Toyota has announced it has stopped the sales of the new Toyota Yaris Ativ sedan in Thailand pending a retest in Japan. This comes after Toyota’s affiliate Daihatsu rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests just to “pass” the crash safety tests whereas production vehicles have been rolling off without the said part in place.
Daihatsu mentioned that “the inside lining of the front seat door was improperly modified, and that there was a violation of the side collision test procedures and methods stipulated by regulations.” According to Masahiko Maeda, Toyota’s CEO for the Asia region while speaking at a press conference in Bangkok, “the problem may have occurred due to pressure on Daihatsu to shorten the development time of the Ativ.” He went on to add:
“The vehicle’s relatively large size may have posed a challenge to Daihatsu, which specializes in the production of small cars.”
Related: Daihatsu Admits Rigging Crash Safety Tests
Bear in mind the development of this car was led by Daihatsu and it underpins the DNGA (Daihatsu New Global Architecture), hence Toyota has put the responsibility on Daihatsu. Akio Toyoda, the Chairman of the Toyota Board who recently stepped down as CEO of the company, said:
“Daihatsu’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. 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.”
As per the latest developments, Daihatsu (after the issue came to the limelight) has conducted two new tests— one internal and one in the presence of Belgian testing agency Vincotte. Though both the tests have been cleared, a third retest under certain conditions to fulfill a particular legal requirement in Thailand has to be conducted, which is why Thai sales are suspended. Sales will resume once the compliance test is cleared.
Source: Reuters
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