Removed from the European market for 10 years, The Daihatsu brand today found itself at the center of a huge scandal which spills all the way to its parent company, Toyota. After the diesel gate from Volkswagen, here is the “safety gate” from Daihatsu! Since 1989 the manufacturer allegedly failed and falsified safety tests of vehicles leaving factories, according to a detailed report by independent experts. This would include in particular car crash test results of course, the brand, but also models produced on behalf of Mazda and Subaru. Already last week, after potted roses were discovered, the brand has suspended all its deliveries and banned its 30,000 dealers worldwide from accepting any orders.

Four Daihatsu factories were closed

Today it is direct production at four plants in Japan has been suspended until further notice. According to several mass media in the archipelago, this measure may be effective during January. The cost to Daihatsu, and therefore indirectly to Toyota, could be enormous. Then there is the question of what further action will be taken in this case. in addition criminal and financial consequences which can be difficult, what will be the reaction of the manufacturer? Recall of all affected cars – we are talking about 64 models – since 1989, it can become an operation of such a scale that we have not seen before. And compensation for aggrieved customers who have gone to court seems even more unlikely…

In Europe, only two models were affected

As for the future, Daihatsu may be forced to make major changes to the design of its current cars before resuming marketing, which will again lead to high costs. And above all, what will be the reaction of customers, especially in a country rooted in trust and reliability in society? Which models are currently affected by this massive scam? Daihatsu, Toyota, Mazda and Subaru produced in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

A few million cars now in circulation are defective, on 64 models and 3 different engines? Should we as European consumers be concerned about this? Not at all. Daihatsu has not been sold here for a long time, but only two models which were previously sold on the Old Continent. The Daihatsu Cuore was sold from 1998 to 2002, and the Toyota iQ from 2008 to 2015. In the coming weeks, we’ll be learning more about the steps that defrauded owners should take.

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