- Five major brands were caught up in the government investigation that rocked Japanese industry
- Companies have admitted to cheating on certification tests, including those for crashes
Japan, a country proud of a tradition of honor, has been rocked by the biggest scandal to hit its automotive sector in years.
Five major automakers are at the center of an ongoing investigation by government agencies afterward all admitted to filing false safety reports to obtain vehicle certification.
Toyota – the world’s largest carmaker – and Mazda have been forced to halt vehicle shipments and officials from Japan’s Ministry of Transport have visited the company’s headquarters to uncover further evidence.
Here’s how it all unfolded and what it means for UK customers.
When did the security scandal first come to light?
The scandal first hit the news in December, when an investigation uncovered examples of Daihatsu’s improper testing of 64 models over decades of misconduct.
The brand, a subsidiary of Toyota, was forced to suspend operations shipments within and outside Japan thereafter Safety testing irregularities were identified by an independent panel review, revealing widespread and systematic problems dating back to 1989.
Citing the panel’s results, Toyota said it found 174 new cases of irregularities in safety tests and other procedures in 25 test categories, in addition to previously reported problems.
Daihatsu is a brand that many Brits will be familiar with; the company sold cars in the United Kingdom until it withdrew from the European market in January 2013.
Daihatsu president Soichiro Okudaira has since apologized for “betraying customers’ trust.” admitting cheating in safety tests and procedures was tantamount to neglecting safety certifications.
“We take it very seriously as the issue that has shaken the foundations of an automaker,” he said at a press conference in late 2023.
Of the 64 models and three engines that the independent report found linked to the fraud scandal, 22 vehicles and one powertrain were sold with the Toyota brand name.
Although no major accidents have been reported in connection with the cheating, the findings have raised serious concerns about oversight by Toyota and possibly other manufacturers, prompting a wider investigation into carmakers by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in January.
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Which major brands are embroiled in the scandal?
Car manufacturers were instructed by the government in January to examine certification applications for their vehicles on behalf of the Ministry of Transport.
As such, four major car manufacturers (Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Suzuki) and motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha have all identified and reported examples of submitting flawed or manipulated data when applying for vehicle certification.
While Suzuki and Honda’s irregularities did not affect vehicles currently in production, Toyota, Mazda and Yamaha have been ordered to stop shipments of some existing models.
Toyota, Mazda and Yamaha ordered shipments to stop
On June 3, Toyota – which sold more than 11 million vehicles worldwide last year – confirmed that its investigation had found that seven models, including those that have been out of production since 2014, were tested “using methods different from the standards established by national authorities. ‘.
This happened during six different tests conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2020. This information was shared with the Ministry of Transport at the end of last month.
The affected vehicles included three production models – the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross – and discontinued versions of four popular cars, including one sold under the luxury Lexus brand.
In one example, it had measured crash damage on one side of a model’s hood, when it should have been done on both sides.
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In other cases, it said it had conducted certain tests through developmental testing under stricter conditions than those of the ministry, which did not meet government requirements.
Toyota said it is still investigating issues related to vehicle fuel economy and emissions and aims to complete that investigation by the end of June.
It added that there were no performance issues that breached regulations and customers did not have to stop using their cars.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said at a press conference in early June: “As the person responsible for the Toyota Group, I would like to sincerely apologize to our customers, car enthusiasts and all stakeholders for this.”
He said the cars did not go through the proper certification process before being sold.
Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, added: “We are not a perfect company. But when we see something wrong, we take a step back and keep trying to make it right.”
Hours after Toyota’s embattled chairman apologized, Japanese Transport Ministry officials descended on the company’s headquarters to investigate irregularities identified in safety certificate applications.
The Foreign Ministry said it will make further visits to all car manufacturers as part of the ongoing investigation.
Mazda confirmed that it also informed the ministry of this on May 30 irregularities in a total of five tests in two test categories, including 150,878 units produced and 149,313 units sold.
Mazda has since suspended shipments of its MX-5 RF roadster and Mazda2 hatchback after discovering that employees had altered engine control software test results, the company said in its own statement.
It also found that the crash tests of the Atenza and Axela models, which are no longer in production, had been tampered by using a timer to deploy airbags during some frontal crash tests, rather than relying on an on-board sensor to detect a hit. .
Yamaha also halted shipments of a sports bike, while Honda found misconduct in noise and power tests on about 20 models that are no longer made over a period of more than eight years until October 2017.
The findings also apply to one Suzuki car model that is no longer produced.
What does this mean for UK customers?
Toyota and the other car companies were embroiled in the scandal emphasize that the fraud scandal only affects vehicles produced and certified in Japan, and not models built abroad.
A Toyota UK spokesperson told us: ‘This is a certification issue that only applies to vehicles sold in Japan. As such, any vehicle purchased in the UK or Europe will not be affected.”
For example, the company’s Yaris Cross – one of three current models covered by the investigation – is the only one also sold in UK showrooms. However, the Yaris Cross produced for the British market is built in Onnaing in Northern France and certified to European standards.
This is the same case for the Mazda MX-5 RF and Mazda2 models whose shipments in Japan are currently suspended.
This is Money has also contacted Mazda UK for comment.
‘The situation in Japan is related to the specific type-approval tests carried out for models sold on the Japanese market. The cars sold in Europe are homologated by the European authorities,” a spokesperson explained.
‘All Mazda cars in Europe have passed the necessary tests and no Mazda car on the road or in Mazda showrooms in Europe is affected by this investigation.’
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