Japan’s transport ministry raided the headquarters of motor giant Toyota on Tuesday, as a scandal over faulty safety data escalated.
The biggest automaker in the world has expressed regret for giving false or fraudulent information for safety certification tests.
The Japanese auto industry has been rocked by the scandal, as rival automakers Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki have also acknowledged submitting false data.
In 2023, Toyota sold almost 11 million passenger cars.
It has stated that the results have no bearing on the safety of cars that are currently on the road.
The Corolla Fielder, Axio, and Yaris Cross are the three automobile models for which the firm has halted production.
Additionally, it has been charged with utilizing cars that have been modified for safety collision testing even though those cars are no longer manufactured.
The raids occur one day after Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda issued an apology to fans and consumers.
As is traditional in Japan when businesses apologize for transgressions, he bowed deeply and held the position for a brief period of time.
“We neglected the certification process and mass produced our cars without first taking the proper precautionary steps,” Mr Toyoda said.
The authorities plan to check Japanese automakers Honda, Mazda, and Suzuki in relation to the same matter.
Honda has emphasized that its cars are safe to drive even though it admitted to cheating on tests pertaining to engine power and noise.
Mazda has announced that it will pay its suppliers’ costs after stopping the shipping of certain vehicles.
The business did note that it does not currently have any plans to issue recalls.
The conclusions also hold true for one model of Suzuki automobile that is no longer manufactured.
In December of last year, Daihatsu, an automaker owned by Toyota, acknowledged that it had fabricated safety tests and shut down all of its operations for over a month.
A few of the vehicles had the Toyota logo on them.
Throughout the time that its plants were idle, Daihatsu paid more than 400 local suppliers.