TOKYO — Toyota has found inadequate crash tests for a model and suspended loads, in the latest in a series of embarrassing concerns plaguing Japan’s major automaker.
The latest problem, disclosed late Friday, affects 56,111 Toyota Raize hybrid vehicles made by Daihatsu Motor Co., a manufacturer that specializes in small models that are wholly owned by Toyota.
It also affects 22,329 vehicles sold like the Daihatsu Rocky, according to the automaker. All vehicles were sold in Japan.
In the faulty crash tests, results for a pole used to measure the impact on the left side were used for the right side, when both sides had to be tested, Daihatsu said.
Just a week ago, Toyota Motor Corp. admitted. that their online Connected service, run by a group company, had suffered a data breach. The breach lasted over ten years, meaning that driver information on more than 2 million vehicles was at risk of leaks. No violations were reported.
Last month, a separate crash test problem for Daihatsu models sold abroad was revealed, affecting 88,123 vehicles. Another investigation also found crime in the Japanese market, according to the automakers.
The problem earlier affected the Toyota Yaris ATIV sold in Thailand, Mexico and some Gulf countries, Perodua Axia sold in Malaysia and Toyota Agya in Ecuador.
Daihatsu apologized at the time and set up a third-party team to investigate. He did not issue a recall, noting that the vehicles were safe to drive, but expressed deep regret that he had breached inspection standards.
The Toyota models were supplied by Daihatsu under the OEM system, which is common in the industry, in which products made by another company are sold under a different nameplate.
Toyota, which sells around 10 million vehicles a year, has a record of premium quality based on a production system that empowers the individual worker.
The latest problems do not involve recall. But Toyota went through recall after recall several years ago more than a decade ago, covering a wide range of defects, including faulty floor mats, sticky gas pedals and glitches in the braking software, affecting millions of vehicles.
The recall fiasco in 2009 and 2010 had Toyota paying $48.8 million in fines in the US for its slow response. Toyota officials have repeatedly promised to be faster and clearer.
Management has renewed its “commitment to manufacturing with integrity,” the company based in Toyota city, central Japan, said in its latest statement.
“All of our group companies, including Toyota, have embarked on a thorough review to work towards a complete revalidation of our management system. We will be working with Daihatsu to address this issue,” he said.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
