- Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki admitted to irregularities in the type approval testing of several production models.
- The internal investigations were requested by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, following the Daihatsu scandal.
- Production, shipments, and sales of affected models will be halted until their compliance with regulations is properly confirmed.
Following the recent Daihatsu safety testing scandal, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) launched an investigation into the practices of other domestic automakers since 2014. Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki have all admitted to fraudulent conduct in type approval applications for certain models. As a result, they’ve been forced to halt production, shipment, and sales of the affected vehicles currently offered on the market.
Starting with the Toyota, Japan’s biggest automaker acknowledged submitting false data in pedestrian and occupant safety tests for the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross, all of which are currently in production. Additionally, their internal investigations revealed tampering with crash tests for discontinued models like the Crown, Isis, Sienta, and Lexus RX.
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Despite these issues, Toyota said that internal verification has confirmed compliance with all safety regulations for the affected vehicles, indicating no further action is necessary from owners.
Mazda disclosed that the engine control software of the MX-5 RF roadster and the Mazda2 subcompact hatchback were rewritten during official output testing. The company had also applied improper modifications on crash test vehicles of the discontinued Atenza / Mazda6, and Axela, although it confirmed that the production models meet the safety standards.
Honda’s internal investigation revealed falsified statements in noise tests for 22 discontinued vehicles. The affected models include the Inspire, Fit, Fit Shuttle, Shuttle, CR-Z, Acty, Vamos, Stepwgn, Legend, Accord, Insight, Exclusive, CR-V, Freed, N-Box, N-One, Odyssey, N-Wgn, Vezel, Grace, S660, Jade, and NSX.
Honda NSX
In Suzuki‘s case, the fraudulent conduct was limited to a single model: the LCV version of the previous-generation Alto produced between 2014 and 2017. Suzuki found that the stopping distance listed on the brakes fading test was shorter than the actual measurements.
According to the company, the pressure applied on the brake pedal during testing wasn’t as intense as required for the results to meet legal standards. To meet deadlines, they adjusted the numbers, assuming the vehicle would perform better in a thorough test.
Japanese authorities will now conduct on-site investigations at the premises of the aforementioned companies to confirm the compliance of the affected models with regulations. The automakers have also been instructed to provide information and support to affected owners as needed.
The shake-up will halt the production, shipment, and sales of the affected models currently offered in Japan and other markets around the world. It remains to be seen how quickly will the Japanese authorities be able to sort out the compliance issues and decide on the appropriate penalties for the automakers’ fraudulent actions.
