Crown Vic, Forester Get Top Safety Ratings

Ford Motor Co.’s Crown Victoria and the Subaru Forester received top safety ratings as U.S. regulators released the second round of crash-test results for the current model year.

The Crown Victoria sedan and Forester sport utility vehicle won the top five-star ranking in four categories of tests on 2003 models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Subaru of America Inc. is the U.S. arm of Japan’s Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.’s automobile unit.

Kia Motors Corp.’s Rio and Hyundai Motor Co.’s Accent sedans received two stars in at least one category, the lowest ratings of the 12 models tested.

The agency’s system gives five stars to vehicles whose occupants have a 10% or less chance of serious injury in frontal tests and 5% or less in side tests.

The two-star rating means people involved in side crashes have a 36% to 45% chance of serious injury in frontal tests and 21% to 25% in side tests.