2021 Nissan Rogue fares poorly in NHTSA passenger-side crash tests

The 2021 Nissan Rogue has earned a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA for crash protection, but it fared considerably worse for its front-passenger score.

The Rogue earned just two stars for its front-impact protection for the passenger, a very low score that’s unheard of for a new passenger vehicle sold in the U.S.

The NHTSA gave the 2021 Rogue a four-star score for driver-side protection, and five-star ratings for side-impact protection in its compiled score.

The safety agency notes that its scores apply to vehicles built before Jan. 28, 2021, in Nissan’s Kyushu, Japan, assembly plant. Most Rogues sold in the U.S. have been assembled at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee, assembly plant.

In a statement, Nissan spokesperson Jeff Wandell told The Car Connection that Nissan is aware of the rating and has applied updates to the front passenger-restraint systems in all Rogues built in Kyushu after January 28, and in all Rogues assembled in Tennessee. A test of the updated Rogue is scheduled soon, with results expected in May.

The Rogue crossover isn’t the only recent Nissan vehicle to suffer from a poor passenger-side crash-test rating. The NHTSA gives the latest Sentra a three-star score for front-passenger impact protection. The 2021 Titan pickup was downgraded by the IIHS for its front-passenger protection, in what it called a “rare step backward.”

The 2021 Rogue comes with standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitors with rear cross-traffic alerts, and automatic rear braking.

The IIHS hasn’t yet crash-tested the new Rogue.