Regarding the Daihatsu safety scandal that concerns the all-new Perodua Axia, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) will conduct an assessment of the Perodua Axia. MIROS Chairman, Dr. Wong Shaw Voon told Free Malaysia Today that the assessments would be of the latest Axia models to ensure the safety of the cars.
For those of you learning about this matter for the first time, Daihatsu has admitted to “procedural irregularities” in the safety testing which affects the Perodua Axia, Toyota Agya, and Toyota Vios. More specifically, slight modifications were done to the driver door to improve performance during side impact testing.
The MIROS Chairman said, “We haven’t received any complaints, but we’ll look into Perodua’s claims.”
Statement by Akio Toyoda
After Daihatsu admitted to its wrongdoings, Toyota Chairman of the Board, Akio Toyoda released an official statement. In that he said, “Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.’s wrongdoing is a matter that concerns safety, which is the most important aspect of vehicles. We consider this an absolutely unacceptable act that betrays the trust of our customers. We would like to sincerely apologize to our customers around the world and all related parties for the inconvenience and concern this has caused.”
“Since this problem occurred with a Toyota brand passenger car, we believe that the problem is not limited to Daihatsu. We will begin by conducting a detailed investigation and thoroughly collecting facts to understand the situation, determine the true cause, and work diligently to prevent a recurrence. We will also inform the public in a timely manner regarding the facts we learn through our investigations.”
“I personally promised our customers that Toyota would not run away, lie, or distort the truth during the recall crisis in 2009. Nevertheless, we find it to be a serious matter that such a problem has occurred at one of our group companies.”
RELATED: No recalls for Perodua Axia despite Daihatsu safety scandal, deliveries unaffected
Both Perodua and UMW Toyota Motor have also addressed the matter. So far, both companies say that there is no need for a recall for both the Perodua Axia and the Toyota Vios. Both cars still meet the requirements for the UN-R95 certification and are safe to be driven. MIROS has only stated that it will assess the Perodua Axia among the affected models.
RELATED: No recalls for Toyota Vios amidst Daihatsu safety “procedural irregularity”
