Toyota apologizes and admits flaws in its safety certifications
Japanese carmaker Toyota has apologized to customers and admitted that seven models in its lineup suffered safety test violations as part of an investigation into the matter by Japan’s Ministry of Transport and Tourism, which has asked the country’s manufacturers to review all certification requests filed over the past decade.
The investigation by Japanese authorities affected Toyota, as well as other Japanese car manufacturers. Mazda, for example, raised regulatory concerns by falsifying engine management software results for two models in production, notably stopping deliveries of the Roadster RF and Mazda2.
“I would like to express my sincere apologies to our customers, car enthusiasts and all stakeholders regarding this issue, along with Hino, Daihatsu and Toyota Industries Corporation. I am truly sorry,” said group president Akio Toyoda.
“This is something that will shake the foundations of the certification system, and we, as a car manufacturer, should never do that,” he added, while insisting that he himself would “take responsibility” for the company’s findings. internal investigation.
Finally, seven Toyota models are affected, although they are only sold in Japan. However, two of them, the Toyota Yaris Cross and Lexus RX, are also sold in Europe, although due to different specifications and homologation systems they will not be affected in the case of units distributed on the old continent.
Toyota today stopped selling the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross, which are produced on Japanese soil and sold outside of Europe.
The car company is conducting an “exhaustive investigation” internally to take action to prevent a “recurrence” of events similar to those discovered by the Japanese government, and says it will announce its findings at the end of June.