2021 Nissan Rogue Becomes Perfect SUV for People With Thrill-Seeking Friends

by Matt Posky

Published: February 22nd, 2021

2021 nissan rogue becomes perfect suv for people with thrill seeking friends

The 2021 Nissan Rogue has bombed the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s front passenger-side crash test with a score of two stars. Since we’re not using the Michelin Guide, this is a stain on the freshly pressed slacks Nissan has put on as part of its all-important restructuring strategy.

The automaker has been shedding weight, dropping products, and losing employees in the name of profit. But it also has to restore public faith in a brand that has been caught in numerous quality control scandals and some ugly corporate infighting over the last few years. A crummy score on a crash test isn’t going to help, even if it does help spice up an otherwise bland vehicle segment. But let’s not overcook the eggs. There is a lot to unpack here before we jump on the bandwagon of calling it a cursed model.

Overlap crash tests are famously tough to do well on and there was a time when practically nobody did. We also know Nissan has the ability to perform better because the 2020 Rogue was awarded four stars by the NHTSA in the same test. And the organization still saw fit to award the 2021 model-year Rogue an average of four stars.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety similarly named it a “Top Safety Pick” after their team threw it at a few barriers. It even got top marks on the passenger-side small frontal overlap test while in their hands.

But that’s where the good news ends for Nissan. As the 2021 model’s only difference from the previous year is a revamped interior, it’s strange that the SUV (crossover) would have such a bad showing. This leads us to wonder if the issue isn’t related to quality control or perhaps some of its planned modifications to the passenger restraint system. Nissan’s statement on the matter seems to point to both as it makes mention of the date those changes occurred (January 28th) and the Kyushu plant in Kanda, Japan where the NHTSA test vehicle originated from.

Most North American Rogues come from Nissan’s facility in Smyrna, Tennessee, however. This could be a non-committal hint from the company that the Kyushu plant, which was one of the Japanese factories at the heart of its multi-year final inspection scandal, would not be serving up product for the market. Despite the test vehicles being built before the restraint changes, Nissan is planning to run a comprehensive investigation into the issue.

Here’s Nissan’s official statement:

Nissan is committed to vehicle safety and is pleased with the 2021 Nissan Rogue’s overall 4-star NCAP safety rating. All 2021 Rogue vehicles fully comply with federal safety standards.

Nissan is aware of the two-star NCAP rating for front-passenger safety for 2021 Rogue vehicles assembled at Nissan’s Kyushu, Japan, manufacturing facility prior to Jan. 28, 2021. Nissan applied an update to the front passenger restraint system on all 2021 Rogue vehicles assembled at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee plant, and all vehicles produced after Jan. 28 at the Kyushu plant. Therefore the two-star front-passenger safety rating only applies to the vehicles produced at the Kyushu plant prior to Jan. 28.

The front-passenger safety systems in the vehicles that received the update have yet to be tested by NHTSA. An additional test of the 2021 Rogue is scheduled with results expected in May.

[Image: Nissan]

#2021NissanRogue #AutomotiveSafety #CrashTest #FrontOverlap #IIHS #NationalHighwayTransportationSafetyAdministration #NHTSA #Nissan #Rogue #Testing

Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

More by Matt Posky

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 10 comments

Superdessucke on Feb 23, 2021

The way I see these things being driven, they'll definitely provide a "thrill" for those friends alright! The faulty restraint system only adds to the excitement. Nissan leads the league in aggressive drivers, overtaking BMW some years back. I cringe when I see one of these, or, arguably worse, a scraped up Altima.

Like Reply
Neebme on Feb 24, 2021

If your friends get a thrill from the Nissan Rogue then you should get new friends.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Honda1 Unions were needed back in the early days, not needed know. There are plenty of rules and regulations and government agencies that keep companies in line. It's just a money grad and nothing more. Fain is a punk!
1995 SC If the necessary number of employees vote to unionize then yes, they should be unionized. That's how it works.
Sobhuza Trooper That Dave Thomas fella sounds like the kind of twit who is oh-so-quick to tell us how easy and fun the bus is for any and all of your personal transportation needs. The time to get to and from the bus stop is never a concern. The time waiting for the bus is never a concern. The time waiting for a connection (if there is one) is never a concern. The weather is never a concern. Whatever you might be carrying or intend to purchase is never a concern. Nope, Boo Cars! Yeah Buses! Buses rule!Needless to say, these twits don't actual take the damn bus.
MaintenanceCosts Nobody here seems to acknowledge that there are multiple use cases for cars.Some people spend all their time driving all over the country and need every mile and minute of time savings. ICE cars are better for them right now.Some people only drive locally and fly when they travel. For them, there's probably a range number that works, and they don't really need more. For the uses for which we use our EV, that would be around 150 miles. The other thing about a low range requirement is it can make 120V charging viable. If you don't drive more than an average of about 40 miles/day, you can probably get enough electrons through a wall outlet. We spent over two years charging our Bolt only through 120V, while our house was getting rebuilt, and never had an issue.Those are extremes. There are all sorts of use cases in between, which probably represent the majority of drivers. For some users, what's needed is more range. But I think for most users, what's needed is better charging. Retrofit apartment garages like Tim's with 240V outlets at every spot. Install more L3 chargers in supermarket parking lots and alongside gas stations. Make chargers that work like Tesla Superchargers as ubiquitous as gas stations, and EV charging will not be an issue for most users.
MaintenanceCosts I don't have an opinion on whether any one plant unionizing is the right answer, but the employees sure need to have the right to organize. Unions or the credible threat of unionization are the only thing, history has proven, that can keep employers honest. Without it, we've seen over and over, the employers have complete power over the workers and feel free to exploit the workers however they see fit. (And don't tell me "oh, the workers can just leave" - in an oligopolistic industry, working conditions quickly converge, and there's not another employer right around the corner.)