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Transportation

Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing, Halts Production of 3 Models (apnews.com) 45

Posted by BeauHD from the tisk-tisk dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them. The wide-ranging fraudulent testing at Japan's top automaker involved the use of inadequate or outdated data in collision tests, and incorrect testing of airbag inflation and rear-seat damage in crashes. Engine power tests were also found to have been falsified.

Toyota Motor Corp., based in Toyota city, central Japan, suspended production in the country of the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross. The deceptive tests were also found on discontinued models. The company said the wrongdoing does not affect the safety of the vehicles already on roads, which include the Corolla subcompact and Lexus luxury vehicles. "We sincerely apologize," Toyoda told reporters, bowing deeply and holding the position for several seconds, as is customary in Japan at news conferences where companies apologize for misbehavior. A Japanese government investigation into Toyota began in January. The issue does not affect Toyota's overseas production. Mazda and Honda also reported cheating on its vehicle testing. Mazda said incorrect engine control software was used in the tests.

Meanwhile, the "improper tests" conducted by Honda included "those on noise levels and torque, on a range of models," according to the Associated Press. "Honda said affected older models -- the Accord, Odyssey and Fit -- are no longer in production. The safety of the vehicles is not affected, it said."
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Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing, Halts Production of 3 Models More

Toyota Apologizes For Cheating On Vehicle Testing, Halts Production of 3 Models

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  • so much dishonor! (Score:3)

    by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 ) on Monday June 03, 2024 @02:57PM (#64520751)

    so much dishonor!

  • That probably is criminal behavior. Will just apologizing get people off the hook in such cases? Or is it that the law is not the same when you are a big corporation?

    • in japan with an big japanese corporation?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by haruchai ( 17472 )

      That probably is criminal behavior. Will just apologizing get people off the hook in such cases? Or is it that the law is not the same when you are a big corporation?

      Big corps have the best laws money can buy

    • Re:Apologizes? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by gosso920 ( 6330142 ) on Monday June 03, 2024 @03:16PM (#64520793)
      He's apologizing for getting caught,

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        This is Japan. He's apologizing for corporation losing face. Stop projecting anglo morality on those that don't have it.

      • Re:Apologizes? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by quantaman ( 517394 ) on Monday June 03, 2024 @09:22PM (#64521495)

        He's apologizing for getting caught,

        Is he? The article's actually unclear on that front. An investigation is mentioned [apnews.com], but it's suggested that was triggered by the company reporting cheating they had found [apnews.com].

        It sounds like lower level management/personnel felt pressure to hit various deadlines & targets and cheated as a result. Then when upper management found out they put a stop to it and reported it.

        That's not to let upper management off the hook, they created the culture and incentives that drove their underlings to cheat.

        But it's not fair to say he's only apologizing for getting caught when he's the one who reported it when it was brought to his attention.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          There were a few high profile examples of lower level employees breaking rules because of pressure from above, so Japanese upper management are now somewhat on the lookout for it. In Toyota's case it could have been very serious if the falsified tests had resulted in injuries.

          Probably the most well known example was a train driver who exceeded the speed limit due to management pressure. As well as reprimands and loss of pay, drivers who were late more than a few times had to do humiliating re-training cours

          • The mayor has been on a pedestrian safety compaign involving lowering speed limits on all major arterial streets.

            I get tailgated by buses when driving at the new speed limits. I seriously doubt schedules were adjusted nor drivers were instructed to not meet schedule so they could keep to the speed limits.

            Will there be a major political scandal when someone is hurt by a speeding Madison Metro bus?

            Nah, the Fix is in.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        He's apologizing for getting caught,

        That is still a huge improvement over the deny getting caught and then throw some low ranking engineers under the bus to save the C-levels and their bonuses.... the kind of behaviour we see from western companies.

        They've also halted production of the vehicles in question until they can be tested properly. Something you don't expect from western car companies.

        I mean GM waited until 17 people died from faulty ignitions before investigating and don't even get me started on Volkswagen.

    • Or is it that the law is not the same when you are a big corporation?

      Bingo. Y'all mod OP up.

    • I wish I could tell you but everything I know about Japanese Corporations I learned from the movie Gung Ho.

      Maybe Toyota did too..
    • none of the CEOs in charge when the Fukushima disaster were punished, and the blame was shifted to the engineers (who didn't have PR departments and connections to media)

    • Water is wet.

      News at 11.

  • I would be interested to hear about what exactly they did.

    Were they just gaming the tests, or reporting bad data?

    • Re:What is Cheating? (Score:5, Informative)

      by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Monday June 03, 2024 @03:14PM (#64520787)
      This article [motor1.com] gives the most detail I have seen.

