All-New Mercury Monterey Leads Lincoln-Mercury's 2004 Five-Star Safety Line-Up

• The 2004 Mercury Monterey joins award-winning line-up. Two-thirds of Lincoln-Mercury's 2004 product line-up has earned the government's highest crash safety ratings.
  
• The Mercury Grand Marquis earns nine straight years of safety leadership.
  
• The Lincoln Navigator remains one of two full-size domestic sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to earn a five-star safety rating in U.S. government frontal crash testing.
  
• New Roll Stability Control™ (RSC) safety technology reduces the risk of untripped vehicle rollovers. RSC is available now on the 2004 Lincoln Navigator and Aviator SUVs.

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 16, 2004

The recent rating results from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mean that since 2001, more than half of the Lincoln-Mercury product line-up have been awarded five-stars for the fourth straight year. Monterey, Mercury's first long wheelbase minivan, is the second Mercury minivan to receive the government's top safety honors.

"Five-star safety ratings validate that our products continually perform well in crash test programs," said Darryl Hazel, president of Lincoln-Mercury. "By expanding with even more advanced safety solutions like Roll Stability Control™, our vehicles offer customers more safety choices than ever before."

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) provides safety ratings for front seat driver and passenger occupants in a frontal impact. The test consists of crashing the vehicles into a fixed concrete barrier at 35 mph, creating essentially the same conditions as two identical vehicles colliding head-on while each is traveling at 35 mph.

Scientists then examine impact data provided by instrumented and seatbelt restrained crash dummies inside the vehicle during the test. Five stars indicate the highest government frontal crash safety rating for a vehicle, which correlates to a 10 percent or less chance of any serious head or chest injury occurring in the crash test.

The Grand Marquis, Mercury's longest-running, best-selling vehicle, received its ninth consecutive five-star safety rating (1996-2004). With more than 2.7 million units sold since 1975, Grand Marquis, along with the Ford Crown Victoria, share the most five-star government safety ratings earned by a large sedan.

Beyond the Grand Marquis, Navigator and Town Car share top safety honors for the fourth straight year (2001-2004). The Lincoln Navigator and the Ford Expedition were the first and remain the only full-size domestic SUVs to earn the highest safety ratings in U.S. government frontal crash testing. The Lincoln Town Car was the first car in history to receive the highest possible five-star safety rating from NHTSA in five safety categories. The Mercury Marauder maintains its top safety honors for the second consecutive year.

"Safety is a top priority at Ford Motor Company and Lincoln-Mercury", said Hazel. "The five-star ratings are a tribute to our vehicle development community. Their efforts are award-winning and industry-leading."

Some key safety and security technologies include:

2004 Lincoln Navigator

• Roll Stability Control™ offers added assistance to the driver in maintaining vehicle control during extreme maneuvers if the vehicle senses an imminent risk of a rollover. Ford's RSC™ is a patented, segment exclusive safety technology that directly measures the body roll rate and calculates the roll angle of the vehicle. The RSC™ system continuously calculates if the vehicle may be approaching a situation where rollover is probable and takes action to help prevent a rollover. Also available on the Lincoln Aviator.
  
• AdvanceTrac™ uses seven sensors to monitor steering wheel angle, throttle position, wheel speed, the vehicle's yaw rate and other factors every seven milliseconds to determine if the vehicle is following the driver's intended path. Also available on the
• Lincoln LS, Aviator, Mercury Monterey and Mountaineer.

2004 Lincoln Town Car

• All-Speed Traction Control helps improve traction while driving on loose and slippery surfaces by using a combination of brake and engine control to reduce wheel spin. Standard dual front-seat-mounted side-impact airbags and side intrusion door beams in all four doors.
  
• Rear-door child-safety locks to prevent children from opening a door from inside the vehicle. The child-safety locks are located on the inside frame of the door. Once set, they stay engaged regardless of whether or not the vehicle doors are locked.
• Available on all Ford Motor Company vehicles.
  
• The Reverse Sensing System™ is a short-range collision-warning system that alerts occupants with a beeping tone if the rear bumper comes within 15 feet of an object when in Reverse. Also available on all Lincolns and the Mercury Monterey and Mountaineer.

2004 Mercury Monterey

• Ford's Safety Canopy™ is a full-length side curtain air bag system that provides enhanced side impact and rollover protection by deploying from the headliner in certain types of accidents. Also available on the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer, Lincoln Navigator and Aviator.
  
• Front structural rails with laser welds on their outer surfaces, "reverse" control arms and a new subframe are designed to help Monterey improve offset crash protection.
  
• Front and rear parking sensors.
  Three-point safety belts for all passengers.

2004 Mercury Grand Marquis

• Ford's Personal Safety System™ controls airbag energy-deployment levels and safety belt tension in many types of frontal crashes by analyzing crash factors and determining the proper response in milliseconds. Also available on the Mercury
Monterey, Sable, Marauder, Mountaineer and all Lincolns.

• Occupant Classification Sensing builds on the strength of the Personal Safety System to tailor deployment of the front outboard passenger airbag. If the passenger seat sensor detects no or little weight on the seat, the passenger airbag is automatically switched off. Also available on the Mercury Grand Marquis, Monterey and Lincoln Town Car.

2004 Mercury Marauder

• Ford's Beltminder™ system provides drivers with a gentle reminder to fasten their safety belts. Also available on all Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo vehicles.
  
• The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system incorporates universal metal anchoring points in a vehicle where the seat back and cushion meet, providing a secure and easy installation of a child car seat. Standard on all Ford Motor Company vehicles.
  
• A strong steel crossmember behind the A-pillar improves the frame's stiffness and dissipates energy in a side-impact collision.
  Side impact air bags and anti-lock brakes.
  

Although New-Cars.com checks with auto manufacturers and their representatives to confirm the accuracy of the data, it makes no guarantee or warranty, either expressed or implied with respect to the data presented here. All specifications, prices and equipment are subject to change without notice.

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