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Toyota Corolla Cross safety concerns raised by new crash tests
A popular SUV now under the spotlight
For years, the Toyota Corolla Cross has been a familiar sight on South African roads. It is the kind of car many families trust without question. Built locally in KwaZulu-Natal and backed by one of the most trusted automotive brands in the country, it has quietly become one of Mzansi’s top-selling vehicles.
That trust is now being tested.
Fresh Global NCAP crash test results have sparked a wave of concern after the Corolla Cross received a two-star rating for adult occupant protection. The Automobile Association has responded sharply, warning drivers and calling for urgent changes to how vehicles are equipped for African markets.
What the crash tests revealed
The main issue flagged by Global NCAP is the absence of standard side head airbags in the Corolla Cross models sold across Africa, including South Africa. While the SUV comes with driver and passenger frontal airbags, side body airbags, a driver knee airbag, and electronic stability control, it lacks side head protection for both front and rear passengers.
This gap played a major role in the low adult safety score. Global NCAP explained that without this protection, occupants face a higher risk of severe head injury, even in relatively low-speed side impacts involving objects like poles or trees.
During testing, the Corolla Cross showed good protection for the abdomen and pelvis, with adequate chest protection in side impact tests. However, a side pole impact test was not carried out at all, specifically because side head airbags are not fitted as standard.
The footwell area was also flagged as unstable, although the overall bodyshell was rated as stable.
Child safety tells a mixed story
The Corolla Cross scored three stars for child occupant protection, which at first glance sounds reassuring. But even here, the rating was reduced due to the lack of a passenger airbag disconnection system and because the head of the three-year-old dummy was exposed during both frontal and side impact tests.
In a country where family cars are often expected to do everything from school runs to long holiday road trips, these details matter more than ever.
Why this matters in South Africa
The timing of this report has made it impossible to ignore. The Corolla Cross is currently the second-best-selling vehicle in South Africa, trailing only the Toyota Hilux. In December 2025 alone, Toyota sold nearly 2,800 Corolla Cross units, helping push total national vehicle sales close to 49,000 for the month.
With that level of popularity, the AA says the results are deeply worrying. Its chief executive, Bobby Ramagwede, has been clear that African consumers should not be offered lower safety standards than buyers elsewhere in the world, especially when manufacturers are fully capable of doing better.
The organisation believes no vehicle should be sold locally without side head protection and has renewed calls for stronger regulations and greater accountability from manufacturers operating on the continent.
Public reaction and growing pressure
On South African social media, the reaction has been swift. Many drivers have expressed shock that such a popular and locally built vehicle could score so low on adult safety, while others have questioned why features considered standard elsewhere are still optional or absent in African models.
The issue taps into a long-standing frustration among motorists who feel African markets are treated differently, even when vehicles are produced locally and sold in huge volumes.
Toyota responds
Toyota South Africa has responded by stating that the locally manufactured Corolla Cross meets and exceeds all applicable local legislative safety requirements. At the same time, the company confirmed that the NCAP findings align with an ongoing internal review into standard curtain shield airbag fitment across the entire local Corolla Cross range.
Toyota has also reassured customers that its commitment to quality, durability, and reliability remains unchanged.
The bigger conversation
Beyond one model, this moment has reignited a broader debate about vehicle safety standards in Africa. The AA argues that safety should never be an optional extra or reserved for markets outside the continent.
For now, the Corolla Cross remains a best seller. But for many South African drivers, the conversation has shifted from blind trust to informed questioning. And that may be the most important outcome of all.
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Source: Business Tech
Featured Image: Toyota South Africa
