Seatbelt failure and one-star safety rating for Suzuki’s new SUV as brand scrambles to investigate

Suzuki’s contemporary Fronx little SUV has scraped a single-neatly-known particular person ranking from the Australasian Unusual Automobile Overview Program (ANCAP) after performing badly in smash checks.

ANCAP acknowledged the Fronx also suffered a rear-seatbelt ingredient failure that has been reported to Australian and Unusual Zealand car security regulators.

ANCAP’s list awarded zero aspects for the Fronx’s Fleshy Width Frontal Test right through which it acknowledged “outrageous chest hundreds” were recorded for the rear-passenger dummy, while 10-year-extinct and 6-year-extinct ‘little one occupants’ were subjected to “high head acceleration and outrageous neck stress”.

The list added that the Fronx had already failed to operate a single point in the Fleshy Width Frontal Test earlier than noting the failure of the rear passenger seatbelt retractor, which ended in the rear dummy hitting the rear of the front seat.

The Fronx, which went on sale here in August 2025, also scored poorly in the Frontal Offset test, and overall was as soon as given a low forty eight p.c obtain for Grownup Occupant Protection and proper 40 per cent for Child Occupant Protection.

Fronx’s single-neatly-known particular person ranking is the lowest awarded by ANCAP to a little SUV sold in Australia, now not including vehicles that possess become ‘Unrated’ owing to their age or rising old list of security aspects.

ANCAP described the rear seatbelt failure as “rare and serious”, and called on Suzuki to restore self assurance in the Fronx’s security.

“What issues us is that this explicit car may per chance well also were bought by an normal particular person, and in an on-boulevard smash this failure may per chance well even possess had serious penalties for the actual person sitting in the support seat,” acknowledged ANCAP’s chief executive officer, Carla Hoorweg.

“ANCAP’s be taught about is that adult and little one passengers should silent now not shuttle in the rear seats of the Suzuki Fronx till the motive in the support of the failure has been sure and relevant rectifications were done.”

Suzuki Australia issued an announcement lately to acknowledge the Fronx’s dreadful ANCAP consequence.

“Suzuki Australia has elevated the evaluate of this evaluate to a subject of rapid middle of attention and is working in the present day with Suzuki Motor Corporation in Hamamatsu, Japan, and Suzuki Unusual Zealand to fully perceive the ANCAP making an strive out outcomes,” read the statement.

“This evaluate is being stepped forward with urgency and at the most life like seemingly ranges of the organisation.

“An intensive and disciplined investigation is underway, and Suzuki will seize any actions required to uphold our security requirements and the trust our possibilities space in our tag.”

No contemporary Suzuki model examined by ANCAP has better than a three-neatly-known particular person ranking. With the exception of the Fronx, the Swift little car has the most life like seemingly ranking, while the Jimny little one 4×4 and Vitara little SUV are ‘Unrated”.

In August, Suzuki halted gross sales of the five-door Jimny to allow for an within firm investigation, the major points of that were by no plot made public.

The five-door Jimny XL is now support on sale, with the three-door Jimny returning to showrooms in February 2026 with contemporary security aspects. The three-door was as soon as taken off sale in March 2025 as it was as soon as lacking a brake-associated feature required to conform with updated Australian Originate Guidelines pertaining to to contemporary cars.