TOKYO (AP) — Toyota promised Friday to tighten control over the certification of its vehicles to prevent a repeat of a recently revealed scandal over improper testing.
Japan’s largest automaker outlined its planned measures in detail. These include greater management involvement, allocating more staff to certification tasks and clarifying the responsibilities of certain positions, such as the chief engineer.
The report was submitted to the Japanese government, which reprimanded Toyota last month.
Two months ago, Toyota Motor Corp. admitted to extensive testing fraud, including using insufficient or outdated data in crash tests and faulty airbag deployment and engine performance testing.
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota and grandson of the company’s founder, apologized.
The misconduct has no impact on the safety of vehicles already on the road – including the popular Corolla subcompact and Lexus luxury cars – so owners do not need to take any action.
However, for a manufacturer that prides itself on giving its workers the power to ensure quality control, this was a major embarrassment.
Toyota has stopped production of some models. Japanese media reports speculate that the scandal will reduce Toyota’s annual global production by around 500,000 vehicles. Toyota sells 11 million vehicles per year worldwide.
After the first disclosure Toyota discovered further fraud, including certifications for pedestrian protection, side collisions and steering impact.
“There is room for improvement in many areas of the fundamentals of certification operations, such as the data management system and the establishment of regulations and procedures for certification operations,” Toyota said in a statement.
In January, the Japanese government began an investigation into Toyota. The matter has no impact on production abroad.
Similar fraudulent tests were discovered at Japanese automakers Mazda Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., as well as Toyota Group manufacturers Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor Co.
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Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://x.com/yurikageyama
