Japanese Government Upset With Toyota Over Certification Protocols

On Wednesday, the Japanese government demanded that Toyota Motor Corp. make sweeping reforms after finding additional violations of the automaker’s certification protocols. The nation’s transport ministry has been coming down hard on the industry after several Japanese manufacturers were not precisely following regulatory procedures, however the current focus seems to be on Toyota.

The company was one of several Japanese companies (including Mazda, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha) that were faulted for having submitted either incorrect or intentionally misleading information in regard to vehicle certifications. The matter became global news and the companies were subsequently investigated.

In June, several of the brands stated that they had indeed submitted either flawed or manipulated data when applying for certification. However, the issue seemed to be a mix of genuine clerical mistakes and the companies trying to cut corners during the certification process. There were even examples where automakers had actually gone beyond what government testing called for, only to be penalized for not adhering to the regulatory process in the most literal sense possible.

That last item was something Toyota certainly tried to play up when addressing the public. It likewise noted that none of the vehicles that were improperly certified were unsafe to drive, trying to focus the matter as nothing more than some botched paperwork, though leadership remained highly apologetic.

"Before explaining today’s resolutions, I would like to express my sincerest apologies to our customers and shareholders for any concern or inconvenience caused by the recent certification issues," Toyota President Koji Sato stated in June.

"The certification system in Japan verifies whether a product meets the established standards, mainly in the areas of safety and environment, using measurement methods in accordance with the rules ... Vehicles can only be manufactured and sold after meeting certification test standards, yet in this instance, they were mass-produced and sold without going through the correct certification processes."

It needs to be said that the certification process for vehicles manufactured inside of Japan is comparatively strict vs other regions. Japanese automakers rarely hold vehicles sold/built outside the country to the same standards. In fact, this was something the companies noted when asked how these certification issues might impact any vehicles outside the Japanese domestic market.

According to Reuters, this is not something the Japanese government cares about. It wants all the companies to fall into line and now believes that the certification compliance was worse than originally assumed, following on-site investigations by the transport ministry. It’s claiming the misconduct was intentionally and far more widespread than presumed at the start of things.

In the case of Toyota, the ministry reported irregularities in seven additional models that had not been previously disclosed. The government is now demanding that the automaker “make drastic reforms to ensure appropriate certification operations.”

From Reuters:

Toyota's wrongdoing involved three production models - the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross - and discontinued versions of four other models, including one sold under the luxury Lexus brand.

Toyota said it was planning to resume production for these models from the beginning of September after the transport ministry confirmed they met compliance requirements.

The Japanese automakers conducted the investigation after the transport ministry ordered industry-wide checks of certification practices following a safety test scandal at Toyota's Daihatsu compact car unit.

The ministry said six of the seven additional Toyota models with irregularities were also certified in other countries, and it had alerted overseas authorities about the issues.

Four of the additional models - a minivan sold under the names of Noah and Voxy, and the RAV4, Harrier, and Lexus LM - are still in production by Toyota while three are no longer manufactured.

One could argue that the rigid protocols and checklist result in a better final product or that it’s hampering production unnecessarily. Automakers have certainly argued both in the past. However, when things are going well, Japanese brands often cite these protocols as contributing toward a better overall product quality.

Studies have likewise suggested that overall automotive dependability is on the decline around the world. Despite recent decades showcasing that automakers can indeed build long-lived automobiles, an influx of new technologies has added complexity — resulting in more parts that could break and more troublesome/costly repairs. Regulatory issues have likewise forced brands to pivot toward smaller powertrains that are under more strain than their predecessors and EVs that legacy automakers have had difficulties launching without any hiccups.

Toyota, which has long been a brand synonymous with building durable, mass market vehicles, has likewise been faulted for lapsing quality. The twin-turbo V6 selected to supplant the naturally aspirated V8 found in older Tundra models became a sore spot for many Toyota fans living in the United States. The old motor was a bastion of reliability while the new V6 was being criticized before it was even launched. But it still launched with problems, which Toyota attributed to manufacturing errors. It was a similar story with the brand's 10-speed automatic transmission.

But we’ve also seen repeated claims that automakers are cutting corners. Western brands have certainly seen their share of government complaints and Japanese brands were already being faulted for shunning domestic certification protocols several years earlier, with the issue allegedly dating back decades. Meanwhile, just about every brand endured a lapse in quality as the response to COVID-19 disrupted supply chains. While some seem to have turned things around since then, plenty have not.

[Images: Toyota]

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