Japanese Transport Ministry officials visited Toyota’s headquarters Tuesday as part of an investigation into the company’s inspection practices. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
Japan’s Transport Ministry officials arrived at Toyota offices Tuesday morning to begin investigating its inspection practices after the auto giant admitted to irregularities in current and discontinued vehicles.
Five inspectors from the ministry entered the facility at 9:30 a.m. local time to look over documents including test records and interview heads of the company’s quality control process to determine whether Toyota should face administrative punishment or be required to issue recalls. Advertisement
“We want to promptly investigate the effects of production suspension on parts suppliers and other parties and consider necessary countermeasures based on the results,” Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito said during a news conference.
The ministry said that Toyota, along with Mazda Motors, Yamaha Motors, Honda Motors, and Suzuki Motors, had engaged in “inappropriate acts” over testing and obtaining approval certifications for their vehicles.
“Irregularities in applications for type approval are extremely regrettable as they undermine the confidence of car users and shake the very foundation of the automobile certification system,” Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said in a news conference on Tuesday.
Toyota said on Monday that seven current and discontinued models were tied to the inspection incidents, affecting some 1.7 million vehicles from April 2014 to this month. Advertisement
The Transport Ministry ordered 85 auto companies and suppliers to probe if certifications were given properly following numerous scandals that hit Toyota in 2022 and beyond.
Toyota had said its certification issues involved data in pedestrian and occupant protection tests for three vehicles, adding it found errors in crash tests and other testing methods for the discontinued models.