      I'll go ahead and paste most of it here, since that's what slashdot summaries are:

      For the Corolla, the company once again used development test data under more severe test conditions to evaluate the damage to a pedestrian's head in a collision. The impact angle of 50 degrees stipulated by the law was actually done at 65 degrees instead. It's worth noting the Axio sedan and Fielder wagon are based on the previous-generation Corolla and remain available in Japan as fleet vehicles.

      The third case highlighted by Miyamoto involved the Corolla, Sienta, and Crown about a test to evaluate the damage to a pedestrian's head and legs in a collision. Toyota used the wrong data by submitting the unilateral point data for both sides instead of doing separate left and right measurements.

      While performing rear-end collision testing on the Crown and Sienta, Toyota used a moving barrier that was heavier than the regulation standard (4,000 pounds instead of 2,425 pounds). Consequently, to receive certification, the company submitted development test data under more severe test conditions than the requirements.

      In the case of the Yaris Cross, a regulation change was ignored by Toyota. A test was conducted to evaluate the damage caused to the rear bench by the luggage located in the trunk when the vehicle was involved in an accident. A new requirement for luggage blocks subsequently became mandatory but the test wasn't repeated as the old test data was used in the certification application.

      The sixth and final case involved the Lexus RX and a check engine power test during which the targeted output was not reached. The test should've been stopped and then the company should've investigated what went wrong so that it could make the necessary changes. However, Toyota admits that "the engine control system was adjusted to achieve the targeted power." The test was then redone to obtain certification.

  • "Toyota Motor Corp., based in Toyota city"

    Another item for my list of criteria for presumptive evidence of the necessity of immediate investigation of corporate entities: Is your corporate headquarters located on a street named after your company? In a TOWN named after your company? IN A PROVINCE named after your company?! If so: you better believe that's an investigatin'.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      Costco's house brand name is Kirkland. Costco got its start in .....
      .. Kirkland.

      Those lousy bastards!

    • I would be shocked if it happened today, say Seattle -> Microsoft City. I am less shocked knowing it happened in 1959, and in a country known for its deep sense of loyalty towards their employer. A similar pattern happened with a "Ford City" neighbourhood in Chicago, named after a Ford City Mall, itself named after a former Ford Aircraft plant. Times were different.

      • I would be shocked if it happened today, say Seattle -> Microsoft City.

        Seattle is a major city. At the time Toyota City changed its name it was a small town with a population of a tad over 100k. The scale is different, odds are you ran into an adult in the street they would have been working for Toyota.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ac22 ( 7754550 )

      In 1959, after a public campaign to change the city’s name to highlight its commitment to modern industry and to recognize the contribution of its largest employer, Koromo officially became Toyota.

      https://www.tourismtoyota.jp/e... [tourismtoyota.jp]

    • Another item for my list of criteria for presumptive evidence of the necessity of immediate investigation of corporate entities

      Why investigate the corporation? It was the town who changed their name to celebrate the fame of the town's most famous family and proudly one of international fame ... right during the period where Japan was focused heavily on internationalisation.

      As for the "street named after your company". That is normal. In the manufacturing industry many streets are built exclusively to support the plant where they are built, which is why they get the name of the company. Which makes it even funnier when the company g

  • But nothing we currently produce is affected - we promise! On our word of honor! You can trust us!

  • “Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models”

  • Toyota on the downslope (Score:3)

    by locater16 ( 2326718 ) on Monday June 03, 2024 @04:40PM (#64521037)
    Cheating on multiple tests for seemingly no reason nor gain, risking their decades in the making reputation for reliability by contracting out self driving tech to hot air Chinese companies to appeal to the CCP, claiming gas cars will survive in Africa or something for decades even though every major car market is planning to outlaw gas car sales by like 2040.

    This is Toyota on the downslope, owned by shareholders more concerned with wringing every dividend penny out of it today than anything that happens tomorrow, and so the entire executive lineup on down gets slowly eaten up by brown nosing narcissists telling the shareholders exactly what they want to hear until the whole thing goes Boeing.

  • I would love to see legislation that forces car companies that do this to forfeit an entire year's worth of profits. And by the way, all the gains that investors in the company made that year? Guess what - they're forfeit too.

    Draconian as such measures seem, they are the only way of making psychopathic corporations behave responsibly. It's long, long past time for the dog to take back control of the tail.

  • There was recently massive recall due to premature engine failures for new Tundra trucks [toyota.com]. Seems like many manufacturers struggle to meet all the new regulatory requirements that coming in effect all at once all the time.
    • This is what you get when non-technical people just apply performance standards without confirming they are realistic.

      If they did the same thing to electric cars, they would create a "fleet average range" metric and require range to increase 20% every year, battery mass to decrease 10% every year, regenerative braking to reach 103% by 2030, and charging time to hit 10 minutes by 2027. End result would be the only electric cars you can buy would be super expensive, unreliable, companies would cheat to try to

  • Of course, like all the other media, fails to mention that this related ONLY to Japanese govt mandated testing, and only applied to models sold only in Japan.

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