More Toyota models have now been implicated in safety scandals.
Toyota has recently admitted to another instance of safety testing misconduct, affecting seven additional models. This latest revelation deepens the ongoing scandal that has already implicated major Japanese automakers including Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki.
The company’s issues are compounded by fresh findings from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). This new round of irregularities underscores broader concerns about Toyota’s compliance with safety standards and casts a long shadow over the entire Japanese automotive industry.
Moreover, the recent misconduct involves significant regulatory breaches. For example, Toyota failed to include the production navigation display during occupant protection tests for the Toyota Noah, Voxy, and Suzuki Landy minivans in 2021.
Non-production parts were also utilised in safety tests for the Toyota Harrier, which used a front door internal bracket, and the Lexus LM, which used a rear door lining, both in 2022. Irregularities were also found in several other models, including the Toyota Camry, 2017 Daihatsu Altis and Toyota RAV4, 2015 Lexus RX, Toyota Prius a and Daihatsu Mebius (2014)
Despite these issues, Toyota assures that current owners of the affected models need not stop using them. However, production and deliveries of the Toyota Noah and Voxy minivans, which are specific to the Japanese market, were halted as of 29 July 2024. Toyota plans to resume production “as soon as possible” once it has met all regulatory standards.
On top of that, regarding earlier suspensions announced on 3 June 2024, Toyota has indicated that shipments of the Toyota Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross for the Japanese market will recommence in September, pending MLIT’s confirmation of compliance.
This production halt has already led to a 13 percent drop in Toyota’s global output in June and may impact the company’s quarterly earnings for April through June. The company identified several issues that contributed to the misconduct, specifically unclear internal rules for preparing certification documents, inadequate management of certification resources and insufficient awareness of the certification process’ importance
In response, Toyota issued an apology stating, “We deeply regret our failure to conduct certification operations properly and apologise to our stakeholders for any concern or inconvenience this may have caused.” Below is a detailed list of the irregularities discovered during the investigations into Toyota’s facilities in Japan.
We got all this from Carscoops and their full article is linked here. Thank you Carscoops for the information and images.
