Safety It’s natural to be concerned about safety when it comes to buying an SUV. To help assuage consumer concerns, Ford includes a bevy of safety technologies as standard equipment on the new 2006 Explorer.

Given the Ford Explorer’s history and the issue of SUV rollovers, it’s natural to be concerned about safety when it comes to the redesigned 2006 model. To help assuage consumer concerns, Ford includes a bevy of safety technologies as standard equipment on the new 2006 Explorer, helping the truck to meet all known federal safety regulations until 2010.

AdvanceTrac stability control with Roll Stability Control (RSC) technology comes standard on every 2006 Ford Explorer. A Ford exclusive, RSC activates the ABS on the one side of the Explorer when favorable roll conditions exist, depending on which side might cause the rollover, in an effort to help stabilize the vehicle. Ford notes that government studies claim that RSC can reduce rollover crashes by 67 percent.

Other standard safety gear includes dual-stage front airbags with a five-level front passenger sensing system and driver’s seat position sensor, and front side-impact airbags. The seat sensor for the front passenger won’t activate the airbag until 20 pounds is placed on the front passenger seat, meaning that purses, briefcases, and backpacks won’t set off warning alarms to fasten the seatbelt. An optional Safety Canopy of side curtain airbags with rollover protection for the first two rows can remain inflated for a longer period of time in the event that the Explorer winds up on its roof.

The big news for 2006, however, is the inclusion of several adaptive technologies that allow the Ford Explorer to tailor crash protection for specifically sized occupants. The standard adaptive front passenger airbag tether works with the seat sensor and a seatbelt buckle sensor to tailor the size of the airbag for appropriate usage. This way, a larger person not wearing a seatbelt will get a larger and more forceful airbag, while a smaller person wearing a seatbelt will get a smaller and softer airbag. Furthermore, the 2006 Explorer’s new adaptive stroking steering column and adaptive load-limiting seatbelt retractors absorb crash energy at different rates depending on various factors.

As if these safety precautions weren’t enough, large Volvo-style headrests articulate down and out of the way when not in use to clear visibility for the driver, and force use when someone wants to ride in the seat. Up front, Ford also extended the Explorer’s frame by four inches for improved crash protection, cleverly concealing the additional length behind an integrated bumper cover extension.