Latin NCAP, which also zeroed the rating of the Ford Ka and Hyundai HB20 last year, lowered the rating of the Duster to zero, the darling car in Brazil by the French multinational, and Renault
Multinational Renault Nissan is in the sights of Procon-SP after the Renault Duster is evaluated with a zero score in an impact test carried out by Latin NCAP, where the vehicle overturned and leaked fuel in the frontal collision. The result was released last Friday (27th) by the independent road safety institute for Latin American and Caribbean markets, which last year also zeroed the ratings of the Ford Ka and Hyundai HB20.
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Duster gets a zero score after overturning and leaking fuel in the evaluation conducted by Latin NCAP
After the disastrous result, the consumer protection body linked to the Government of São Paulo, is demanding clarification from Renault regarding the poor performance of the Duster, which in the evaluation conducted by Latin NCAP, the entry-level Duster vehicle, from the French multinational, equipped with the two mandatory front airbags and electronic stability control, got a score of zero and even overturned and leaked fuel in the frontal collision, carried out against a fixed barrier at 64 km/h.
And it didn't stop there, the Duster's door opened in the side impact, bringing "serious risk of passenger ejection", while the structure of the SUV was considered "unstable" - all according to the institute. Upon announcing the result, Latin NCAP recommended that Renault recall the model. Last Friday, the company pointed out that the sport utility vehicle "strictly complies with regulations" for the Brazilian market.
Carlos César Marera, inspection director of Procon-SP is responsible for the investigation procedure. Marera informs that the agency determines whether the manufacturer has violated Article 10 of Federal Law 8.078/90, which establishes the Consumer Protection Code. This article says that “the supplier may not place a product or service on the consumer market that he knows or should know to present a high degree of harmfulness or danger to health or safety”.
Ford Ka and Hyundai HB20 also zeroed out last year
Renault, adds Marera, will have seven days to provide the requested explanations, counting from the receipt of the notification, which should happen later this week.
“If the irregularity is proven, the supplier will be fined with estimated amounts according to the respective billing. Currently, the values of Procon-SP fines range from R$ 733,34 to R$ 10.981.829,35”, says the inspection director.
It is worth mentioning that the zero score applied to Duster was based on stricter criteria adopted by Latin NCAP from 2020 – the same ones that also reset the score to zero for Ford Ka and Hyundai HB20 last year, after both received better evaluations following the previous protocol.
The current generation of Duster was even evaluated by the institute in 2019, before its launch in Brazil, getting 4 stars for adults and three for children. According to Renault, the car at the time was identical in equipment and construction to the one that has now been reset.
Renault clarification specifically regarding the crash test
The Duster vehicle, which had its test released in August 2021, is exactly the same in terms of active and passive safety content in relation to the vehicle that obtained four stars in protection for adults and three stars in protection for children, in a test carried out by the same institution in 2019.
In 2020 the LatinNCAP changed the testing protocols and, because of that, the results are different.
It is important to emphasize that the Renault Duster strictly complies with the regulations in the countries where it is sold, surpassing them in some aspects. The model features various safety equipment such as ESP, blind spot alert, Multiview camera, ramp departure assistant, among others, which are not required by law.
Renault considers that, just as there has been a great evolution in vehicle safety in recent years, the subject will continue to evolve and Renault will continue to offer products with a high level of safety.
