For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Chrysler Pacifica are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Ford Transit Connect Wagon doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.
In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Pacifica are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Transit Connect Wagon doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Chrysler Pacifica has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Transit Connect Wagon doesn’t offer knee airbags.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Pacifica has standard Rear Park Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Transit Connect Wagon doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Pacifica offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Transit Connect Wagon doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Pacifica offers optional Emergency Vehicle Alert System, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Transit Connect Wagon doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from other vehicles.
The Pacifica’s standard 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. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Transit Connect Wagon and is only available on Transit Connect Wagon XLT/Titanium.
The Pacifica (except Touring) offers an optional Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Transit Connect Wagon only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Pacifica has standard Rear Cross Path Detection, helping the driver avoid collisions. Ford charges extra for Cross Traffic Alert on the Transit Connect Wagon.
Both the Pacifica and the Transit Connect Wagon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.
The Chrysler Pacifica weighs 502 to 1075 pounds more than the Ford Transit Connect Wagon. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Ford Transit Connect Wagon:
|
Pacifica |
Transit Connect Wagon |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Stress |
230 lbs. |
230 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
75/194 lbs. |
272/294 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.4 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
25% |
48% |
Neck Stress |
117 lbs. |
179 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
440/251 lbs. |
637/489 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Ford Transit Connect Wagon:
|
Pacifica |
Transit Connect Wagon |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
72 |
78 |
Chest Movement |
1 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
149 lbs. |
167 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
66 |
265 |
Spine Acceleration |
54 G’s |
57 G’s |
Hip Force |
764 lbs. |
781 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
616 lbs. |
726 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Pacifica the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Transit Connect Wagon has not been tested, yet.