Toyota and four other Japanese automakers caught cheating on certification tests – The Register

Several Japanese automakers have been caught faking certification tests, and Toyota may be the worst offender.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) reported yesterday that its ongoing investigation into 85 domestic manufacturers, including several automakers, found that most were acting within the law, but not Mazda, Yamaha, Honda or Suzuki.

All four investigated their own operations in accordance with MLIT orders, discovered falsifications in the probate applications and were “found guilty of fraud,” the ministry said. The offending companies were ordered to suspend the shipment of vehicles whose certification tests were falsified and to correct their defects as soon as possible.

Mazda rewrote its engine control software to affect power tests, while Yamaha and Honda both submitted fake noise tests. Suzuki lied about brake system test results and Mazda also falsified crash tests.

And then there is Toyota

Of the five major Japanese automakers involved in the fraud, only one – Toyota – is still under investigation. No stranger to being caught in a lie, the automaker went into full apology mode.

Toyota released its own detailed statement to further explain what the MLIT reported as “submission of false data during pedestrian protection testing for three currently produced vehicles” and “tampering with crash test vehicles for four previously produced vehicles. These lies actually serve the interests of consumers, Toyota said.

Toyota said it found six cases among those seven models “where testing methods differed from standards set by national authorities” but stressed that none of the vehicles involved were dangerous.

Shinji Miyamoto, head of Toyota’s Customer First advocacy group, said that in most cases “more severe testing conditions” were used and that the data provided to the government went beyond what was strictly required by the law. In one example, a heavier movable barrier was used to test for fuel leaks in a rear-end collision than required by law, resulting in a greater impact.

Toyota also failed to differentiate between the passenger and driver sides when it reported damage to a pedestrian’s head and legs in a side impact, and in another case Toyota submitted baggage movement risk data using an old, non-regulatory baggage test pad. Ultimately, Toyota failed to achieve the desired engine power during a test and, instead of shutting it down to fix the problem, “the engine control system was adjusted…and the data tested at new were used for certification,” Miyamoto said.

Toyota added: “We have carried out internal checks on all cases and have confirmed that they all meet the set legal standards and are therefore safe for use by our customers,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda said. about the vehicles concerned.

“Nevertheless, these acts undermine the very foundations of the certification system and, as a car manufacturer, we believe that these are acts that should never be committed,” the president added. “As the head of the Toyota Group, I would like to sincerely apologize to you… I am truly sorry.”

Toyota said the tests included its 2014 Crown model vehicles and its 2015 model year Isis, Sienta, Crown and Lexus RX vehicles, none of which are no longer in production. Current vehicles caught in the mess include the Corolla Axio and Corolla Fielder as well as the Yaris Cross, production of which has been suspended in Japan.

It is unclear how many vehicles were sold under fake certificates, or whether any were distributed outside Japan. Toyota vehicles in the United States, where models overlap, are not affected, we are told.

“The issues identified by (Toyota Motor Corporation) are based on a review of previous certifications under Japanese requirements,” a North American Toyota spokesperson said. The register. “Vehicles sold in North America are certified through different processes and standards applicable to North American markets.”

Toyota was arrested earlier this year for tampering with certification tests of its diesel engines by rewriting engine performance software to incorrectly calculate results, a la VW, and in 2022, heavy vehicle subsidiary Hino of the company admitted to falsifying similar results dating back to 2003.

Toyota President Toyoda apologized, stressed that the investigation was ongoing (as did the MLIT, which said “only misconduct discovered so far is being listed”), but said that he believed the company was now moving in the right direction regarding market access. right side of automobile regulators.

“These efforts will have to be made regularly and will take time, but I will go (to the factory) myself and take responsibility for their progress,” Toyoda added. ®