[Immix]

Originally Posted by aerohit

Actually, if you follow rules and drive safe then all cars are 5-star safe.

Sorry, but this is not always true. Just one of many examples is the Janhavi Gadkar's drunk driving incident (Link) when she was driving drunk on the wrong side of the road - Eastern Freeway in Mumbai. Her car, an Audi Q3 collided head on with a Mumbai Taxi and she survived with only a few bruises because of the safety features of Q3. However, 2 passengers in the taxi (including the driver) did not survive despite driving on the right side of the road - following the rules.

IMO, as the roads in India start getting better resulting in higher average speeds, safety features in a car have become a necessity.

[Kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Would they rate the top trim - RXZ - higher since it has 2 air-bags?

Besides, at least on paper, the Duster RXZ gets more safety features than most vehicles in its segment. It has 2 airbags, hill hold, ABS + EBD and BA.

The body shell is mentioned as 'UNSTABLE' in the test report. Hence, I am afraid that all the safety features mentioned might not be enough to save us.

[dailydriver]

Frankly speaking, this is a shocking revelation. The thought of any passenger car failing the crash test is worrying. But I always thought Duster would be safer because it is the flagship model for Renault India and not just any car! These tests have proven that the tough looking exterior is just for looks and will not act as a protective shell in case of accidents.

I think sooner the crash tests are made mandatory for releasing a new model into the market, better are the chances for buyers to make informed choices.

Companies proudly flaunt the ARAI mileage figures in their advertisements. Wish NCAP results too could appear alongside.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

What I see in the clip, the passenger cabin remains pretty much intact unlike Kwid or Datsun's. This is a good thing that, structural rigidity has not been compromised.

Not really, look at the A-pillar. It is folding under the load of the crash and this is also why the body structure is rated unstable in the full report by NCAP.

For the money it costs, this is another disappointing performance.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Nice wheel caps - looks like an alloy wheel!

I was initially fooled into believing those were alloys. And then the wheel cap came off!

Originally Posted by smartcat

Along expected lines. Duster scored 3 stars in EuroNCAP too, many years ago.

Yep, the LHD Dacia Duster got a 3* Euro NCAP (2011) rating.

That Duster had 4 airbags - driver airbag, passenger airbag & two front side-cum-curtain airbags. It was also subjected to side impact & pole impact tests, whiplash test and pedestrian collision tests.

The European Dacia Duster's cabin was also found to be stable after the 64-kmph frontal offset crash test.

In contrast, both the Latin American LHD Renault Duster (made in Colombia) and the RHD Indian Renault Duster (made in India) were found to have unstable structures after the 64-kmph test, and the two were not capable of withstanding further loadings.

However, the Latin American Duster with a single airbag just managed to get a 4* Latin NCAP (2015) rating, despite the unstable body structure. It clearly has a larger driver airbag as mentioned by Global NCAP, and it can be seen in the following screenshots.

Small driver airbag on the Indian Duster:



Noticeably larger driver airbag on the Latin American Duster:



Shame on Renault India for choosing to cut costs by reducing the airbag's size!

[Chetan_Rao]

If I remember right, weren't Renault caught cheating on the Kwid's crash tests? Something along the lines of reinforcing only test-specific impact areas instead of the whole structure after failing round 1 and given a chance to submit an improved prototype?

This is hardly surprising by comparison.

[deetjohn]

Really don't like the way that A pillar is giving up on impact. The driver side door is masking the deformation. A bit like Kwid, but to a lesser extent.

And shame on Renault for choosing the smaller airbag for India. I wonder how much money it saved them?

[searacer932]

Absolutely shocking to say the least that Renault have deployed a smaller airbag on Indian versions of the Duster. Will not even touch the grounds of a Renault showroom until Renault massively improves the safety of their cars sold in India. Other manufacturers need not rejoice. We know how bad manufacturers like Mahindra or Maruti Suzuki are when it comes to safety!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

So they have found India as a dumping ground. They are dumping those old cars to India and they are compromising on safety aspects.

I've said this time & again - the only way to make auto manufacturers offer safe cars is LEGISLATION. We got MPFi only because of the law, else showrooms would still have carburetor models today. We're getting airbags & ABS soon only because of the law. I sure hope the Indian government's crash tests are stringent and punish the unsafe cars.

