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Building Ford ToughAUBURN HILLS, MI (Sept. 7, 2007) - The definition of "Built Ford Tough" is rooted in a series of 10 grueling tests designed to ensure quality, durability and dependability. Even before the all-new 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty reached dealerships early this year, prototypes logged more than 10 million miles of testing in all kinds of conditions - including nearly 3 million miles of real-world customer durability testing in some of the most extreme conditions possible. From the bitter cold of the Arctic to the blazing heat of the Arizona desert, Ford employs real-world testing for all its vehicles, covering a gauntlet of demanding procedures conducted in torturous terrain. It's complemented by a battery of lab-based tests designed to induce more damage than the toughest customer can dole out. Below are just 10 of the wide range of punishing and unconventional tests developed to prove out the durability and capability of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles:Open-and-Shut Case If it's on a car and it opens and closes, it undergoes rigorous testing at Ford that equates to roughly 10 years of average use. Ford's Body Testing engineers load test vehicles into a mechanical fixture designed to replicate human use. For example, to test a door: A hydraulic arm reaches down, lifts the hatch, opens the door, then closes it - 84,000 times. The testing cycle also includes rolling the window up and down and locking and unlocking the doors 26,000 times. Deck lids are tested to 10,000 cycles, liftgates to 25,000 cycles and hoods to 1,500 cycles. Even fuel doors are tested - opened and closed 3,000 times. Each test is performed in a sealed climactic chamber, with tests run at temperatures varying from -40
