Perodua and Toyota vehicles in Malaysia – which were implicated in the Daihatsu ‘procedural irregularities’ safety testing scandal from late last year – have been confirmed as safe. Transport minister Anthony Loke made the announcement today following retesting of the affected models and a comprehensive review and thorough examination of the data.
Loke said that the Perodua and Toyota models, of which 1.7 million units are on the road, have been found to fully adhere to the UN safety standards prescribed under the existing vehicle type approval (VTA) protocols.
“The re-testing sessions for the affected vehicles were fully conducted in March by competent Technical Services (TS) recognised by the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP29) under the United Nations Type Approval framework,” Loke said, reported by NST.
“Based on the review and further examination by JPJ on each data and the results of the re-testing, it is confirmed that all Perodua and Toyota vehicle models in Malaysia fully comply with the UN safety standards as stipulated under the current VTA procedures,” he added.
The retest covered door latches, door retention components, pedestrian protection, seat anchorage, seat-head restraints, brake system, frontal impact and side impact crash tests. The Perodua models that were involved in the retest are the first and second-generation Axia, second-generation Alza, Aruz, Ativa, Bezza and Myvi. The three Toyota models involved are the Rush, Vios and Veloz.
According to the report dated May 28 released by the JPJ’s automotive engineering division, the retests were done in UTAC, France; Applus IDIADA, Spain; the Horiba-MIRA test centre, UK; and Perodua’s R&D centre in Rawang.
A gamut of tests were conducted (for the full breakdown, browse the report below) and JPJ’s conclusion is that “all models from Perodua and Toyota involved in the retest fully comply with the UN regulations as required by VTA, and there’s no need for a recall”.
Browse the full report and detailed results below. It’s very detailed – for instance, there’s a point-by-point scoring comparison between the Bezza’s original UN-R94 frontal crash test performed by Daihatsu, and the retest results by IDIADA in Spain. Ditto the UN-R95 side impact crash test scoresheet of the Myvi and Alza, where the retest was done in France. Interesting, if you’re into details.
This puts a close to Daihatsu’s scandal that has been hanging like a cloud over itself (president and chairman were replaced in March) and related parties Perodua and Toyota. Crucially, customers and drivers of the models named in the scandal now have assurance that their cars are perfectly safe to drive and comply with all safety regulations.
GALLERY: Retest report on Perodua, Toyota cars following Daihatsu scandal
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