Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and other major Japanese automakers said Monday that internal investigations found they had mishandled vehicle testing on dozens of models. in the last decade.
Toyota said it failed to collect adequate data when conducting pedestrian and occupant safety testing for three models, including its popular Yaris Cross sport utility vehicle. Honda and Mazda Motor said they had also identified issues related to testing of several models.
Automakers, which had been ordered by the Japanese government to open investigations, said the testing failures would not affect the performance or safety of their vehicles and that customers could continue to use them normally. Still, Toyota said it would temporarily halt shipments of three of the affected models it produces in Japan. Mazda said it would suspend sales of two Japanese models.
The testing issues revealed Monday by Toyota, Honda and Mazda were carried out in Japan to meet Japanese government certification standards. The vehicles in question were sold in Japan.
Suzuki Motor and Yamaha Motor also said Monday that they had found inadequate testing in the past.
The revelations by Toyota and others add to a growing series of testing and certification problems that Japanese automakers have faced in recent months, problems that industry people worry could affect perceptions of customers. consumers about the quality of Japanese cars.
In December, an internal investigation at a Toyota subsidiary, Daihatsu Motor, revealed that most of its vehicles had not undergone adequate crash safety testing. The following month, another Toyota unit suspended all engine shipments after an investigation revealed that it had falsified engine power figures.
Japan’s Transportation Ministry responded in January by ordering 85 companies, including auto and component makers, to investigate any problems that may have occurred during their testing processes.
“Since the safety and performance of the vehicles are not affected, this latest disclosure is not very critical for the companies involved,” said Satoru Aoyama, senior director at Fitch Ratings.
But, Aoyama said, “there has long been a perception of the superior manufacturing and quality of Japanese products, and with these fraud cases popping up again and again, perceptions may be starting to change.”
In addition to the problems Toyota found in three current models, it also discovered errors in crash tests and other tests in four models it had discontinued.
In response to earlier revelations about data falsification and testing problems at Toyota and its affiliated companies, Toyota President Akio Toyoda had said he would take responsibility for turning the group around.
At a briefing on Monday, Toyoda bowed and apologized to customers.
“These acts shake the very foundations of the verification system,” Toyoda said. “They should never have gotten engaged.”
Toyoda said he was working with Toyota group companies to identify problems with internal certification processes and work structures, and that he himself had made several trips to visit their workplaces. “We will make concrete improvements,” he said.
Japan’s Transport Ministry said it would carry out an on-site inspection at Toyota’s headquarters on Tuesday to follow up on the latest revelations.