Toyota Town Ace is the first motor vehicle type to receive a zero-star safety rating from the Taiwan New Car Assessment Program, the Vehicle Safety Certification Center said yesterday.
The government-funded center released its safety ratings for the third quarter, which reviewed Toyota Town Ace, Lexus RX and MG HS.
Lexus RX and MG HS secured five-star ratings, having high scores for protection for adult occupants, child occupants, pedestrians, as well as safety assistance.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan New Car Assessment Program
However, Toyota Town Ace failed to obtain any stars, scoring only 15 percent in adult occupant protection, test results from the center showed.
Protection for the driver’s chest in offset deformable barrier frontal impact tests was rated as “poor” due to high seatbelt load, contact with the steering wheel, excessive A-pillar displacement and severe door frame deformation, the center said.
Protection for the driver’s left lower leg was rated “weak” due to deformation of the passenger compartment, while a rupture in the driver’s footwell also showed poor protection, it said.
Excessive pedal displacement led to a brake pedal malfunction, the results showed.
The vehicle scored no points in side impact mobile deformable barrier tests due to the potential of severe injury, with the head of a crash test dummy showing damage, the center said.
The vehicle is not equipped with a side head protection device, so it failed oblique pole side impact tests, it said.
The van’s front and rear seats were rated as offering poor protection, as the front and rear headrests are not high enough and there is a large gap between the head and the headrest, increasing the likelihood of whiplash in a rear-end collision, it said.
The rear middle seat is not fitted with a headrest at all, it added.
The center has rated 20 other models since 2023, with 12 given five-star ratings, four given four stars and four given three.
In the fourth quarter, the center is to release safety testing results for Hyundai Custin, Hyundai Tucson, Toyota Yaris Cross and Luxgen n7.
While the manufacturers of the Toyota Yaris Cross and the Luxgen n7 volunteered to pay for the testing, the center said that cars to be tested would be purchased through secret buyers in the market.
Models to be tested next year are the Tesla Model Y and the CMC Zinger in the first quarter; the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class and the KIA Sportage in the second quarter; the Volvo XC40 and the MG ZS in the third quarter; and the Lexus UX, the Volkswagen Golf, the Luxgen n7 again and the Mazda CX-5 in the fourth quarter.
In other news, the center has secured cooperation agreements with Idiada Automotive Technology SA in Spain and Calspan LLC in the US, meaning they have more options to secure international safety ratings, it said.
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