As the controversy around false safety data intensified, Japan’s transport agency raided the Toyota headquarters on Tuesday. For supplying inaccurate or distorted data for safety certification tests, the biggest automaker in the world has issued an apology.
Rivals Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki have also admitted to providing false data, a development that has rocked the Japanese auto industry. Over 11 million Toyota passenger cars were sold in 2023. As per the company’s statement, the safety of currently operating automobiles remains unaffected by the findings.
Three automobile models—the Corolla Fielder, Axio, and Yaris Cross—were halted in production by the manufacturer. It has also come under fire for allegedly employing cars that have been altered for use in safety crash testing on out-of-production models.
The day after Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized to customers and auto enthusiasts, the raids took place. He made the traditional Japanese bow and kept the pose for a little while after the company expressed regret for its misconduct.
Mr. Toyoda stated, “We neglected the certification process and mass-produced our cars without first taking the proper precautionary steps,”
Regarding the same matter, the authorities have also scheduled inspections for Japanese automakers Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki. Honda stressed that their cars are safe to drive even though company admitted to making mistakes in tests pertaining to engine power and noise. Mazda has declared it will pay its suppliers’ costs and halted the supply of some vehicles.
Anyway, the business declared that it had no intention of releasing recalls. The results also apply to a single, out-of-production Suzuki vehicle model. In December of last year, Daihatsu, an automaker owned by Toyota, acknowledged that it had fabricated safety tests and shut down all of its operations for over a month.
Over 400 domestic vendors were paid by Daihatsu during the time when its plants were idle. Toyota branding was used on a few of the vehicles.