Major warning for Toyota Corolla Cross owners in South Africa

The Toyota Corolla Cross has received a disappointing result after undergoing a crash test as part of the #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign.

The test was performed by the Global New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) in partnership with the Automobile Association (AA).

Under this programme, vehicles are crash tested and awarded a score out of five for the level of safety they provide for adult and child occupants.

Global NCAP recently flagged the Toyota Corolla Cross, the most popular car in South Africa, over its poor adult occupant safety score.

The Cross received a two-star rating for adult occupant protection and a three-star rating for child occupant protection.

The main concern highlighted by the report is a lack of side head protection for adults for the South Africa market.

“The absence of standard side head protection for the Toyota Corolla Cross results in two stars for adult occupant protection, in our #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign,” it said.

“The model’s standard safety equipment includes driver and passenger frontal airbags, side body airbags, driver knee airbag and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), but no side head protection in the South African market.”

The crash test also had the following notes:

• The footwell area was found to be unstable and not capable of withstanding further loadings, although the bodyshell was rated as stable.
• Side pole impact was not performed as the car does not offer standard side head protection for front and rear rows. The lack of this kind of protection exposes the head to the risk of severe injury even in a low speed side impact with a pole or tree.
• Side impact showed good protection to the abdomen and pelvis, with adequate protection to the chest.
• Child protection receives three stars, owing to the lack of passenger airbag disconnection and the head of the three-year-old dummy being exposed in both side and frontal impact tests.

Global NCAP said there was no excuse for the lack of side head protection for a car of this nature.

The organisation also highlighted how there is a concerning trend of cars sold in Africa offering lower protection than in other markets.

“Manufacturers like Toyota know how to build safer vehicles and consumers in Africa deserve the same levels of safety performance which are fitted as standard in other parts of the world,” said Richard Woods, CEO of Global NCAP.

“Highlighting this disparity and democratising vehicle safety in Africa is a Global NCAP priority.”

A similar case came to public attention in December 2025, when the Hyundai Grand i10 received a zero-star rating for adult occupant protection and a three-star rating for child occupant protection.

This was due to a lack of several features, such as electronic stability control and head protection, which are considered essential for modern vehicle safety.

AA “deeply concerned” by Toyota Corolla Cross results

The AA expressed deep concerns over the Toyota Corolla Cross crash test results, stating that it was a clear demonstration of the shortcomings in the level of safety provided to adults in the version of the car sold in African markets, including South Africa.

It said that the Cross, which is manufactured at Toyota South Africa Motors factory in Durban, should provide the same level of protection to motorists in Africa that consumers in international markets are entitled to.

“The organisation reiterates its long held view that African buyers should not be presented with vehicles that fall below global safety benchmarks.”

AA CEO Bobby Ramagwede said that the results were troubling.

“There really is no excuse for the lack of side head protection in the popular Toyota Corolla Cross. This again highlights a continuing pattern in which vehicles sold in Africa do not meet the same safety standards applied in other regions.”

“South African motorists deserve better, especially exasperated in this case considering that the Corolla Cross is locally built for local consumption at Toyota’s Prospecton plant in KwaZulu-Natal.”

Ramagwede argued that the two-star rating reinforces the urgent need for manufacturers to commit to equal safety across all markets.

“This result underlines why Africa urgently needs stronger regulatory standards and greater manufacturer accountability.”

“The AA believes no vehicle should be sold here without side head protection for front and rear rows. Safety should never be an optional extra, and certainly not reserved for markets outside Africa.”

The association said it will continue to push for stronger safety regulations and greater transparency from vehicle manufacturers operating across the continent.

It also encouraged carmakers to address these NCAP findings, either on the assembly line or through a recall process.

The AA advocates for a dedicated Africa NCAP programme that will allow for more accurate crash tests and greater transparency for cars sold across the continent.

You can watch the Toyota Corolla Cross Global NCAP crash test in the video below: