Ford tops safety awards list for 2009, has 16 winners

Ford Motor Co. offers the most vehicles in America with top safety ratings, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The institute today released its "Top Safety Pick" awards list for 2009, which recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side and rear crashes, based on the institute's tests.

Ford had more winners than any other automaker -- 16 in all. Honda Motor Co. was second, with 13 winners. General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. tied with eight each.

"We want to set ourselves apart from the other American companies," Steve Kozak, Ford's safety chief engineer, told the Free Press on Monday. "We're ready and able to compete head-to-head with the Japanese."

Last month, Ford also won accolades from Consumer Reports for the high quality of its vehicles, which the trusted magazine said are now on par with those being produced by Toyota and Honda Motor Co.
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