Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism have lifted the suspension of shipments for 5 of the 46 vehicles involved in the Daihatsu rigged collision safety tests. These models are the Daihatsu Gran Max van which is sold here in Malaysia, the Toyota Town Ace van, the Mazda Bongo van, the Toyota Probox, and the Mazda Familia Van. The decision has been made as the models have been verified for compliance with the standards of the country’s Road Transport Vehicle Law.
As for the remaining 41 vehicles, verification for compliance with the standards set by the government will also be announced once the required terms are fulfilled. The results will also be made public, in addition to being posted on the ministry’s official website.
This decision follows the recent case of Vehicle Type Approvals (VTAs) for the Daihatsu Gran Max, Toyota Town Ace, and Mazda Bongo being revoked by the ministry. Daihatsu was also served with a rectification order which urged the firm to “make fundamental reforms” to its corporate structures involved in the rigged collision-safety tests, to ensure that this type of procedural irregularities will never happen again.
A total of 64 models are involved in the latest Daihatsu safety scandal, including several Toyota models. Among them are the Toyota Raize, Toyota Town Ace, Toyota Agya/Wigo, Toyota Rush, Toyota Avanza, Toyota Veloz, Toyota Vios/Yaris Sedan, and Toyota Yaris Cross.
RELATED: Daihatsu safety scandal: VTAs revoked for 3 models, no mention of Perodua
This isn’t the only safety scandal Daihatsu has been involved in the past year or so either, as the company was accused of cheating in a pole side collision test in May 2023, involving the Toyota Raize. Shortly before that, a rigged safety test concerning the Perodua Axia/Toyota Ayga was also revealed.
Responding to the series of scandals, Toyota, the parent company of Daihatsu has stated that it is taking the incidents “very seriously”, and is considering whether to break down any boundaries as part of the move. The Japanese carmaker will also be announcing its plans for Daihatsu in about a month from now.
RELATED: Toyota to announce plans for scandal-hit Daihatsu in a month from now
