Car safety scandal rips through Japan’s auto sector: Brands including Toyota and Mazda admit to falsifying accident figures

• Five major brands have been caught up in a government investigation that has rocked the Japanese industry
• Firms have admitted cheating certification tests, including crash tests

Japan, a nation that prides itself on a tradition of honor, has been rocked by the biggest scandal to hit its auto sector in years.

Five major car manufacturers are at the center of an ongoing investigation by government authorities after all admitted to filing false safety reports to obtain vehicle certification.

Toyota – the world’s largest car maker – and Mazda were forced to halt vehicle deliveries, and officials from Japan’s transport ministry began visiting the company’s headquarters to uncover more 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 headlines in December when an investigation revealed examples of improper testing of 64 Daihatsu models over a decade of wrongdoing.

The brand, a subsidiary of Toyota, was forced to suspend operations shipments to and from Japan Irregularities in security testing were identified by an independent panel probe that highlighted 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 are familiar with; the company sold cars in the UK until it withdrew from the European market in January 2013.

Daihatsu president Soichiro Okudaira has since apologized for ‘betraying customer trust’, admitting cheating in security testing and procedures was tantamount to neglecting security certificates.

“We take this very seriously as an issue that has shaken the foundations of the automaker,” he said at a press conference near the end of 2023.

Of the 64 models and three engines linked to the fraud scandal in the independent report, 22 vehicles and one power unit were sold with the Toyota brand.

While no major accidents have been reported in connection with the cheating, the findings have raised serious concerns about oversight by Toyota and potentially other manufacturers, prompting a wider investigation into vehicle manufacturers by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in January.

Which big brands are involved in the scandal?

In January, carmakers were tasked by the government with investigating applications for the certification of their vehicles at the behest of the Ministry of Transport.

As such, four major car manufacturers – Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Suzuki – and motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha have identified and reported cases of either incorrect or manipulated data being submitted when applying for vehicle certification.

While Suzuki and Honda’s irregularities did not affect vehicles produced today, Toyota, Mazda and Yamaha were ordered to halt deliveries of some existing models.

Toyota, Mazda and Yamaha ordered to stop deliveries

In June, Toyota, which sold more than 11 million vehicles worldwide last year, confirmed that its investigation revealed that seven models, including those already discontinued since 2014, were tested “using methods that differ from the standards defined by by national authorities. ‘.

This was done 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, she measured collision damage on one side of the model’s hood, while she was required to do so on both sides.

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In other cases, it said it conducted certain tests through developmental testing under stricter conditions than those set by the department and which did not meet the government’s requirements.

Toyota said it is still investigating the vehicle’s fuel efficiency and emissions issues and aims to complete that investigation by the end of June.

He added that there were no regulatory-breaking performance issues 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 in charge of the Toyota Group, I would like to sincerely apologize to our customers, car fans and everyone involved.”

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 if we see something wrong, we’ll take a step back and try to fix it.”

Hours after the embattled Toyota chairman apologized, officials from Japan’s transport ministry descended on the company’s headquarters to investigate irregularities found in safety certificate applications.

The ministry said it would make further visits to all car manufacturers as part of the ongoing investigation.

Mazda confirmed that it had also informed the ministry on May 30 irregularities in a total of five tests in two test categories involving 150,878 units produced and 149,313 units sold.

Mazda has since suspended deliveries of its MX-5 RF roadster and Mazda2 hatchback after discovering that workers had modified engine control software test results, it said in its own statement.

It also found that crash tests on the discontinued Atenza and Axel models were falsified by using a timer to activate the airbags in some frontal crash tests instead of relying on an on-board sensor to detect the impact. .

Yamaha also halted deliveries of sportbikes, while Honda found irregularities in noise and performance tests spanning more than eight years to October 2017 on about two dozen models that are no longer in production.

The finding also applies to one Suzuki car model that is no longer produced.

What does this mean for UK customers?

Toyota and other car companies were involved in the scandal insist that the cheating scandal only affects vehicles made and certified in Japan, not models made overseas.

A Toyota UK spokesperson told us: “This is a certification issue that only applies to vehicles sold in Japan. No vehicle purchased in the UK or Europe is affected.”

For example, the company’s Yaris Cross – one of three current models affected by the investigation – is the only one also sold in UK showrooms. However, the Yaris Cross produced for the UK 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, which are currently on hold in Japan.

This is Money has also contacted Mazda UK for comment.

“The situation in Japan is related to specific approval tests carried out for models that are sold in the Japanese market. Cars that are sold in Europe are homologated by the European authorities,” the spokesman explained.

“All Mazda vehicles in Europe have undergone the necessary tests and no Mazda vehicles on the road or in Mazda showrooms in Europe are affected by this investigation.”