full-width frontal test, a lack of rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and load-limiters meant that the rear passenger slid under the seatbelt, implying higher risk at abdominal injuries in real life accidents. In the side impact crash, the head of the 10-year dummy contacted the interior trim bottoming out the curtain airbag.

Euro NCAP’s Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen, said: “Ford did not expect Euro NCAP to test the Mustang and chose not to fit safety technology in Europe which is available to its American consumers, and available on several other sports cars for that matter. Such an attitude to safety should trouble Ford’s customers, whether they are buying a high-powered muscle car or a regular family car.”

Ford say that the recently announced, facelifted Mustang will be available later this year with Pre-Collision Assist and Lane Keep Assist as standard. Euro NCAP expects to test the safety of this updated model when it is available on the European market.

Michiel van Ratingen said, “We welcome any improvement, of course, and look forward to publishing a new rating for the updated model.  However, more fundamental updates may be needed if the Mustang is to get a significantly better result. We therefore hope Ford takes the opportunity to invest in the changes needed now for future Mustang generations.”

In contrast, the Volvo S9 saloon and the V9 estate both achieve the maximum of five stars. Launched last year, the S90 and V90 are the latest additions to the Volvo Cars line-up and the first cars to be tested against Euro NCAP’s 2017 test regime. 

Both models take advantage of the many advanced technologies of the XC90 and made a big impression in all areas of Euro NCAP’s assessment. Standard-fit autonomous emergency braking for cars and pedestrians performed outstandingly well in Euro NCAP’s tests and the vehicles also offer lane and speed assistance. The S90 and V90 results surpass the best overall score of any model tested last year and now make Euro NCAP’s top-3 best performing cars ever, all Volvo. 

Michiel van Ratingen added: “Volvo has invested in safety, has made key technologies standard across the model range and the results speak for themselves: a very impressive five-star rating.”