The new Ford F-150, with an updated body made of aluminum from Alcoa, got a top safety rating from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Ford previously committed to changing the F-150 from a steel body to a 97% aluminum body, and the aluminum is provided by the Alcoa works in Riverdale. Replacing the steel with aluminum improved the F-150’s fuel efficiency and reduced its weight by 700 pounds.
The NHTSA gave its top five-star crash test safety rating to the newer version of the F-150 Super Crew 4x4 and 4x2 models, made with the Alcoa aluminum.
“Starting with 2011 models, NHTXA has introduced tougher tests and rigorous new 5-Star Safety Ratings that provide more information about safety feature performance and crash avoidance technologies,” said information on the NHTSA safety information website safercar.gov.
The 2015 F-150 Super Crew got an overall five-star rating, five stars from frontal crash and side crash impacts, and four stars for rollover crash safety.