The Japanese, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has revoked the model certifications of three vehicles produced by Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. namely Toyota Town Ace Truck, Daihatsu Gran Max, and Mazda BONGO.
The Daihatsu Gran Max is distributed in Malaysia by Daihatsu in Malaysia and was launched in 2021. Meanwhile the Town Ace Truck, which Daihatsu produces for Toyota, is a vehicle that has been used for daily transportation and can be customised to suit the customer’s needs and preferences, such as by arranging the truck bed, making it a one-of-a-kind vehicle that has been well received. Toyota said it expresses apologies for the inconvenience and concern this revocation will cause to all stakeholders, including customers who have been waiting for customisation, suppliers, and dealers.
The worlds largest car manufacturer said the airbags of the affected vehicles were tested without the use of mass-produced parts and recognised that the severe measure of revocation was taken in light of the fact that the preconditions for certification testing were not followed.
The revocation affects only new vehicles which have been shipped and sold. In addition, Daihatsu has conducted technical verification and safety confirmation and confirmed that the affected models meet safety performance standards. Therefore, it said customers who are already driving such vehicles can continue to use them without any problem, and there will be no direct impact on vehicle inspections.
Daihatsu has been in the spotlight with failing to adhere to safety standards and has been ordered to recall mass vehicle model under its production including OEM version sold in Malaysia.
