2017 Dodge Challenger Earns "Five-Star" Overall Safety Rating

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Oct 12, 2016, 06:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

2017 Dodge Challenger earns five stars overall, the highest rating in NHTSA's vehicle-evaluation program
High-strength steel structure contributes to five-star ratings for both NHTSA side-impact tests – vehicle and pole
Fifth time Dodge Challenger has been accorded overall score of five stars
2017 Challenger boasts more than 70 available safety and security features, including Forward Collision Warning, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection

2017 Dodge Challenger available with Forward Collision Warning

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

Five stars is the highest rating in the regulatory agency's vehicle-evaluation program.

"This proves the 2017 Dodge Challenger is much more than a great-looking car," says Mike Dahl, Head of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance, FCA North America. "It reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional occupant safety in every vehicle segment."

Nearly 60 percent of the sporty Challenger's body structure consists of high-strength steel. This engineering strategy, combined with the careful integration of side-guard door beams, was critical to the car's performance in NHTSA's side-impact testing.

The agency simulated collisions with a pole and with another vehicle at closing speeds of 32 miles per hour and 62 miles per hour, respectively. The Challenger's rating for each: five stars.

Supplementary restraint systems also contributed the car's performance. Driver and front-passenger side air bags are standard equipment on all Challenger trim levels, as are front and rear side-curtain air bags.

In its assessment of the new Challenger, NHTSA notes the availability of Forward Collision Warning (FCW), which features forward-facing sensors programmed to detect the potential for certain types of frontal collisions. If a frontal impact with another vehicle appears imminent, the system pre-fills the Challenger's brakes and transmits audible and visual warnings for the driver to respond.

FCW is among more than 70 available safety and security features on the 2017 Dodge Challenger. Others include Blind-spot Monitoring (BSM) and Rear Cross Path (RCP) detection.

BSM uses radar sensors to aid the driver when changing lanes, passing or being passed. When another vehicle is detected in the driver's blind spot, its presence is noted with illuminated icons in the Challenger's side-view mirrors and a driver-selectable chime.

RCP detection warns drivers of lateral traffic when backing out of parking spaces. It automatically activates whenever the driver puts the Challenger in reverse gear.

Since the modern Dodge Challenger was launched in 2008, NHTSA has included the car in its annual model-year ratings seven times. It achieved five-star scores every time, including five overall five-star ratings – one for each year overall ratings have been awarded.

About Dodge and SRT Brands
The Dodge brand is America's mainstream performance brand. With the purification of the brand and consolidation with SRT, Dodge is focusing on its performance roots with every single model it offers. The Dodge and SRT brands offer a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out within their own segments. Dodge is the mainstream performance brand and SRT is positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.

From muscle cars to minivans, crossovers and full-size SUVs, the Dodge brand's full lineup of 2017 models deliver best-in-class horsepower, class-exclusive technology, unmatched capability and a slew of cool features, such as LED headlamps, Dodge signature racetrack tail lamps, active exhaust, cold-air induction, 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment centers and 7-inch customizable gauge clusters, to name a few. For the 2017 model year, the Dodge brand lineup features the 25th anniversary Viper, Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger, including the new Charger Daytona and Challenger T/A, as well as the 707-horsepower Challenger SRT Hellcat, the most powerful and fastest muscle car ever and the Charger SRT Hellcat, the quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world.

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