December 22, 2023 15:38 (Japan time)
Safety takes precedence over all other aspects of a car. Despite this, major light vehicle manufacturers were involved in fraudulent certification tests that ignored safety issues. This is an outrageous and irresponsible act.
Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. announced that 174 new cases of cheating were discovered in an investigation into the certification exam fraud that was discovered in April of this year. According to the company, 64 Daihatsu models (including models that are no longer in production) were involved in the fraudulent activity.
The affected vehicles included those manufactured by Daihatsu Motor Corporation and sold under the brand of parent company Toyota Motor Corporation.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted an on-site inspection of Daihatsu Motor Corporation’s headquarters in Osaka Prefecture to investigate the background of the misconduct. The company has suspended shipments of all models currently sold in Japan and overseas.
Daihatsu holds more than 30% share of the domestic light vehicle market and is competing for the top spot. Light vehicles are an essential means of transportation, especially for people living in rural areas, so this may cause confusion at sales sites.
According to the company, as a result of re-inspecting the models involved in the fraud with an emphasis on safety, most models were found to have no problems. However, concerns are growing among Daihatsu car users. It is essential to respond honestly at retailers and telephone consultation centers.
The new misconduct cases came to light as part of an investigative report compiled by outside lawyers and other experts. The company’s tactics are despicable.
As part of the certification test, the airbag (an electronic control device that detects impact) was activated by a timer. In rear-end collision tests, data obtained from the passenger seat was purposely used as data from the driver’s seat.
Misconduct, including improper handling of test equipment, was discovered in 25 test categories.
According to the investigation report, the main cause of the fraud was shortening development time to reduce costs. Daihatsu succeeded in significantly shortening the development period for new vehicle models in 2011, and has since prioritized shortening development schedules.
The design process is time-consuming, which puts strain on the final testing stage and puts pressure on field workers.
It is no surprise that the report stated that “the blame should not be placed at the feet of frontline employees, but should be directed at those in management positions.”
Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira said at a press conference, “We failed to understand the burden placed on frontline employees, and we left behind a work environment where employees were unable to express their concerns even if a problem occurred.” It is necessary to clarify the responsibilities of managers.
Parent company Toyota Motor Corporation also has a heavy responsibility. Toyota has outsourced the group’s mini vehicle strategy and increased production of Daihatsu vehicles to Daihatsu. However, following the move, cases of fraud began to increase in 2014, according to the report.
Toyota needs to acknowledge that this issue is a group-wide issue and rebuild its corporate governance system.
(From Yomiuri Shimbun December 22, 2023)
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