Daihatsu recalls 320,000 cars over door lock defect

KUALA LUMPUR: The Independent III-party committee, which investigated the Daihatsu safety scandal that emerged in April of last year, identified issues with 64 car models. It was followed by an immediate suspension of shipments for all its models, both in Japan and overseas. Subsequently, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) conducted an on-site inspection and confirmed new instances of procedural irregularities.

In the latest update, Daihatsu has recalled more than 320,000 vehicles and reported the actions to the ministry. The recall affects the following two models -

Model	Production period	No of vehicles
Daihatsu Cast	August 31, 2015– June 9, 2023	288,146
Toyota Pixis Joy	August 31, 2016– June 9, 2023	34,594

While explaining the defect, the automaker said that the driver's side door lock might activate during a collision due to insufficient verification of the door lock operation in the event of a side collision. As a result, all doors may get locked during a collision, requiring additional time to rescue occupants.

To address the issue, all recalled vehicles will undergo a replacement of the driver's side door lock with corrective parts, and the key operation method specified in the owner's manual will also be rectified.

However, as the supply of corrective parts will take some time, the automaker suggested some temporary measures to avoid door locking during a crash, which will make the key “unusable for operating the door lock and restrict it to remote control operation only.” Customers will be informed as soon as the corrective parts are ready for replacement, said Daihatsu.

Toyota's subsidiary also extended its heartfelt apologies, stating, "We have betrayed the trust of all our stakeholders, including customers, and we would like to convey our sincerest apologies again for the significant inconvenience that we have caused."

Furthermore, Daihatsu revealed that it would continue to halt operations at three out of its four factories until February 16, 2024. Meanwhile, plans for restarting the Kyoto plant are under consideration, with the firm examining various strategies for a smooth resumption.

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