Territory Safety

Safety Systems

Standard equipment includes Dual Stage Driver and passenger front airbags; award winning Intelligent Protection System (IPS); Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD); central locking; rear doors with child proof locks and remote keyless entry with panic alarm.

In addition to a front satellite crash sensor, Territory boasts an exceptionally strong passenger safety cell available with head-protecting side curtain airbags. The side curtain airbags and Reverse Sensing System are standard on Territory Ghia variants.

Dynamic Stability Control, standard on the AWD version, dictates engine torque and braking to the individual wheels, maximising control to help the driver steer their way out of trouble. Traction control further assists the driver by reducing the amount of wheel spin.

Territory also includes anti-intrusion pedals that decouple the brake pedal from the brake booster shaft in a frontal crash.

Accident Avoidance and Protection

The reinforced passenger safety cell incorporates high strength steel for front pillar, centre pillar and roof side rail strength.

Ford Territory's structure has been engineered to protect the passenger compartment by spreading energy during a crash. This distributes the load and helps preserve the integrity of the passenger safety cell in frontal and rear collisions.

Impact energy management is assisted by front and rear structural members designed optimise the management of load paths and controlled crush during front and rear collisions. This reduces the crash energy transferred to occupants and as such reduces the likelihood of injuries.

Additional safety features include a collapsible steering wheel, anti-intrusion brake pedals and a fuel system cut-off switch.

Intelligent Protection System

The side curtain provides head protection for both front and second row occupants in side impact crashes.

The IPS is a fully integrated, computer-driven system that 'thinks' about, and responds to, different accident conditions. IPS features integrated seat belt buckle pretensioners, energy management retractors, seat belt usage sensors, a driver's seat position sensor, dual stage inflating airbags and a special crash severity sensor.

Sensors constantly feed data to the vehicle's Advanced Restraints Module (ARM) which takes into account the seating position of the driver, seat belt utilisation (driver and passengers') and the severity of the accident before deploying appropriate safety technologies during frontal collisions.

The ARM controls the variable front airbag inflator output and pyrotechnic seat belt pre-tensioners according to the severity of a frontal crash while controlling the deployment of the inflatable side curtain airbags and telling the Body Electronics Module (BEM) to unlock the doors in the event of a crash.

Structural Safety

A strong passenger safety cell is fundamental to structural safety, but the key element is management of energy load paths at the front, side and rear of the vehicle. Territory's structure has been engineered to protect the passenger compartment by spreading energy during a crash, directing it through complementary parallel paths in the body.

Territory utilises tailor welded blank technology, which laser welds different gauges of sheet metal together prior to the stamping operation, efficiently customising the structure to maintain the safety cell. This distributes the load and helps preserve the integrity of the passenger safety cell in a collision.

The anti-intrusion pedal system allows the other safety features in Territory to provide protection unimpeded by a deformed brake pedal. Laminated Impact Protection Panel (LIPP), laminated in steel and energy absorbing foam is located under the carpet in the driver's foot-well, providing improved lower leg protection.

Acutrac and Acutrac Plus

Acutac (standard on RWD derivatives) is a comprehensive vehicle control and active safety system which combines the smooth ride of the unique Virtual Pivot Control Link front suspension with Control Blade IRS to deliver outstanding stability.

Add to this ABS with EBD, Grade Control Logic to assist the driver in negotiating descents, as well as traction control to minimise wheel slip and it will soon become obvious why this system is without peer.

Acutrac Plus on AWD models drives all of the wheels all of the time and includes all the features of Acutrac, with the added benefit of Dynamic Stability Control and Hill Descent Control.

Dynamic Stability Control helps avoid the problems of understeer and oversteer. Sensors track the vehicle's movements and correct the driving line through a combination of brake application to the appropriate wheel and by reducing engine torque.

This makes for a noticeably safer drive because the Ford Territory instinctively reacts to your driving habits without delay.