USA - The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Minivan takes the full five stars at the NHTSA tests.

• Five stars highest possible score in NHTSA’s safety rating program
• All-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan achieves highest possible rating – five stars – in each of three individual crash tests performed by NHTSA
• High-strength steel, which also contributes to fuel-saving weight reduction, accounts for 72 percent of new Pacifica’s body structure; 38 percent is Advanced High-strength Steel (AHSS)
• 2017 Chrysler Pacifica checks boxes on all of NHTSA’s recommended advanced technologies – backup camera system, lane-departure warning and forward collision warning
• Pacifica’s Parkview rear backup camera, which is standard equipment, among more than 100 available safety and security features
• Available Forward Collision Warning-Plus enabled by sensor-fusion technology
• NHTSA five-star rating complements Top Safety Pick+ status
• All-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan starts at $28,595 (excluding destination)

The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has earned a five-star overall safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Five stars is the highest possible safety rating given by NHTSA.

The Chrysler brand’s all-new minivan also scored five stars – the highest possible rating – in each of the crash tests included in NHTSA’s safety assessment program.

The tests simulate:

• Frontal collision
• Side-impact simulating a two-vehicle collision
• Side-impact simulating a single-vehicle collision with a pole

These latest test results complement the Top Safety Pick+ rating previously given to the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).**

“These results are a clear indicator of our unwavering commitment to engineering excellence,” says Mike Dahl, Head of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance, FCA – North America.

FCA US engineers conducted more than 8,500 simulated crashes and more than 80 full-vehicle impacts. These tests led to the development of a body structure that integrates 12 different steel grades.

High-strength steel accounts for 72 percent, of which 38 percent is Advanced High-strength Steel (AHSS).

And because these materials were used strategically, the new Pacifica’s body structure is also 250 pounds lighter than that of the vehicle it replaced – an enhancement that contributes to the vehicle’s class-leading 28 miles-per-gallon highway-cycle fuel-economy rating.

NHTSA’s rating system acknowledges the availability of three “recommended” safety features: rear-view cameras, lane-departure warning and forward-collision warning. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica checks the box for each category:

• ParkView rear backup camera: Standard equipment, it provides a wide-angle view of the area immediately behind the vehicle, giving the driver greater peace of mind before reversing at low speeds; features dynamic grid lines to aid the driver when maneuvering into parking spaces or narrow areas; image is displayed on the navigation screen when the transmission is shifted into Reverse
• LaneSense Lane Departure Warning-Plus: Available as part of the Advanced Safety Tec Group, it leverages electronic power steering (EPS) to deliver a torque input to alert and assist the driver with corrective action
• Available Forward Collision Warning-Plus: Available as part of the Advanced Safety Tec Group, it utilizes radar sensors and cameras to detect whether the Pacifica is approaching another vehicle or large obstacle in its path too rapidly, and warns or may assist the driver in avoiding/mitigating the incident

The blending of radar sensors and cameras is known as sensor-fusion technology. Such redundancy affords greater object-detection precision. Similar systems on competitive vehicles feature one technology or the other.

Once reserved for luxury-segment vehicles, FCA US currently makes sensor-fusion technology available across six vehicle segments – from small SUV to minivan. It is the Company’s technology of choice for driver assistance in crash mitigation.

Collision-warning systems are a prerequisite to earn Top Safety Pick+ status from the IIHS. Top Safety Pick+ status is contingent on the availability of such systems, provided they achieve ratings of “advanced” or “superior.”

The Pacifica’s system is rated “superior,” and its performance in each of the following IIHS crash tests was classified as “good,” the highest-possible rating. The tests simulate:

• side impact with a large SUV or pickup truck
• moderate-offset frontal impact
• small-offset frontal impact
• roof-deformation consistent with a rollover
• rear collision capable of inducing whiplash

The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica boasts more than 100 available safety and security features. It starts at $28,595, excluding destination charges.

** Designation applies to any 2017 Chrysler Pacifica produced after August 2016.