Nissan NP300 Hardbody Midsize Truck Earns Miserable Zero-Star NCAP Safety Rating

‘Hardbody’ is an ironic name considering the cabin simply collapsed.


In a recent safety evaluation of the NissanNP300 Hardbody performed by the Global New Car Assesment Program (NCAP), it was found that the brand's midsize pickup truck that's sold in various markets around the globe is woefully unsafe.

How unsafe? It earned a zero-star crash safety rating. Zero.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6IsQSSSEj0

The Global NCAP tested a handful of vehicles including the Toyota Yaris, Hyundai i20, Kia Picanto, and the inappropriately named Nissan Hardbody.

But while the Nissan's classmates earned a lukewarm three-star rating, the Nissan simply crashed and burned—quite literally.

The NP300 Hardbody is, in a nutshell, a newer version of the 1997-generation Frontier that's been updated to look better but not necessarily perform better.

It’s not often that we feel bad for the test crash dummies, as they have a pretty important job to do, but this would definitely be one of those times. In watching the video, we can see the occupants being thrown around and crushed by the cab of the truck in nearly every crash scenario. 

Report summary by the Global NCAP:

”The NP300 Hardbody achieved an alarming zero star rating for its poor adult occupant protection mainly in the driver head and chest areas in the frontal crash test at 64 km/h (40 mph)," Global NCAP noted. "The vehicle structure collapsed during the crash test, and it was rated as unstable.

The steering wheel column did not collapse, penetrating the passengers’ compartment, creating an additional risk for the driver as it moved straight into the dummy chest.

This performance showed a significant risk of injuries for the driver despite the car being equipped with double frontal airbags.

The high probability of life-threatening injuries to the driver’s head and chest resulted in the zero-star adult occupant protection rating. Even with an airbag, the driver’s head and chest showed high biomechanical readings.”

And Nissan responded:

“The safety of our customers is Nissan’s top priority," a Nissan South Africa spokesperson told Times SA. "All our cars meet or exceed regulations in all countries in which they are sold.”

Even though none of the vehicles tested are sold in the United States, this is an excellent reflection of the subpar level of engineering some emerging markets have to deal with.

I saw the above article on
http://www.thedrive.com/news/24756/nissan-np300-hardbody-midsize-truck-earns-miserable-zero-star-ncap-safety-rating

It got me thinking about the anything goes syndrome in this part of the world. The response from Nissan is telling, emphasis on meeting or surpassing regulations in countries where they're sold, and not necessarily being strong or durable.
I know I've seen this NP300 around with some NGOs and government agencies who probably spent a lot of money on what's really a 1997 car made to look better. The pickup is a death trap

And na this motor Police dey use do Surugede for road. O ma she O.

Somatic:
And na this motor Police dey use do Surugede for road. O ma she O.

This also applies to many of these "new" cars in Nigeria, I saw something on the news the other day about one company in Lagos donating this Nissan to the government plus a new Hyundai assembled in Nigeria.