How Nissan Engineered the Safest Murano yet

DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Crashes happen in an instant. Designing a safe vehicle takes years.

The all-new 2025 Nissan Murano’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is the result of countless hours of work from Nissan safety engineers, including the team at Nissan’s Safety Advancement Lab. At this state-of-the-art $40 million facility near Detroit, engineers put vehicles through roughly 400 crash tests each year, simulating real-world scenarios.

“During our entire development process, we always think about the customer,” said Derrick Diver, Nissan senior safety performance engineer. “We set targets to achieve the highest possible ratings for Murano.”

Murano includes Nissan Safety Shield 360¹ technologies to help avoid crashes, and it’s engineered to protect drivers and their families if one does happen.

Enhanced safety in every seat

Part of earning the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award requires a vehicle protects its occupants well when it crashes into a deformable, offset barrier at 40 mph. To achieve this result, Nissan engineers replicated the crash test at its own facility several times. They studied the results after each crash, and if something needed adjustment, engineers found a solution and implemented it in the next test.

Advanced monitoring equipment on board and in crash dummies provided data about how the vehicle absorbed the crash energy – lessening the impact on passengers. Meanwhile, high-speed cameras captured how seat belts work to position passengers to optimally interact with Murano’s air bags, helping to reduce the risk of injury.

“Nissan safety and design engineers collaborate extensively to ensure the Murano’s body structure deforms as intended to absorb energy during a crash and protect passengers,” Diver said.

When developing the all-new Murano, there was an intensified focus on enhancing rear-seat passenger safety. Crucially, the seat belt system must help prevent “submarining” – when the passenger partially slips under the lap portion of the belt, increasing the risk for injury.

“Having a safe rear seat is important in any vehicle,” said Jeff Sitko, Nissan safety performance manager. “That’s where we’re going to put our younger family members, and so we engineered it to be as safe as possible.”

To achieve the IIHS’s highest individual test rating of “Good,” rear-seat occupants must be well-protected in the updated moderate front overlap test.

“The Murano performed very well,” Sitko said. “Rear-seat passengers’ interaction with the seat belt and air bag was excellent.”

Brutal crash test is a showcase for safety

Like all Nissan vehicles, the Murano was run through front, side, rear and pedestrian crash tests, among others.

One of the most grueling tests is the side oblique pole test, which simulates the vehicle hitting a rigid, pole-like barrier on the side. The test is just one of those conducted by the federal government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Murano earned an overall five-star safety rating from NCAP.

“It represents if a vehicle were to skid and strike a utility pole, for instance,” explained Adam Gohl, Nissan safety performance engineer.

The dramatic crash is a true test of the vehicle’s side and curtain air bags. Designing air bags is an incredibly precise process, as the vehicle needs to determine whether to deploy the air bags in just 10 milliseconds.

“Immediately after the test, we look to see if the air bags deployed properly. The dummies’ heads are painted, so we evaluate the paint transfer from the head to the curtain air bag. It helps us evaluate where the passenger contacted the air bag and whether it aligned with the intended zone,” Gohl said.

Engineers also examine the vehicle to ensure doors remain latched and there are no fuel leaks.

The oblique pole test is a key indicator of a vehicle’s structural strength. And as in the front-impact tests, the Murano performed exceptionally well.

“Thanks to the robust side-impact body structure design, the amount of pole intrusion we see is very limited,” Gohl said.

Nissan safety engineers regularly receive notes of gratitude from customers who were involved in a crash.

“People share stories that they survived an accident – the restraint systems worked as designed, and the body structure kept them safe. Those are incredibly inspiring,” Gohl said.

The team says creating safe vehicles is personal. They drive Nissan vehicles, as do their loved ones.

“I trust the vehicles I design to help keep my family and friends safe,” Sitko said. “They don’t have to worry about safety because I do. That’s a very rewarding feeling.”

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¹ Nissan Safety Shield technologies can’t prevent all collisions or warn in all situations. See Owner’s Manual for important safety information.