Toyota Chairman Issues Apology For Cheating in Car Tests

In light of the Japanese automaker’s decision to halt production on three of its seven vehicle models, Toyota chairman; Akio Toyoda has issued an apology for widespread cheating on certification tests.

The extensive range of flawed testing at Toyota included evaluating airbag inflation and rear-seat damage in collisions incorrectly, as well as using old or insufficient data for collision tests. It was also discovered that engine power tests had been rigged.

Toyota, which has its headquarters in Toyota City, central Japan, has stopped producing the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross in Japan.

According to the corporation, the Corolla subcompact and the Lexus luxury automobiles that are now on the road are safe despite the infraction.

At a Tokyo press conference, Mr. Toyoda bowed deeply and stated, “We sincerely apologize.”

In January, the Japanese government launched an investigation into Toyota. The most recent issues are unrelated to Toyota’s foreign manufacturing. On Monday, rival Japanese automaker Mazda said that two of its models—the Roadster and the Mazda 2—were no longer being produced due to similar inconsistent certification testing.

It indicated that the tests were conducted using the wrong engine control software. The Hiroshima, Western Region-based Mazda also admitted to failing crash tests on three defunct vehicles. The safety of the cars is unaffected by the infractions.

The Tokyo-based Honda Motor Company also expressed regret on Monday for incorrect testing, including those on torque and noise levels, conducted on several vehicles, including the Accord, Odyssey, and Fit, whose impacted earlier iterations are no longer manufactured.

It stated that there is no impact on the vehicles’ safety. Approximately two years ago, certification issues arose at Hino Motors, a truck manufacturer, Daihatsu, a small-car specialist, and Toyota Industries, a manufacturer of machinery and auto parts.

According to Shinji Miyamoto, a Toyota executive in charge of customer satisfaction, the company started investigating its tests after discovering issues at the group firms.

An embarrassment to an automaker that has spent decades bragging about its production finesse and corporate culture that encourages employees to create “ever-better cars” is the apparent disintegration of Toyota’s testing processes and those of its group companies.

According to Mr. Toyoda, the corporation might have shortened the tests because it was too eager to finish them at a time when model variations were rapidly expanding. Over 10 million Toyota automobiles are sold worldwide.

The grandson of the company’s founder, Mr. Toyoda, expressed concern that certain certification requirements would be unduly strict, pointing out that these exams vary globally. Still, he insisted on saying that he did not approve of the infractions.

“We are not a perfect company. But if we see anything wrong, we will take a step back and keep trying to correct it,” said Mr. Toyoda.