“Scandal of Manipulated Side Crash Test Results Involving Daihatsu and Toyota Models”

CNN Indonesia

Tuesday, 02 May 2023 06:59 WIB

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Daihatsu admitted his mistake in manipulating data from side crash test results involving as many as 88 thousand cars, most of which were sold under the Toyota brand.

The company confirmed it had made modifications to the side doors to minimize risks in testing. Daihatsu confirmed this modification to manipulate side-hit data on the front door.

In addition, the inside of the door may be broken by sharp objects and cause injury to occupants when the side air bag or air bag is deployed in an accident.

The models affected are the Toyota Yaris Ativ or Vios made in Thailand from last August, and the Perodua Axia produced in Malaysia from February.

If more than 88 thousand vehicles are broken down, around 76 thousand are Yaris models, most of which are sent to Thailand, Mexico, as well as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

In addition, around 11,800 of the affected vehicles are Axias manufactured by Daihatsu in a joint venture it runs with Malaysian carmaker Perodua. The cars are sold in Malaysia.

Other information is that the Toyota Agya, which will be sold in Ecuador, reportedly has indications of the scandal. However, it is indicated that the Agya is only planned to be produced in June 2023.

Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda said the company is investigating how the side panels of the Yaris and other models were modified for safety testing.

Toyoda also apologized for what it called an “unacceptable” breach of consumer trust.

On the other hand, Toyoda said they have not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to the rigged side-hit test. But he ensured they would work diligently and prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future.

(groove/mic)