Though the 2013 Ford Escape was hit by a few recalls not long after its launch, the compact crossover just received some good news from the IIHS. Along with the Acura ILX, Subaru BRZ, and Scion FR-S, the Ford Escape is a Top Safety Pick.
Each 2013-model-year vehicle earned the IIHS' top award by scoring a "Good" rating in the moderate overlap frontal, side, rollover and rear impact tests. None of the vehicles, however, appear to have been evaluated with the new small overlap front test. The IIHS began the new test after a 2009 study showed that these types of crashes accounted for about a quarter of injuries or fatalities for front-seat occupants.
The all-new Ford Escape improves on the last-generation model, which only earned a "Marginal" rating for roof strength in rollover crashes while the hybrid model had earned a "Poor" rating in the same test.