An investigation has been launched into car crash tests after examiners discovered “suspicious” parts on vehicles submitted for assessment.
Officials from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCap) and motoring safety experts Thatcham Research found airbags and Isofix child seat mounts marked “for crash test only”, Auto Express reports. The discoveries were made during routine audits that involve inspecting individual components on test vehicles.
Thatcham Research’s head of safety, Matthew Avery, told the magazine that test components are often labelled with messages written in marker pen. “It’s marked crudely,” he said. “Alarm bells ring when we see that.”
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Avery added: “Sometimes we’ve tested a vehicle and we will see on the back of a module it says ‘Euro NCap test’. Airbag modules are quite common. That feels very, very suspicious to us.”
The markings have been found on vehicles from “several” manufacturers, he said, adding that when quizzed about the markings, many manufacturers claim the parts are early versions of genuine components.
According to financial news site This Is Money, Euro NCap and Thatcham Research are carrying out investigations that “can involve visits to car factories or parts suppliers.” In some instances, manufacturers are instructed to submit another vehicle for a retest.
However, fears of foul play have been dismissed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a trade association for the UK’s motoring industry.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said the markings are common on crash vehicles as many of them are submitting for testing “before full production begins”.
“There is no evidence of any malpractice in safety testing and to imply otherwise shows a failure to understand the manufacturing and certification process,” he insisted. “Such remarks cast unwarranted aspersions on the automotive industry, for which safety is the number one priority.”
