The president of ToyotaAkio Toyoda apologized on Monday for massive traps in certification tests of seven vehicle models, while the Japanese automaker suspended production of three of them.
Toyota and Japanese manufacturers Honda, Suzuki, Mazda y Yamaha They manipulated the certification tests of some of their models in Japan, as announced by the Ministry of Transportation of that country. After inspecting their production plants, the ministry ordered the five manufacturers to suspend deliveries of their affected models until compliance with certification tests has been verified.
The failures involved the use of inadequate or outdated crash test data and incorrect examinations of air bag inflation and rear seat damage during crashes. Engine power tests were also falsified.
Toyota Motor Corp., based in Toyota City in central Japan, suspended nationwide production of the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross models. TFalsified tests were also found in already discontinued models.
The company insisted that the failures do not affect vehicles that are already rolling, such as examples of the Corolla range or Lexus luxury vehicles.
Apology
“We sincerely apologize,” Toyoda said, bowing his head deeply at a news conference in Tokyo. “We are not a perfect company. But if we see something wrong, we will take a step back and continue trying to correct it,” said the heir to the dynasty that created the automotive giant.
A Japanese government investigation into Toyota began in January. The latest problems do not affect Toyota’s overseas production.
Also on Monday, a Toyota rival, Mazda Motor Corp., reported similar irregular tests and ceased production of two models: the Roadster and the Mazda 2. It revealed that in the tests incorrect engine control software was used.
Mazda, based in the southwestern city of Hiroshima, also acknowledged that there were crash test failures for three discontinued models. They clarified that the failures do not affect the safety of the models.
Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. also apologized Monday night for inappropriate tests, as well as noise levels and torque, in models whose relevant versions are no longer produced, such as the Accord, Odyssey and Fit. The safety of vehicles still in circulation is not affected, the company said.
Shinji Miyamoto, Toyota’s executive in charge of customer service, said the company began reviewing its own tests after problems emerged at companies in the group.
This took on greater dimension earlier this year, when The Japanese government sent an investigation team to one of the Toyota plants in the context of the search for irregularities in emissions and power tests of various engines.
At that time, Toyota recognized that the irregularities affected the certification tests of an engine for industrial machinery and the power tests of three diesel engines installed in different vehicles, specifically in ten of its models.
Among them were vehicles widely known in Argentina, such as the Hilux pickup and the SW4 SUV, which are manufactured in Zárate. Models such as the Hiace, the Land Cruiser Prado and the Land Cruiser 300 also appeared.
Timely consulted by Clarionthe local subsidiary of the brand clarified that “this problem does not affect any vehicle produced and/or marketed in Argentina.”
How he cheated
The irregularities consisted of the fact that during the certification tests, where Engine power performance was measured using different software to that used in mass production, yielding results that presented fewer variations.
The Toyota group has been affected by a series of cases of irregularities in vehicle quality controls. The most recent was that of its micro vehicle subsidiary Daihatsu, which paralyzed its global shipments after it was discovered that the safety or emissions tests of most of its models were manipulated.
In March 2022, another of its subsidiaries, Hino Motors, admitted to having submitted fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to Japanese authorities.
In light of these revelations, Akio Toyoda came out to apologize for what happened and assured that the group would take steps to return to the path and vision that you seem to have asked for.
“What I need to do now is show the direction the group should take and create a place for the next generations,” he said then. But, for the moment, it seems to be far from being solved.