PUTRAJAYA: The Road Transport Department (RTD) has confirmed that Perodua and Toyota model vehicles in Malaysia, which were implicated in the Daihatsu Motor Corporation (DMC) Japan safety testing controversy, are deemed safe.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that following a comprehensive review and thorough examination of the data, as well as subsequent re-testing, both Perodua and Toyota models had been found to fully adhere to the UN safety standards prescribed under the existing Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) protocols.
He said it was estimated that a total of 1.7 million units of vehicles from both manufacturers were affected by this issue in the Malaysian market.
"The re-testing sessions for the affected vehicles were fully conducted in March by competent Technical Services (TS) recognised by the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP29) under the United Nations Type Approval framework.
"Based on the review and further examination by RTD on each data and the results of the re-testing, it is confirmed that all Perodua and Toyota vehicle models in Malaysia fully comply with the UN safety standards as stipulated under the current Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) procedures.
"The scope of the UN regulations involved in the re-testing includes door latches, door retention components, pedestrian protection, seat anchorage, seat-head restraints, brake system, frontal impact, and side impact," he said at a press conference, here, today.
Under Perodua, six vehicle models are involved which are Axia (first generation), Axia (second generation), Alza (second generation), Aruz, Ativa, Bezza, and Myvi.
For Toyota, three vehicle models are involved including the Rush, Vios, and Veloz.
Loke said RTD would continue to strictly monitor both vehicle manufacturers and DMC to ensure they have implemented the required improvements including updating internal testing reporting procedures and regularly conducting compliance activities involving RTD.
He said to ensure transparency, all re-testing reports were available to the public on the RTD website at https://bit.ly/JPJDaihatsu.