The India made Renault Duster was regarded as the most unsafe Duster in the world.
The India made Renault Duster was considered as the most unsafe Duster manufactured and sold in the world. The basic variant sold here in India was awarded 0 stars in NCAP crash tests due to non-availability of airbags for driver and front passenger protection.
The South American specification was awarded 4 stars in Latin NCAP tests conducted in 2015 while the Indian version that featured a driver airbag managed to bag only 3 stars. Global NCAP says this is owing to a bigger sized driver airbag on the Brazilian-spec version. This clearly proves the lower quality of cars we get in India.
The relatively smaller airbag in the India-made Duster was found not contacting the driver’s head as it should have, exposing the head to impact on the steering wheel and thereby increasing the risk of injuries to the head. On the contrary, the South American specification proved to be safer since it had a bigger airbag that protected the head as well as the chest of the driver, thereby reducing the risk of further injuries.
The protection offered to the driver’s head was poor, and on the driver’s and passenger’s seat was marginal, and that the front passengers’ knees could impact dangerous structures in the dashboard, says testers of NCAP. What’s worse is that the bodyshell was also rated as unstable and not capable of withstanding any further loadings.
The India made Renault Duster doesn’t offer a driver airbag or ABS or both as standard, while its competitors like the Honda BR-V and Hyundai Creta offer them in their respective base variants. Only the top-end RXS and RXZ variants get dual airbags and ABS. Other safety features like ISOFIX seat points, seat-belt pretensioners, side and curtain airbags are not even offered as options.
Renault Duster Without Airbags
– The Indian made Renault Duster was considered as the most unsafe Duster manufactured and sold
– The base variant of the Renault Duster scored 0 stars in NCAP tests
– While the version with a driver airbag scored 3 stars
