One of the Suzuki models failed crash tests so badly that Suzuki pulled it from sale
The Suzuki Fronx crossover was temporarily withdrawn from sale in Australia after failing crash tests according to the ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) methodology. The reason was the failure of the rear seatbelt, which experts called a rare and serious defect.
What is known
The Suzuki Fronx is a compact crossover sold in several Asian countries and Australia. In some regions, the model is also offered under the Toyota brand. In October, the vehicle received a five-star rating from ASEAN NCAP, operating in Southeast Asian countries. However, the results of ANCAP tests were the opposite: Fronx received only one star out of five.
The key issue was identified during a full-width frontal collision. During the test, the rear seatbelt locking mechanism failed. As a result, the dummy in the back seat collided with the front seat. ANCAP emphasized that such a failure is unacceptable from the perspective of basic passive safety.
The regulator recommended that owners of approximately 1,300 vehicles in Australia and around 1,000 in New Zealand temporarily not use the rear seats until the problem is resolved. Meanwhile, the ANCAP report notes that even without considering the seatbelt failure, the Fronx received unsatisfactory ratings in certain elements of adult and child protection, hence the final result of one star is linked to several factors.
Suzuki Australia stated that it has suspended sales of the model and, together with the plant in Japan and local regulators, is investigating the causes of the incident. The company emphasizes that the vehicle meets local certification requirements and is equipped with active safety systems, including automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. theless, the priority now is the verification and improvement of basic passenger protection elements.
The Fronx situation has also again drawn attention to differences between crash test programs in different regions. Testing methodologies, accident scenarios, and evaluation criteria can vary significantly, resulting in the same models receiving different ratings.
Source: Autoblog
