Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Daihatsu) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced on Wednesday that they will temporarily suspend shipments of all Daihatsu-developed models currently in production, both in Japan and overseas, after an investigation revealed widespread procedural irregularities in the certification process.
The investigation, conducted by an independent third-party committee chaired by Makoto Kaiami, found new irregularities in 174 items within 25 test categories, in addition to the door lining irregularity in April and the side collision test irregularity in May.
These encompassed a total of 64 models and 3 engines of vehicles, including 22 models and 1 engine being sold by Toyota.
The most serious case involved the use of a different airbag control unit (ECU) than the mass-production model for the airbag tests for Daihatsu Move / SUBARU Stella, Daihatsu Cast /Toyota Pixis Joy, Daihatsu Gran Max / Toyota Town Ace / Mazda Bongo.
Although technical verification confirmed that the airbag met standards of occupant protection performance, in the course of testing, it was found that the “Safety Performance Standard for Occupant Evacuation (Unlocking)” in the side collision test of Daihatsu Cast / Toyota Pixis Joy may not comply with the law.
The companies said they are not aware of any accident information related to this matter, but they are conducting thorough technical verification and investigating the cause to take necessary measures as soon as possible.
For other cases, they have confirmed that the performance standards specified by the regulations are met, and the validity of the verification results and process has also been confirmed by TUV Rheinland Japan (TRJ), a third-party certification organization.
The companies expressed their sincere apologies for the inconvenience and concern this has caused to all stakeholders, including customers.
They said they consider certification to be a major prerequisite for doing business as an automobile manufacturer, and they recognize the extreme gravity of the fact that Daihatsu’s neglect of the certification process has shaken the very foundations of the company as an automobile manufacturer.
They also said they will clarify the situation with the authorities and take appropriate action under their guidance. They will also thoroughly investigate whether there have been any other similar cases to ensure customer safety first and foremost. They said they will cooperate fully with each other and with the investigation.
They added that in order to prevent recurrence, in addition to a review of certification operations, a fundamental reform is needed to revitalize Daihatsu as a company. This will be an extremely significant task that cannot be accomplished overnight. It will require not only a review of management and business operations but also a review of the organizational culture and mindset.
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