Toyota scandal: Data fabrication impacts millions of vehicles

The Japanese Ministry of Transport inspected Toyota Motor Corp.'s headquarters on Tuesday. This inspection followed the company's admission of irregularities in obtaining vehicle certifications. The ministry also reported that four other companies manipulated their data.

Toyota announced on Monday that seven models received the incorrect type designation necessary for mass production, impacting 1.7 million vehicles produced between 2014 and April.

The car manufacturer confirmed that it fabricated data regarding pedestrian head injury test results in collisions, affecting three currently produced models: Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross. The company has suspended its sales.

Toyota also admitted to falsifying the construction of vehicles used in crash tests for four discontinued models.

Irregularities were also discovered in submissions from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha Motor, and Mazda, according to data obtained from manufacturers after the ministry ordered an audit in January. It was found that manufacturers presented incorrect or manipulated test data when applying for vehicle certification.

As a result, the ministry has instructed Toyota, Mazda, and Yamaha to halt the delivery of specific vehicles and announced inspections at these companies' headquarters.