Guidebook ‘lists ESC models’

The Motor Industry Association (MIA) says the installation of electronic stability control (ESC) in vehicles in Japan can be established by referring to a JNCAP publication. David Crawford, chief executive officer, says the information can be obtained from the 2012 detailed edition of JNCAP’s Car Safety Performance Guidebook. It contains new car assessments, which provide the public with “necessary information concerning vehicle safety performances based on various assessment test results”. It covers the installation conditions of safety devices by manufacturers and models in passenger cars, mini-sized cars and vans – trucks with a total mass of 2.8 tonnes or less – that are available on the market as of the end of December 2011 and including ESC. JNCAP’s notes member companies of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association and Japan Automobile Importers’ Association have contributed to these models. Crawford has downloaded the document from JNCAP’s website and also has a hard copy version of the 2011 version of the document. He says tables list – by model – safety features fitted to vehicles as standard or as optional. “There is a column dedicated to ESC systems [headed] stability control systems,” says Crawford. “The tables list every model by manufacturer of vehicles produced in Japan for that year. We know it’s possible to identify vehicles in the Japanese market with ESC fitted. “Questions have also been raised how do you know if a vehicle has ESC where it’s listed as optional? The answer is you turn the key on. How do you know at the border inspection if ESC is working? Run a diagnostic check. None of this is very hard.”