Ford Focus, Ranger test low - Show worst ratings in rollovers and crashes.

Two 2005 Ford vehicles, the two-door Focus and the Ranger 4x4 pickup, were the worst performers in new government crash and rollover tests, results released Tuesday show.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the rear passenger was at risk of serious injury when the Focus was hit in the side in a 38.5-miles-per-hour. test. The Focus was tested without side air bags, which Ford Motor Co. lists as a $350 option on the vehicle.

NHTSA gave the Focus three out of five stars for driver's side protection and four out of five stars for rear passenger protection. Those ratings didn't reflect the potential for head injury because NHTSA's side-impact ratings consider only chest injuries. A five-star rating means the likelihood of serious injury in a similar crash is 5 percent or less; three stars means the likelihood is 11 to 20 percent.

The Ranger 4x4 and its corporate twin, the Mazda B-Series 4x4, earned two stars in NHTSA's rollover ratings, the lowest of the 10 2005 pickups tested. NHTSA said the Ranger and the B-Series have a 30.6-percent chance of rolling over in a crash. The ratings consider the vehicle's height and weight and its performance in a 35- to 50-miles-per-hour test with a sharp turn.

Ford didn't respond to the ratings Tuesday.

Source: Detroit Free Press