A seatbelt failure has prompted Australia’s leading authority on vehicle crash testing to warn motorists against travelling in the rear seats of the Suzuki Fronx small SUV, which launched locally earlier this year, with the automaker quick to respond.
The 2026 Suzuki Fronx has received a one-star crash rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), one of the lowest scores recorded for a small vehicle – and among the lowest of any model currently on sale in Australia.
ANCAP said recent testing of the Fronx revealed the failure of one of the rear passenger seatbelts, allowing the crash test dummy to become completely unrestrained during the test.
The vehicle had already scored zero points in the full-width frontal impact test before the seatbelt failure occurred, including zero points for both the six-year-old and 10-year-old child occupant dummies.
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ANCAP said the zero score was due to “high head acceleration” and “excessive neck tension” recorded for the child-sized dummies, contributing to the Fronx’s overall one-star rating.
“The seatbelt component failure is rare and serious. ANCAP exists to give consumers confidence, and when our tests reveal results of this nature, we will act in their best interest by communicating our findings promptly and transparently,” said ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg in a media statement.
“What concerns us is that this particular vehicle could have been purchased by an ordinary consumer, and in an on-road crash this failure could have had serious consequences for the person sitting in the back seat.
“ANCAP’s view is that adult and child passengers should not travel in the rear seats of the Suzuki Fronx until the reason for the failure has been determined and relevant rectifications have been carried out.”
The Fronx scored 65 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, 55 per cent for Safety Assist, 48 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection and 40 per cent for Child Occupant Protection.
The automaker issued a statement in reply following ANCAP’s publication of the results, saying it is proactive on safety.
“Suzuki Australia has elevated the review of this assessment to a matter of immediate focus and is working directly with Suzuki Motor Corporation in Hamamatsu, Japan, and Suzuki New Zealand to fully understand the ANCAP testing outcomes. This review is being progressed with urgency and at the highest levels of the organisation.
“A thorough and disciplined investigation is underway, and Suzuki will take any actions required to uphold our safety standards and the trust our customers place in our brand.”
It is the second Suzuki model in the past 12 months to receive a one-star ANCAP rating, following the Swift small hatch, which received the same star rating in December 2024.
While the Swift was upgraded in September 2025 with additional safety equipment, improving its rating to three stars, Suzuki Australia currently does not offer any five-star ANCAP-rated vehicles. Popular models including the Jimny and current Vitara SUVs are officially unrated.
Suzuki Australia dropped several models from its local lineup in early 2025 following the introduction of new regulations mandating autonomous emergency braking (AEB).
This saw the Ignis, S-Cross, Vitara and Swift Sport exit local showrooms, though Suzuki Australia managing director Michael Pachota said their departure was due to the natural end of their model life cycles.
The regulation changes also resulted in imports of the three-door Suzuki Jimny being paused, with Australian deliveries expected to resume in 2026 with an updated version.