Details of 10 Toyota car models halted production due to diesel engine certification cheating

A special commission recently conducted an investigation into Toyota regarding certification regulations related to the emission performance of forklift engines and construction machinery. During the investigation, the commission discovered irregularities in the certification tests of diesel engines developed by Toyota Industries, a subsidiary of the Toyota Group.

Specifically, the special investigation commission found abnormalities in the output power testing process for the certification of 3 diesel engine models by Toyota. The electronic control units used in the output power testing process differed from those used in the production of the engines.

As a result, Toyota has suspended production of a total of 10 vehicle models using these 3 diesel engines, including Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Innova, Toyota Hiace, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Land Cruiser 300, Lexus LX500D, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Toyota Granace, Mazda Bongo Brawny, and Hino Dyna/Dutro.

List of 10 vehicle models affected by Toyota’s diesel engine certification fraud

At a press conference held in Japan, Mr. Koichi Ito, the Chairman of Toyota Industries, explained that the root cause of this issue was a lack of communication with the Toyota Group and incomplete coordination regarding the testing procedures and protocols that needed to be followed.

According to Toyota Industries, they have sold approximately 84,000 affected diesel engines during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. In an interview with reporters on January 29, 2024, Mr. Koji Sato, the Chief Operating Officer of Toyota, revealed that the company currently uses 36,000 affected engines worldwide per month, which is equivalent to 432,000 engines per year. However, Toyota’s spokesperson could not immediately provide information on how many affected vehicles were sold in previous years.

In Japan, 6 production lines at 4 factories have been temporarily halted. The company stated that they have reconfirmed that both the engines and vehicles affected meet the performance standards for diesel engines.

Toyota stated that they are working to explain the issue in detail to the relevant authorities. They will also take measures such as conducting new certification tests for the engines in the presence of regulatory agencies if necessary.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, they will conduct on-site investigations at Toyota Industries’ Hekinan plant in Aichi Prefecture, where the company produces automotive and industrial engines, on January 30, 2024.