KUALA LUMPUR (April 30): Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has come out to say that there will be no recall of its Perodua Axia model, as it is deemed safe for driving.
This comes after Daihatsu Co Ltd issued a media statement on Friday (April 28) about there being “procedural irregularity” on the Japanese firm’s testing of four models, including the new Perodua Axia.
“We wish to offer some background, insight and perspective on the nature of this announcement, especially in reference to the new Perodua Axia,” Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad said in a statement on Sunday (April 30) evening.
He explained: “Perodua engaged Daihatsu to carry out safety testing for the new Perodua Axia in Japan, which was witnessed by relevant authorities and agencies for their respective assessment. As we receive news of this procedural irregularity by Daihatsu, we immediately contacted these bodies to determine if the safety standard of the Perodua Axia was compromised.
“We were assured that despite the revelation by Daihatsu, the UN-R95 certification given to the Perodua Axia is intact. This means that the Perodua Axia is safe for driving and no recall will be issued, nor will Perodua stop delivery of this new model to our valued customers.”
Zainal Abidin apologised for the distress the matter had caused its customers.
“We wish to assure that the safety information and specification of all our models are verified by professional bodies. We will continue to monitor this situation and will update the public on this matter as it develops,” he said.
Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp, admitted that it manipulated crash test results for 88,000 cars that were manufactured in Thailand and Malaysia and sold within the past year, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Apart from the Perodua cars, the issue affects Toyota-branded Yaris Ativ and Agya models, and another vehicle being developed by Daihatsu. They were sold in Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Indonesia and Mexico, the report cited Daihatsu as saying.
Daihatsu said the cars had components in their door trims during crash tests that likely influenced the results and were different to those eventually sold to the public. The tests would be conducted again, and sales will resume if the vehicles are certified properly, it added.