Japan Demands Major Reforms from Toyota After New Certification Violations

The Japanese government has issued a directive to Toyota Motor Corporation, requiring “drastic reforms” following the discovery of new violations in the company’s vehicle certification procedures. The Ministry of Transport’s corrective order came after on-site inspections revealed intentional misconduct and irregularities in the certification processes of seven additional models that were previously undisclosed.

Toyota confirmed receiving the order, stating that it mandates significant changes to ensure proper certification practices. The automaker assured customers that they do not need to stop using the affected vehicles while it works to verify compliance with regulatory standards.

This latest development comes after Toyota, along with four other automakers, admitted in June to submitting flawed or manipulated data during vehicle certification processes. Initially, Toyota had reported issues involving three current models—the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross—as well as discontinued versions of four other models, including one under the luxury Lexus brand.

Toyota announced plans to resume production of these models by early September, contingent on meeting the compliance requirements set by the Transport Ministry. The ministry’s investigation followed an industry-wide review of certification practices prompted by a safety test scandal at Toyota’s Daihatsu compact car unit.

The Ministry of Transport also indicated that six of the seven additional models with irregularities had been certified in other countries. As a result, it has informed overseas authorities about the certification issues. Among the additional models are the still-in-production minivans Noah and Voxy, as well as the RAV4, Harrier, and Lexus LM.