Aren't you guys glad Singapore practices the COE and car scrapping? There is a recent automobile recall dated 23rd February 2010 by the United States of America's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) affecting the 1990-1992 Daihatsu Rocky (NHSTA report 10V083000) . It seems that the NHTSA was the main fact finder in Toyota's recall issue and not even a nearly two decade year old Daihatsu can escape scrutiny. Nothing escapes the long arm of the NHSTA.

The Daihatsu Rocky's reason for a recall is that the check valve in the fuel vapor evaporation emission control system might develop a crack in long-term vehicle usage due to insufficient durability under some environmental or operational circumstances. The consequence could be a leak of fuel evaporation gas vapor into the vehicle which may result in a fire. Daihatsu would now have to replace the old check valve with a new check valve of improved construction. As expected, the service will be performed free of charge starting in March 2010. According to NHTSA, about 4,000 units of the Rocky are affected by the recall exercise. Now because tracking down affected Daihatsu owners is pretty complicated given the fact that the cars were produced 17 or 18 years ago, and many may have changed hands, scrapped, destroyed, totaled, stolen or even as per the recall issue, burnt by fire throughout the years.

I doubt there are any Daihatsu Rockys left in Singapore especially with the COE and vehicle scrapping schemes. Add the fact that this small 4X4 isn't a collectible car like some 1990s sports cars it surely must be an extinct species already. Never have I read anywhere that the Rocky will be a future classic. The FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser maybe worth saving but definitely not a Rocky. Of course there are some still running around in Malaysia, but I have not heard of Rocky users reporting their Rockys turning into a pile of molten metal over the last 15 years.

What will surface next? Ford recalling the Model T from 1924-1925? I have to assume that everyone is getting worked up over Toyota's recall issues. We are now witnessing a recall frenzy nowadays folks. The floodgates are wide open.