Daihatsu admits rigging crash test: Next-gen Toyota Wigo and Vios affected
Mikko David · Apr 29, 2023 12:45 AM
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Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd. has admitted to manipulating crash test results on four models to attain safety certifications.
The test rigging affects approximately 88,000 cars produced from its Thailand and its Malaysian partner Perodua’s manufacturing plants. Most models are sold under the Toyota brand.
The Toyota Motor subsidiary has said that it discovered the modification of trims in the front doors during crash tests with notches to keep them from breaking apart into sharp edges that might cause injuries when the side airbag is deployed. The notch is not a part of the production vehicles.
Daihatsu has said it is suspending Yaris Ativ (Vios) shipments to 14 countries, including Thailand, Ecuador, Mexico, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait. The next-generation Vios and Wigo have yet to be launched in the Philippines.
Also affected by the skewed safety results is the all-new Perodua Axia produced in Malaysia. All three models have been co-developed by Daihatsu and Toyota.
The Perodua Axia didn't even get five stars, and the discovery puts its four in serious doubt as well.
The rigging of test results was discovered after a whistleblower report was submitted to Daihatsu. The company then alerted regulatory agencies and stopped the shipment of affected models.
Soichiro Okudaira, President of Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., said in a press statement, “We consider legal compliance to be the foundation of our management. We have been promoting compliance activities with the aim of becoming a corporate group that is trusted by our customers and stakeholders. Despite this, it has become clear that such fraudulent acts have been carried out. It is extremely regrettable that we have betrayed the trust of our customers and stakeholders.”
He adds, “In the future, we will investigate the root cause through the results of an investigation by a third-party committee, and by doing everything we can to prevent a situation where trust is betrayed like this again, we will take drastic recurrence. We will take preventative measures. In addition, we will thoroughly instill the importance of legal compliance throughout the company and work to rebuild our corporate structure with compliance awareness as the top priority.”
The newly appointed president and CEO of Toyota Motor Company, Koji Sato, has stated that the company will investigate the matter. "We have to find the cause of what happened, including examining the environment in which it happened, and once we've confirmed that, to take appropriate action to address the underlying cause," said Sato.
Toyota is taking the matter seriously. One of the more recent scandals involving a Toyota subsidiary was in 2022 when Hino Motors, a company it had a 50.1% stake in, admitted to falsifying emissions and fuel economy data since 2003.
Toyota then expelled Hino from a consortium it formed to fast-track electrification development, citing that the truck company’s “misconduct” was incompatible with the group’s “aspiration and goals.”
This is a developing story. Sources cited include Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Japan Posts.
With an automotive career spanning 27 years as a former touring car racer turned automotive journalist and photographer, Mikko also handled marketing and PR for two major Japanese car brands before finding peace and purpose in sharing his views about cars, driving, and mobility.
