Gorgeous 2021 Nissan Rogue Earns Terrible Front-Passenger Crash Rating

Nissan rolled out the 2021 Rogue SUV, and the vehicle is completely redesigned with a fantastic-looking exterior and interior. Recently, the NHTSA published its crash test results for the vehicle, and it earned four-stars overall. However, the 2021 Rogue had a terrible front-passenger crash rating which is highly unusual for a brand-new vehicle that was just redesigned.

The NHTSA gave the Rogue only two stars for front-impact protection for the passenger. A score so low is practically unheard of for modern vehicles. The vehicle did earn a four-star score for driver-side protection and a five-star rating for side-impact protection. The NHTSA was very specific on which Rogue these test scores applied to.

The agency says the scores apply to vehicles built before January 28, 2021, at Nissan's plant in Kyushu, Japan. Virtually all of the Rogue vehicles sold in the US are produced at the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan was quick to respond to the vehicle's poor crash test ratings, saying that it has applied updates to the front passenger-restraint systems in Rouges built at the Japanese plant after January 28.

The same updates were applied to all Rogues assembled in Tennessee. Nissan is confident enough that the changes will improve the crash safety ratings that a test of the updated Rogue is expected to occur soon, with results expected to be published in May. Nissan also saw its new 2021 Sentra receive a relatively low crash rating from the NHTSA, earning only a three-star score for front-passenger impact protection.

Poor crash test results can certainly hurt a new vehicle's sales as many people make purchase decisions based heavily on crash ratings. The fact that Nissan has moved so fast to improve crash test ratings shows how important they are to the manufacturer and consumers in general.