Toyota scandal: Ministry inspection exposes widespread certification tampering
The Japanese Ministry of Transport inspected Toyota Motor Corp.'s headquarters on Tuesday. This occurred a day after the company admitted to irregularities in obtaining vehicle certifications. The ministry reported that four other companies also manipulated data.
Toyota announced on Monday that seven models received incorrect "type designation" necessary for mass production, affecting 1.7 million vehicles produced from 2014 until April.
The car manufacturer confirmed that it fabricated data regarding pedestrian head injury test results in collisions. This pertains to three currently produced models: Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross. The company announced on Monday that it had halted its sales.
The company also confirmed that it falsified the construction of vehicles used in crash tests for four no longer in-production models.
Inspections to be conducted in automotive companies
The ministry said irregularities were also found in submissions from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha Motor, and Mazda, citing data obtained from manufacturers after it ordered an audit in January. It was determined that manufacturers presented incorrect or manipulated test data when applying for vehicle certification.
The ministry has ordered Toyota, Mazda, and Yamaha to halt the delivery of certain vehicles and has announced inspections at these companies' headquarters.
