KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Toyota Motor has reassured that sales of the All-New Toyota Vios will continue as there are no issues with the safety standards and quality of the vehicle.
President of UMW Toyota Motor, Datuk Ravindran K. said the vehicle had met the UN-R95 certification and there was no need for the model to be recalled.
This follows the statement released by Daihatsu Co Ltd. on April 28 highlighting a procedural irregularity on the testing of four models, one of which includes the All-New Toyota Vios.
Ravindran in a statement added that the model complied with all safety regulations and there was no compromise to the quality of the vehicles.
"We sincerely apologise for any distress caused to our customers and we wish to assure everyone of the safety and quality of our vehicles.
"Our commitment to our customers' safety has always been and remains
our topmost priority," he added.
On April 28, Daihatsu confirmed that it committed "wrongdoings" in particular crash safety tests done for regulatory approval applications for four models.
It is said 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 is deployed in an accident.
The modification for testing was not part of the vehicle production.
The affected model includes the 2023 Perodua Axia, Toyota Vios (badged as the Yaris Ativ in Thailand and other markets), Toyota Agya and a yet-to-be-launched model.
It said over 88,000 units of affected models had been sold in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Mexico so far, and new shipments had been suspended.
Yesterday, Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin had also reassured that Perodua Axia was safe for driving and Perodua would not be conducting any recall or suspend the delivery, as the UN-R95 certification given to the Perodua Axia remained intact.
He said Perodua previously engaged Daihatsu to perform safety testing for the new Perodua Axia in Japan.
Perodua will continue to monitor the situation and will update the public on the developments.