Ford officials recently requested that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to postpone crash tests of the new 2002 Ford Explorer. Ford officials said the current design is safe but the company is adding steel to the SUV's body in order to reinforce the vehicle. By implementing this new safety measure, Ford officials hope to receive a better safety rating from the Institute than its previous "average" designation.

It is common for companies to postpone crash tests scheduled by the Institute. According to the president of the Institute, in the case of Ford, the move might be advisable due to the current image problems the company is dealing with.

Ford is trying to rebuild its image after the recent deaths and injuries associated with Ford Explorer rollovers. Currently, Ford is defending the design of its popular SUV in a Brownsville, Texas court. The Texas lawsuit claims the Explorer is prone to rollover accidents. In fact, multiple suits have been filed against both Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone Firestone.

Following reports of numerous deaths and injuries, Ford issued a recall of 13 million Firestone tires initially sold as standard equipment on Ford vehicles. In the midst of the accidents, Ford and Firestone began to publicly blame each other.

Ford has repeatedly said that their newly redesigned 2002 Explorer is safe, as are their older Explorers. Recently, Consumer Reports magazine rated the 2002 Explorer as the safest among 6 comparable SUVs. To date, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not conducted tests on the newly redesigned Explorer.

In recent months, the Insurance Institute has criticized some of Ford's other vehicles. The popular Ford F-150 pickup received a "poor" rating earlier this year and the brand new Ford Escape received a "marginal" crash rating.