The Transit Van has standard child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The NV doesn’t offer child safety locks.
The Transit Van has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The NV doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.
The Transit Van has standard Post-Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The NV doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Transit Van offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The NV doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Transit Van offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The NV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The Transit Van’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The NV doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.
The Transit Van offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The NV only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Transit Van’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The NV doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.
The Transit Van’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The NV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Transit Van uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The NV uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.
The Transit Van offers optional SYNC®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The NV doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.
Both the Transit Van and the NV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and blind spot warning systems.