Japan Demands Major Changes from Toyota After Certification Issues

In a significant development, the Japanese government has mandated Toyota Motor to implement "drastic reforms" following the discovery of new violations in its vehicle certification processes. The Transport Ministry's corrective order comes after on-site inspections revealed widespread and intentional misconduct across seven additional vehicle models, which had not been previously reported. Toyota acknowledged the order and stated it is working to ensure compliance with certification requirements, assuring customers that they can continue using the affected vehicles. This latest revelation follows a troubling admission in June, when Toyota and four other automakers confessed to submitting flawed or manipulated data during vehicle certification applications. The misconduct identified at Toyota involved three production models—the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross—as well as discontinued versions of four other models, including those under the luxury Lexus brand. The company plans to resume production of these models starting in September, contingent upon the Transport Ministry's confirmation of compliance. The Transport Ministry's investigation was prompted by a safety test scandal at Toyota's Daihatsu unit, leading to industry-wide checks of certification practices. Notably, six of the newly identified models with irregularities have also been certified in other countries, prompting the ministry to alert international authorities regarding the issues. Among the additional models still in production are the Noah and Voxy minivans, along with the RAV4, Harrier, and Lexus LM, while three others are no longer manufactured.