Originally Posted by aerohit

Tank like build quality will kill you sooner because there is no way to absorb the impact.

Applicable to a Mahindra Bolero, but not a Mercedes which has a 5-star safety rating. Please do check the NCAP rating of the car before making such incorrect statements. Thanks!

I might add that there is no such thing as a death-proof car, not even a Rolls Royce Phantom or Mercedes S-Class. Given the speed & conditions, any car can kill you.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

What I see in the clip, the passenger cabin remains pretty much intact unlike Kwid or Datsun's. This is a good thing that, structural rigidity has not been compromised. I believe the 2 airbag versions would definitely get better rating on adult protection.

Firstly, seeing the video is merely half the story. There is no way that you can figure out upper/lower dashboard and foot-well intrusion from just watching a video. Secondly, and most importantly, the roof caved in and the A-Pillar bent. That is most definitely not a structurally sound performance. I shudder to think how the car would perform in a more demanding and more realistic small frontal overlap crash.

Even the European Duster fitted with optional side curtain and chest protection airbags scored a dismal 3 stars back in 2011. God only knows how it will score today with more stringent testing criteria. Not acceptable even for 3rd world markets.

[SmartCat]

We have learned a lot about crash safety & how manufacturers try to get around safety regulations, thanks to Global NCAP. Some learnings in the past 2 years -

• Adding airbags to cars with poor structural integrity does not help.
• Huge difference between same car equipped with & without airbags - it's either zero stars or 2/3/4 stars.
• Just 8 kmph increase in speed at time of impact (56 kmph Indian crash standards as against 64 kmph European crash standards) can cause significant injuries to those poor dummies
• Difference between structural integrity of India-made car & Asia / Europe/ Latin America made car, of same brand/model.
• Some Indian models don't have high quality seatbelts, and that can affect safety of middle row passengers (child safety ratings).
• Active safety aids (Eg: ESP, radar braking) improve star ratings
• Manufacturers can strengthen only the driver-side body structure, to save on costs. That's the side that hits the barrier in these crash tests.
• Body structure can be designed to just about meet the safety regulations. That's why we see 'Body structure unstable. Will not be able to withstand further loads" note in these Global NCAP reports.
• This one really takes the cake. Airbags can be made smaller to save on costs, and that affects safety ratings.

[RavenAvi]

How much profit has the parent company made for every such "diluted and compromised" Duster sold in India ever since it's launch?

The least they could have done, while the money poured into their bank accounts, is not compromise on the basic safety features and structural stability of the car.

Smaller-sized airbag?! Holy hell Renault!

Where are your ethics as a responsible automaker?

Reinforcing the driver side with added beams and sending umpteen test mules for repeated testing until you get a better NCAP score (ala the Kwid) won't cut it this time.

You have lost the trust and faith of at least one Indian customer I know of - me. No Renault products for me, thank you.

[wilful]

I'm now left wondering whether other car makers have also resorted to such 'India specific' measures. It is really unfortunate that this is a kind of dumping ground for such stuff.
As GTO rightly said - "the only way to make auto manufacturers offer safe cars is LEGISLATION. We got MPFi only because of the law, else showrooms would still have carburetor models today. We're getting airbags & ABS soon only because of the law. I sure hope the Indian government's crash tests are stringent and punish the unsafe cars."
The onus is most certainly on the government to bring out such legislation and protect the consumer against such short changing tricks - else some 'smart' seller might think of keeping toy balloons instead of airbags for India specific models.

[Nonstop-driver]

This story has gone viral with FB feeds and newspapers picking it up yesterday. I've seen this report almost everywhere I go to read things - FB, Twitter, Reddit, Google now, Newspaper.

Also, most of the stories are picking up the 0-star rating report. This is seriously negative PR for Renault. A common buyer will immediately form a perception that 'Renault' is not safe without getting into the details of crash test or checking test reports of other cars he/ she is considering.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Also, most of the stories are picking up the 0-star rating report. This is seriously negative PR for Renault. A common buyer will immediately form a perception that 'Renault' is not safe without getting into the details of crash test or checking test reports of other cars he/ she is considering.

Well it is very unnerving to know that a car being sold to you for more than a million rupees is structurally unstable and is even fitted with smaller airbags