The Japanese government has ordered Toyota Motor to undergo “drastic reforms” following the discovery of new violations in the carmaker’s vehicle certification procedures. The transport ministry found intentional misconduct and irregularities in seven additional models that had not been previously disclosed, prompting a corrective order for Toyota to revamp its certification operations.
Despite the violations, Toyota is ensuring customers that affected vehicles can still be used, as they work towards confirming compliance for the models involved. Earlier reports in June revealed similar wrongdoing by Toyota and four other vehicle makers, acknowledging flawed data submitted during certification applications.
Toyota’s misconduct involved various models including those under the luxury Lexus brand. The company plans to resume production for these models in September after meeting compliance requirements set by the transport ministry. It is part of a broader industry-wide investigation following a safety test scandal at Toyota’s Daihatsu compact car unit. Toyota has also alerted foreign authorities about the certification issues with some of its models.