Warning to people driving one of Toyota’s best-selling vehicles in South Africa
South Africans driving one of the country’s most popular vehicles are being warned about new crash-test results that raise concerns about its safety.
The Automobile Association (AA) has reacted strongly to the latest Global NCAP crash tests, which gave the Toyota Corolla Cross a two-star rating for adult occupant protection.
The low score is mainly due to the absence of standard side head protection on the Corolla Cross sold in African markets, including South Africa.
While the vehicle achieved three stars for child occupant protection, Global NCAP said the results show clear shortcomings in the level of protection provided to adults.
The Toyota Corolla Cross is built in South Africa at Toyota’s Prospecton plant in KwaZulu-Natal and is fitted locally with driver and passenger frontal airbags, side body airbags, a driver knee airbag and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
However, it does not include side head airbags for front or rear passengers, which are widely recognised as a critical safety feature in modern vehicles.
This is a notable concern given just how popular the Corolla Cross is. It is currently one of South Africa’s best-selling vehicles and ranks second overall behind the Toyota Hilux.
In December 2025 alone, South Africa’s car market recorded 48,983 vehicle sales, or about 1,580 vehicles per day.
Toyota dominated the sales charts, with the Hilux selling 2,979 units and the Corolla Cross close behind at 2,766 units, giving Toyota both the top-selling bakkie and passenger car in the country.
However, Global NCAP’s safety assessment highlighted several problem areas for the SUV.
The footwell area was found to be unstable and unable to withstand further loadings, although the vehicle’s bodyshell was rated as stable.
Additionally, a side pole impact test was not conducted because the Corolla Cross does not offer standard side head protection.
According to Global NCAP, the absence of this protection “exposes the head to the risk of severe injury, even in a low-speed side impact with a pole or tree”.
In side-impact testing, the Corolla Cross showed good protection for the abdomen and pelvis, with adequate protection for the chest.
African consumers deserve better
Child occupant protection scored three stars, but this was reduced due to the lack of a passenger airbag disconnection system and because the head of the three-year-old dummy was exposed in both frontal and side impact tests.
The AA said African consumers deserve the same safety standards offered to buyers in other parts of the world.
It stressed that vehicles sold locally should not be allowed to fall below global safety benchmarks simply because they are sold in Africa.
Global NCAP chief executive officer Richard Woods said manufacturers are fully capable of doing better.
“Manufacturers like Toyota know how to build safer vehicles and consumers in Africa deserve the same levels of safety performance which are fitted standard in other parts of the world,” he said.
AA chief executive officer Bobby Ramagwede said the results were especially worrying given the Corolla Cross’s popularity and local production.
“These results are deeply concerning. There really is no excuse for the lack of side head protection in the popular Toyota Corolla Cross,” he said.
“This again highlights a continuing pattern in which vehicles sold in Africa do not meet the same safety standards applied in other regions.”
He added that the two-star rating shows why stronger regulations are urgently needed.
“This result underlines why Africa urgently needs stronger regulatory standards and greater manufacturer accountability,” he said.
The AA believes no vehicle should be sold in South Africa without side head protection for both front and rear passengers.
“Safety should never be an optional extra, and certainly not reserved for markets outside Africa,” Ramagwede said.
The organisation said it will continue to push for tougher safety rules and greater transparency from manufacturers operating on the continent.
It is also calling on manufacturers to correct safety shortcomings identified by NCAP, either during production or through recalls if necessary.
Responding to the NCAP report, Toyota South Africa said that the locally manufactured Corolla Cross meets and exceeds all applicable local legislative safety requirements.
However, it added that NCAP results coincide with an “ongoing internal review of standardised curtain shield airbag fitment across the entire Corolla Cross range for the local market”.
It assured all Corolla Cross customers that its brand promise of quality, durability and reliability “remains unwavering”.
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