Toyota halts sales of 3 cars as Japan safety scandal deepens

TOKYO – Japan suspended the delivery and sales of six vehicles currently on the road, including three manufactured by Toyota Motor, escalating a safety scandal that has embroiled some of the world’s top automakers.

Toyota submitted faulty data during pedestrian-safety tests for three current models – the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross – and used modified test vehicles during collision-safety tests for four past models, including the Crown, the transport ministry said on June 3.

It was among five carmakers, including Honda Motor and Mazda Motor, found to have falsified or manipulated safety data while applying for certification.

“We neglected the certification process and mass produced our cars without first taking the proper precautionary steps,” Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda told reporters on June 3. “For that we apologise to our customers and all automotive enthusiasts.”

Toyota said shipment halts will affect two assembly lines responsible for the production of 130,000 units a year. The world’s biggest carmaker made and sold more than 11 millions passenger vehicles in 2023.

Meanwhile, Mazda said it fabricated test results and tampered with the units used for collision testing in five models, including the Mazda2 and Roadster RF, according to a company statement on June 3.

Irregularities were identified in over 150,000 units the automaker has produced since 2014 for the Japan market.

“We will bear costs incurred to suppliers due to the shipment halts,” Mazda chief executive Masahiro Moro said on June 3, adding the company would make efforts to prevent the lapses from recurring.

The halt is likely to affect 3,500 orders and the carmaker is not considering recalls at this point.

Mr Moro attributed the data issues to employee misinterpretations of unclear procedure manuals, not an “organisational cover-up” or “malicious falsification”.

The ministry also identified 32 previously manufactured vehicles as being incorrectly certified.

Officials will perform an on-site investigation of Toyota’s headquarters in Nagoya on June 4, the ministry said.

The findings signal a deepening crisis of trust for Japan’s automakers.

Earlier in 2024, the transport ministry ordered almost 90 manufacturers to reexamine their testing procedures

after decades of fraud

were uncovered at a pair of Toyota affiliates.

In December, an internal probe of Daihatsu Motor showed most of its vehicles

had not been properly tested for collision safety.

The latest probes follow on from a series of scandals involving the likes of Nissan Motor, Mazda and Suzuki stretching back more than a decade, including falsifying emissions and fuel economy data.

Air bag maker Takata filed for bankruptcy in 2017 after one of the world’s most famous recall crises.

Toyota Industries also

suspended all engine shipments

in January after an investigation revealed it falsified power-output figures.

Of the 68 investigations already concluded, the ministry also found wrongdoings at four other manufacturers: Honda, Mazda, Yamaha Motor and Suzuki. It ordered the five carmakers to suspend shipments of all vehicles with faulty certifications.

The ministry’s probe is ongoing and, of the 17 companies still under investigation, Toyota is the only one where issues have been uncovered. BLOOMBERG