For example, Daihatsu cars have toyed with airbags for decades

After a wide-ranging investigation by the Japanese ministry, it appears that Daihatsu, part of the Toyota group, has been tampering with airbags during crash tests for nearly 35 years. Proud owners of the Copen or Materia in the Netherlands and Belgium need not worry yet: the investigation is focusing on models such as the Daihatsu Cast that were not sold in Europe.

As a penalty, Daihatsu is banned from manufacturing cars in some factories until the end of January 2024. A strong blow to the company, which manufactures 920,000 cars annually in the factories in question. “It's a very serious situation,” said Soichiro Okudaira, the car brand's director. Parent company Toyota says it knows nothing about incidents related to the problem.

What is cheating in Daihatsu?

Therefore, the Japanese ministry's investigation focuses on airbags. Daihatsu will use a certain type of electronic control module for airbags in crash tests and then put other modules in exiting cars. Therefore, these cars do not comply with the regulations. The brand deeply apologizes for betraying the trust of our customers and shareholders.

The question now is how many cars were sold with other airbags? These cars will have to return to the factory. Since the tests were rigged in 1989, the number of cars may have to be increased significantly. Previously, “irregularities” were found in the doors when colliding with the side of a Daihatsu.