- Toyota, Mazda, and Yamaha halt vehicle shipments due to certification irregularities.
- Japan's transport ministry finds incorrect or manipulated safety test data.
- Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda apologizes for wrongdoing.
- Scandal raises concerns about safety test reliability in Japan's automotive industry.
A safety test scandal in Japan has widened, with Toyota Motor and Mazda halting shipments of certain vehicles after the country’s transport ministry found irregularities in certification applications. The ministry said the automakers submitted incorrect or manipulated safety test data when applying for vehicle certification.
The irregularities were found in applications from Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha Motor. The transport ministry ordered Toyota, Mazda, and Yamaha to suspend shipments of some vehicles, while Honda and Suzuki were ordered to investigate and report on the irregularities.
Toyota halted shipments and sales of three car models made in Japan, including the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross. The company said the wrongdoing occurred during six different tests conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2020. Affected vehicles included discontinued versions of four popular models, including one sold under the Lexus luxury brand.
Mazda suspended shipments of its Roadster RF sports car and the Mazda2 hatchback from Thursday last week after finding workers had modified engine control software test results. The company also found crash tests of the Atenza and Axela models, which are no longer in production, had been tampered with by using a timer to set off airbags during some frontal collision tests.
Yamaha said it had halted shipments of a sports motorcycle after finding irregularities in its certification application. Honda said it had found wrongdoing in noise and output tests over a period of more than eight years to October 2017 on some two dozen models that are no longer being produced.
The transport ministry will conduct an on-site inspection at Toyota’s headquarters on Tuesday to investigate the irregularities. The ministry has also ordered the automakers to investigate and report on the irregularities.
Toyota’s chairman, Akio Toyoda, apologized for the wrongdoing, stating that the cars did not go through the correct certification process before being sold. “As the person in charge of the Toyota Group, I would like to sincerely apologise to our customers, to car fans, and all stakeholders for this,” Toyoda said.
The scandal has put a spotlight on Toyota’s annual general meeting later this month, where influential proxy advisory firms have recommended shareholders vote against re-electing Akio Toyoda as chairman. In a report to shareholders, ISS singled out the “spate of certification irregularities” at the Toyota Group.
The Japanese government has called the misconduct “regrettable”. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s top government spokesperson, said the government takes the issue seriously and will work to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The scandal is a sore point for the government, which has otherwise earned praise from investors and executives for its corporate reforms. The incident has raised concerns about the reliability of safety tests and the certification process in Japan’s automotive industry.
