WASHINGTON (CNN) - Ford's newly remodeled F-150 pickup performed poorly in low-speed bumper tests, sustaining nearly $1,500 in damage per test, an industry group said late Wednesday.

Ford's redesigned and newly named minivan, the Freestar, scored marginal in the tests, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

In response, Ford criticized the tests saying they are intended to determine repair costs not occupant safety. Ford also said the tests may not reflect what happens in real world situations.

In a series of four bumper tests, the 2004 F-150 averaged $1,478 in damage. After each test, according to the Insurance Institute, the bumper had to be replaced. The Ford F-150 is the nation's top selling vehicle.

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"The F-150 is all new, but its bumpers are just as flimsy as before and even a little bit worse," said Adrian Lund, chief operating officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "The highest damage total was in the rear-into-pole test. The whole bumper pushed downward, and the tailgate was crushed."

The Ford Freestar, formerly known as the Windstar, was rated "marginal" by the group. That is a lower rating than what the Windstar earned in 1999 when it was deemed "acceptable." Average damage for the Freestar was about $700.

There was no damage to the Freestar bumper in the-rear-into-a-flat-barrier test, but more than $1,300 of damage was done in the rear-into-pole test, according to the report.

"Ford could have used this opportunity to design better bumpers," Lund said. "A bumper should be tough enough to prevent major damage in a minor collision at a fast-walking speed."

The Insurance Institute tests vehicles in four 5 mile-per-hour tests to determine approximately how much it will cost to repair damage -- tests that are designed to simulate fender benders. The cars in these tests are not rated for safety.

The four tests are the front-into-flat-barrier, rear-into-flat-barrier, front-into-angle-barrier and rear-into-pole.

One reason pickup trucks and minivans don't do well in these low speed tests is the government has no federal minimum standard for bumpers in these classes of vehicles, the institute said. In contrast, cars must meet a 2.5-mile-per-hour federal standard for bumpers.

In response to the test results Ford said in a statement: "Ford Motor Company designs all of its vehicle bumper systems to perform well in the company's stringent internal testing. These tests by the IIHS are conducted to determine cost estimates to repair damage incurred in low speed bumper impact tests and are not related to occupant safety. In addition, these tests may not be representative of the type of damage that occurs in real world situations."