Toyota CEO Koji Sato on Monday offered apologies to customers, suppliers and dealers for faulty testing at a subsidiary, following a series of similar problems in recent years.
The apology comes a day before a planned announcement by Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda of a “global vision” for the company, Japan’s top automaker.
The most recent problems involve tests required to obtain Japanese government approval at Toyota Industries Corp, which makes diesel-fueled engines.
False results were found in certification tests and other engine inspections that the products met set quality standards when in fact they did not, according to Toyota.
“We will do everything to resume production as soon as possible,” Sato told an unannounced press conference called at Toyota’s Tokyo offices on Monday. “Management was not able to fully understand and keep proper records of the details of what was going on at the site.”
Irregularities were also detected last year at Daihatsu Motor Corp, which makes small cars and is 100 percent owned by Toyota. Those cheating, which came to light thanks to an employee’s whistleblowing, went on for decades.
In 2022, Hino Motors, a truck maker also owned by Toyota, admitted that it had systematically falsified emissions tests since 2003.
No major accidents related to the irregularities have been reported, but the revelations have raised suspicions about oversight at the companies.
Toyota has suspended production of several models until proper testing can be practiced, but owners of those models can continue to drive them, the companies say.
When asked about the causes of so many scandals, Sato said there is a need for better communication between companies and better education about the importance of obeying the rules.
He also acknowledged that employees felt pressured to deliver results in a short time in a highly competitive industry. Toyota’s management needs to better understand what is happening as technology is advancing at a rapid pace, Sato added.