Rigged test scandal | Toyota suspends deliveries of ten diesel models

(Tokyo) Japanese automobile giant Toyota announced on Monday that it was suspending deliveries of ten models of diesel vehicles, due to irregularities identified in the certification of their engines, produced by its subsidiary Toyota Industries.

Among these imposing vehicles, some of which are sold in both Asia, Europe and the Middle East (but none in North America) are the Hilux pickup truck, the Land Cruiser 300 4×4, the Fortuner and LX500d SUVs.

Toyota has not detailed the impact of this suspension of deliveries on its sales volumes. But the group told AFP that the cumulative production of nine of the ten models concerned totaled 36,500 units per month worldwide. A model has ceased to be produced.

This is a new embarrassing affair for the world number one automobile manufacturer, already entangled in a vast scandal of rigged tests by another of its subsidiaries, Daihatsu, whose production has been suspended since December.

In March 2023, Toyota Industries had already announced that irregularities had been committed in the certifications relating to the emissions of its forklifts and construction equipment, one of its core businesses, leading to a recall of the affected products in Japan.

An independent report initiated by Toyota Industries and submitted Monday to the Japanese Ministry of Transport has now confirmed that three diesel engines produced by this company for automobiles were also affected by irregularities of the same type.

During certification tests, the power of the three diesel engines in question was measured by software different from that used for their mass production, so that the values ​​obtained for their certifications had “less variations”, explains Toyota in a communicated.

Toyota at the same time assures that the engines and vehicles concerned “meet performance standards” and that there is therefore no need to stop using them.

However, at the request of the Ministry of Transport, Toyota Industries on Monday “temporarily” stopped shipments of the engines concerned, and therefore Toyota those of vehicle models equipped with these engines.

“We recognize the seriousness of the fact that the repeated certification irregularities at TICO (Toyota Industries Corporation, Editor's note), after those at Daihatsu, have shaken the very foundations of the company as an automobile manufacturer,” Toyota said in its press release. .

The group promised to provide “detailed explanations” to the Japanese authorities on this new scandal and to quickly take “appropriate” measures.

The Japanese Ministry of Transport has indicated that it will carry out its own inspection of Toyota Industries to verify the facts of the independent report and ensure that standards will now be respected.

This new scandal did not prevent Toyota shares from rising significantly on Monday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (+3.14%). That of Toyota Industries, on the other hand, fell by 4%.