Toyota, Mazda halt JDM shipment due to falsified data

Certain JDM models by Toyota and Mazda marred by irregularities

It seems Toyota's woes when it comes to safety scandals are far from over. While the company is still reeling from the Daihatsu issue that happened earlier this year, Japan's transportation ministry has found new irregularities among certain models sold by Toyota.

According to a report by Reuters, the ministry has ordered Toyota and Mazda to halt shipment sales of some vehicles that were found with irregularities in applications to certify their models. The ministry has requested automakers to investigate their vehicle certification applications following a testing scandal that rocked Daihatsu and Toyota.

Based on the latest updates, Toyota has already stopped shipments and sales of three particular car models made in Japan for the local market – the Corolla Fielder, the Corolla Axio, and the TNGA-based Yaris Cross. Toyota said that it had provided inadequate data in pedestrian & occupant protection tests for the aforementioned vehicles. There were also errors in crash tests and other test methods for discontinued versions of four other models, including one sold by Lexus.

No performance issues were found in any of Toyota's affected vehicles and customers can still use them without worry. However, Japan's transport ministry will conduct a separate on-site inspection at Toyota's headquarters for the other affected vehicles.

Aside from Toyota, Mazda was also found to have irregularities regarding safety. The agency found crash test data of discontinued models of the Mazda6 and Mazda3 wherein a timer was used to set off the airbags in some frontal collision tests instead of using an onboard sensor to detect a hit. This is similar to what Daihatsu has done to its safety testing which put Toyota in hot water at the early part of the year.

In addition, Mazda also suspended shipments of the MX-5 RF and the Mazda2 hatchback after the ministry found out workers modified engine control software test results. However, there were no specific details mentioned if this had something to do with performance or to pass emission regulations.

With Toyota and Mazda facing issues, Japan's transport ministry is keen on ensuring that both automakers will iron out the irregularities.