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The Ford Escort is an old design that shows safety shortcomings. Euro NCAP tested the car a year ago but held off publishing the results when Ford announced that it was to undergo structural improvements which would affect its crash performance and that upgraded model is tested here. One area where the Escort performed strongly was pedestrian protection, where it came very close to obtaining a three-star rating – beating newer rivals including many tested here.

Front impact
The passenger compartment became unstable during the impact and crash intrusion presented problems. The side of the driver’s footwell ruptured near the sill and the driver’s legs were exposed to a high risk of disabling injuries from unprotected metal brackets. What’s more, the steering column shroud did not contain any energy absorbing material or deflector plate to lessen damage to the driver’s legs. The brake pedal was forced backwards by the front impact, risking feet and lower leg injuries. Finally, impact forces transmitted to the passenger’s chest by his seat belt were assessed as 'high'.

Side impact
When the Escort was first tested, results showed that its driver ran a high risk of serious or fatal chest injury in this type of impact. Following this, Ford modified the vehicle’s side structure and it was reassessed. Safety performance improved sufficiently so that the revised car just passed new regulations (a requirement for designs launched after October 1998). Even so, there was still a risk of serious chest injury for the driver.

Child-protection
The restraints gave adequate protection in the frontal-impact test and kept their occupants from flying forward and hitting cabin furniture. In the side impact, the older child’s head was not contained within the restraint.

Pedestrian protection
The bonnet was less of a threat to pedestrians than those of many rivals but other areas need improvement to reduce the risk of disabling leg injuries.