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Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing And Halts Production Of Three Models
TOKYO — Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized on Monday for widespread cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models, as the firm halted manufacturing of three of them.
The extensive flawed testing at Japan’s largest manufacturer included insufficient or obsolete data in collision tests, as well as improper testing of airbag inflation and rear-seat damage in collisions. Engine power testing was also discovered to have been manipulated.
Toyota | PixaBay Image
Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing And Halts Production Of Three Models
Toyota Motor Corp., headquartered in Toyota City, central Japan, has halted the manufacture of the Corolla Fielder, Axio, and Yaris Cross in Japan. Defective tests were also discovered on discontinued models.
The business stated that the infraction has no bearing on the safety of current automobiles on the road, including the Corolla subcompact and Lexus luxury vehicles.
“We sincerely apologize,” Toyoda added, bowing deeply during a Tokyo press conference.
Toyota was the subject of a Japanese government inquiry, which began in January. Toyota’s international production has been unaffected by recent issues.
On Monday, Japanese rival Mazda Motor Corp. announced similar inconsistent certification testing and halted manufacture of two vehicles, the Roadster and Mazda 2. It stated that inappropriate engine control software was employed in the tests.
In the southwestern city of Hiroshima, Mazda also admitted to failing crash tests on three defunct models. The breaches do not affect vehicle safety.
Honda Motor Co., based in Tokyo, also apologized late Monday for faulty noise levels and torque tests on several models, including the Accord, Odyssey, and Fit, whose impacted earlier versions are no longer in production. The automobiles’ safety is unaffected, according to the statement.
About two years ago, certification issues arose at Toyota group companies, including truck producer Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor Co., specializing in small models, and Toyota Industries Corp., manufacturing machinery and car parts.
Toyota | AP News Image
Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing And Halts Production Of Three Models
Shinji Miyamoto, a Toyota executive in charge of customer satisfaction, stated that in response to the difficulties at the group firms, Toyota began looking into its tests.
The apparent breakdown of Toyota and its group companies’ testing systems is an embarrassment for an automaker that has prided itself for decades on production efficiency and a corporate culture focused on empowering employees to build “ever-better cars.”
Toyoda stated that the corporation may have been too eager to complete the testing, which was truncated when model variants were expanding.
Toyota sells more than 10 million vehicles worldwide.
Toyota | Pixa Bay Image
Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing And Halts Production Of Three Models
Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, suggested that some certification criteria were unnecessarily severe, noting that such examinations varied worldwide. However, he consistently stated that he does not condone the infractions.
“We are not a perfect company.” But if we find anything incorrect, we will take a step back and try to fix it,” Toyota stated.
SOURCE – (AP)
