Toyota unit has falsified emissions data since 2003, investigation finds

A major Toyota affiliate has falsified emissions data for some engines since at least 2003, more than a decade earlier than previously indicated, an investigation commissioned by the company showed on Tuesday.

The investigative committee in charge of truck and bus maker Hino Motors blamed the scandal on engineers not feeling able to challenge superiors, in a rare critique of corporate culture in Japan.

Hino president Satoshi Ogiso apologized and said management takes its responsibilities seriously.

He said he received a message from Toyota president Akio Toyoda who said misconduct at Hino had betrayed the trust of all stakeholders.

The automaker said the committee had found evidence of counterfeiting since at least October 2003, as opposed to the previously reported period of around 2016.

The Transport Ministry, which revoked the truck maker’s certification of the affected engines in March, said it would conduct an investigation at the company’s site.

Hino recalled around 47,000 vehicles manufactured from April 2017 to last March. Another 20,900 will also be collected.

The committee found no evidence that executives outside the powertrain unit were aware of the misconduct. The division requires high specialization, which has made personnel changes difficult and allowed misconduct to continue, said Makoto Shimamoto, a member of the committee.

“The misconduct was passed on and there were no monitoring functions in other units, which is a big problem,” he said. “Even if there was no movement of personnel within the organization, these problems should have been found.”

Toyota owns 50.1% of Hino, whose shares fell nearly 10% on Tuesday.

In 2018, the government said that Mazda, Suzuki and Yamaha incorrectly tested the vehicles for fuel economy and emissions.

Subaru and Nissan were under investigation for the same reason in 2017.