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The Almera suffered a major seat belt failure during the frontal impact when it was first tested a year ago. There was insufficient time available to investigate why this had happened before the deadline for the previous tests, so publication of the car’s results were postponed until now. In the meantime, the fault was traced and Nissan identified and recalled affected cars. The results given here are for the updated restraint system. The Almera earned two stars but the second is flagged with a red bar to indicate an unacceptably high risk of driver chest injury in the frontal impact. Its cabin became unstable during the test and exposed the driver to a high risk of severe chest injury. Protection for child passengers in the front and side impacts came in for criticism, too, while pedestrians risked needless injury because of the bumper’s and bonnet’s leading edges.

Front impact
Even though the airbag deployed, the driver’s chest struck the lower section of the steering wheel with enough force to pose a high risk of life-threatening injury. His legs and knees were also ill- protected against injury from structures behind the facia. Also, the pedals were driven back far enough to cause disabling injuries.

Side impact
No side airbags were fitted but chest protection was good, although all three of the test dummy’s 'ribs' contacted the door. Padding blocks and pushers in the seat deflected impact forces away from the driver.

Child-protection
The Almera has adult belts that can be locked to hold a child seat in position. But one of the Nissan-recommended child restraints was incompatible with the belt buckle and instructions for use were not clear: some could be seen only from the car’s right-hand side. Both seats restrained their occupants well during the frontal impact although the younger child’s neck was a little at risk. In the side impact, the restraint exposed the three-year-old to significant risk of head injury.

Pedestrian protection
Protection was generally poor. The parts of the bonnet that an adult’s head might strike gave better results than its leading edge, while the bumper lacked protective padding to diffuse an impact.