Toyota discovered that seven of its models, three of which are still produced in Japan, “were tested using methods other than government standards”
Photo: EFE – FRANCK ROBICHON
Toyota Motor announced the suspension of production and shipments of three of its models manufactured in Japan after the Government of that country discovered new irregularities in safety tests to obtain government certifications, although the rest of the major Japanese automobile brands also announced their suspension. have been involved.
In the case of the largest car company in the world by sales volume, the affected models are three, the Corolla Fielder, the Corolla Axio and the Yaris Cross, manufactured on Japanese soil and whose sales are made outside Europe.
This Monday the Japanese Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism published a report on sector certifications in which irregularities have been discovered in other brands such as Mazda, Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki.
In the case of Mazda, the concerns involve falsifying the results of the engine control software for two models in production. Yamaha has been investigated for noise testing on a current model and Honda for 22 older ones.
Suzuki, for its part, would have falsified – according to the Japanese Government report – documents on tests on the brake system of a model that is not currently manufactured.
The country’s ministry has ordered Toyota, Mazda and Yamaha to suspend shipments of their vehicles to foreign markets and has confirmed that it will carry out an inspection at Toyota’s headquarters this coming Tuesday.
Toyota shares closed the session this Monday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with a fall of 1.8% to 3,341 yen (almost 20 euros per share) despite having increased its market capitalization by more than 26% since start 2024.
“It is extremely regrettable that other irregularities have been discovered, because fraudulent actions related to model certification applications undermine the trust of users and shake the very foundations of the vehicle certification system,” the ministry said in a statement.
The case is reminiscent of that of the Daihatsu mini-vehicle brand, a subsidiary of Toyota, which was forced to suspend all its production in Japan and was only able to fully resume it last month.
