Toyota Chairman, Akio Toyoda, has issued an apology after Daihatsu Motor Co. was found to have falsified side-impact test results for some 88,000 small cars, the majority of which were sold under the Toyota brand. The affected models include the Toyota Yaris Ativs made in Thailand from last August and Perodua Axias manufactured in Malaysia starting from February. Daihatsu had rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests carried out for these vehicles, by modifying the door trim with a “notch” to minimise the risk of injury to an occupant when the side airbag deployed in an accident.
Akio Toyoda stated that the company believes the problem is not just confined to the Daihatsu brand and will conduct a detailed investigation to determine the true cause of the wrongdoing. He promised that Toyota would not run away, lie, or distort the truth during the recall crisis in 2009. The group will assign its top executive President Sato responsible for improving the car manufacturing operations of Toyota, while the Chairman will lead initiatives for governance and compliance.
Toyota has apologised for the inconvenience and concern that this may cause to its customers, dealers, and other concerned parties who are currently using these vehicles, and acknowledges that safety is the most important aspect of vehicles. The company hopes to prevent a recurrence of this issue and regain the trust of its customers and stakeholders.