Here are some reasons you shouldn’t be worried
The 2021 Nissan Rogue impressed in a first driving experience, and received a 9.7 rating out of 10 after a detailed follow-up test. We were disappointed to learn that the Rogue’s redesign received only four stars in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration testing and only two stars for front passenger crash testing. But there’s a catch.
Only vehicles manufactured at Nissan’s Kyushu (Japan) facility before January 28th, 2021 are affected by the low rating. This group contains approximately 50,000 examples the compact CUV. However, most Rogues sold in North America are made at Nissan’s Smyrna factory in Tennessee. The company has already made improvements to the Rogue’s manufacturing process.
In an email statement, Nissan stated that it had updated the front passenger restraint system for all 2021 Rogue vehicles manufactured at Nissan’s Smyrna plant in Tennessee and all Kyushu vehicles made after January 28th. The two-star front passenger safety rating is only applicable to vehicles manufactured at the Kyushu factory prior to January 28.
Thestatement stated that the NHTSA has not yet tested the front-passenger safety system in vehicles that have received the update. “An additional test is planned for the 2021 Rogue with results expected in May.”
Nissan spokesperson Dan Passe stated that the company is currently “evaluating” options for retrofitting the Kyushu Rogues.
Although the Rogue received disappointing marks in one area of the evaluation, the Rogue performed admirably in side-impact crashes situations and scored a perfect score in every test. The Rogue also scored four stars in rollover testing. While NHTSA does not test active safety gear as the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), the Rogue has received rave reviews for its ProPilot active safety system.