Toyota Starlet Safety Rating A Cause For Concern

What is the issue with the Toyota Starlet's safety?

The outgoing model of the Toyota Starlet, a popular hatchback in South Africa, received a zero-star rating for adult occupant protection from the safety organization Global NCAP. This test result points to significant safety deficiencies in the vehicle's design.

Why did the vehicle fail the test so badly?

The crash test findings point to both structural weakness and missing protection features.

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Main reasons for the poor safety result

Global NCAP's result was driven by several linked failures in crash performance and occupant protection.

Unstable structure

The bodyshell and footwell were rated unstable, meaning the structure could not properly absorb crash forces or handle further load.

Poor side-impact protection

The test showed weak head and chest protection in a side-impact collision.

No side airbags

The lack of side airbags directly contributed to the poor side-impact result.

Test so weak that one check was skipped

The side pole impact test was skipped because the initial performance was already so concerning.

Is this model a true Toyota design?

The tested Starlet is a rebadged version of the Suzuki Baleno, which is manufactured in India and sold as a Toyota in the South African market. Rebadging is a common industry practice where one car company sells a vehicle made by another under its own brand, usually with minor styling changes. The core structure of this Starlet is from the Suzuki model.

How did it perform in child safety tests?

The results show a clear split between adult and child protection, though neither was flawless.

Adult and child safety results compared

Category	Result	Key finding
Adult occupant protection	0 stars	Major structural and side-impact protection deficiencies
Child occupant protection	3 stars	Better overall score, but the three-year-old dummy's head contacted the interior in the frontal crash test

Has Toyota addressed these safety concerns?

Toyota South Africa has clarified that the vehicle tested is an obsolete model that is no longer sold. The updated version of the Starlet, which is now available, comes standard with additional side, head, and body airbags. This change directly addresses the safety shortcomings identified in the test. Global NCAP has already purchased one of these new models for testing, and updated results will be released in the future.

3 added airbag areas

The updated Starlet now includes side, head, and body airbags as standard, directly targeting the weaknesses identified in the tested older model.