Daihatsu Halts Production After Admitting to Falsified Safety Test Results
As of Tuesday, December 26, Daihatsu, a Japanese automaker owned by Toyota, has halted production at its four factories in Japan. This decision comes after the company admitted to falsifying safety test results on its vehicles for over 30 years. The factory closures will last until at least the end of January and will affect about 9,000 employees, a Daihatsu spokesperson told CNN.
This safety scandal was revealed by Daihatsu and Toyota on December 20, deepening the crisis of the Japanese brand, which was involved in other security problems earlier this year. Toyota stated that the situation “has shaken the very foundation of the company.”
An independent committee found evidence of tampering with safety tests in up to 64 vehicle models, including 22 sold under the Toyota brand, according to Daihatsu’s announcement on December 20. The report detailed 174 cases in which Daihatsu manipulated data, made false statements, or improperly modified vehicles to pass safety certification tests. This included incidents dating back to 1989 and a significant increase in cases since 2014.
Following this news, Daihatsu said it would temporarily suspend all domestic and international vehicle shipments and consult with authorities on how to move forward. In response, Toyota promised to reorganize its subsidiary, stating that “fundamental reform is needed to revitalize Daihatsu.”
This is not Daihatsu’s first safety scandal. In April, the company admitted violating crash-test rules on over 88,000 cars, mostly sold under the Toyota brand in countries like Malaysia and Thailand. In May, the automaker revealed more irregularities and admitted to submitting incorrect data for crash tests of two hybrid electric vehicles.
Daihatsu shared a list of the 64 models affected in the December safety scandal, with several shipped outside of Japan, including to Latin American countries.
The company’s admissions have brought significant attention and concern over the safety and integrity of its vehicles. With reporting from CNN’s Michelle Toh.