By EISUKE EGUCHI/ Staff Writer
January 29, 2024 at 19:01 JST
The Land Cruiser SUV (Provided by Toyota Motor Corp.)
Toyota Industries Corp. said it found irregularities in the testing of diesel engines for passenger vehicles, forcing Toyota Motor Corp. to suspend shipments of 10 models powered by those motors, including its iconic Land Cruiser.
The company, a member of the Toyota group, announced on Jan. 29 that the output performance of three models of diesel engines for Toyota Motor was measured using a device with different software during tests.
The transport ministry announced that it will conduct an on-site inspection of the company's factory in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, on Jan. 30.
Toyota Industries said said separate tests had confirmed that these motors met output standards but the company decided to suspend their shipments.
As a result, Toyota Motor will also halt shipments of some diesel engine models, such as the Land Cruiser 300 SUV and the HiAce commercial vehicle.
Ten models that have been sold in Japan and abroad carry the engines in question. Production of the Land Cruiser Prado, one of the models, has already been discontinued.
Sales of six affected models for the domestic market totaled 84,000 vehicles in fiscal 2022.
Toyota Motor said it will provide careful explanations to authorities and take appropriate measures.
“As the company that commissioned the testing, we regret that we failed to recognize that procedures in accordance with laws and regulations were not followed,” the company said in a statement.
In March, Toyota Industries, the world's leading forklift manufacturer, reported falsifications of results of endurance testing of forklift engines for exhaust gas emissions, which involved three models for the domestic market.
It released a special investigation committee’s report on the issue on Jan. 29.
The company said fraudulent practices, such as using figures different from actual measurements, were found in the testing of six other forklift engine models and one construction machinery engine model.
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