Miros to assess new Axia models over report of rigged safety tests

 

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) will meet with Perodua and conduct assessments of its new Axia models, said Miros chairperson Wong Shaw Voon.

This followed the recent revelation by Toyota Motor Corp and its affiliate Daihatsu that the latter had rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests carried out for some 88,000 small cars, including some 11,800 Perodua Axia that were sold in Malaysia.

Wong told Malaysiakini that the institute wants to look into Perodua’s claim that its new Axia cars were safe for driving and not affected by the issue.

“(Miros) shall meet them and assess it accordingly. We shall look into what they are claiming,” he said in a text message.

Miros is an agency under the Transport Ministry that is tasked with carrying out studies on road safety matters, including assessing the safety aspects of passenger vehicles.

Two days ago, Reuters reported that Toyota Motor and Daihatsu had admitted the door trim on the affected vehicles had been modified with a “notch” to minimise the risk in testing that the door interior could break with a sharp edge and cause injury to an occupant when the side airbag was deployed in an accident.

The companies reportedly said that the modification for testing was not part of the production vehicle. Of the 88,000-plus vehicles, about 11,800 affected vehicles were Axias manufactured by Daihatsu at a joint venture plant it runs with Malaysian automaker Perodua. Those cars were sold in Malaysia.

However, Perodua reportedly said that the new Axia is safe for driving.

According to Bernama, Perodua said it will neither be conducting any recall nor suspend the delivery of the model to its customers despite the recent “procedural irregularity” highlighted by Daihatsu.

It quoted Perodua president and chief executive officer Zainal Abidin Ahmad, who said the company had engaged Daihatsu to perform safety testing for the new Perodua Axia in Japan, which relevant authorities and agencies witnessed for their assessments.

Daihatsu in a statement on April 28 also said that re-testing had been performed with the proper parts, which confirmed that it conformed to laws and regulations. - Mkini