TOKIO — Daihatsu, a unit of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp., has ceased production at its four factories in Japan amid an investigation into possible flawed testing of its safety certificates.
Tuesday’s move comes a week after Daihatsu Motor Co. announced it was suspending all shipments into and out of Japan after finding poor testing on 64 models. This led the Ministry of Transportation to investigate more deep-rooted problems that apparently have been going on for decades.
The suspension of production is expected to affect thousands of auto parts producers and their employees, and could impact the local economy.
Testing irregularities this year led to an investigation by an independent panel, which found widespread and systematic problems at Daihatsu. It is the latest case of safety violations at at least five major Japanese automakers in recent years.
So far there have been no reports of accidents or deaths due to the irregular tests.
Daihatsu, maker of Hijet and Mira trucks and vans, said it began cessing production on Monday and that production ceased at all four factories in Shiga, Kyoto and Oita prefectures, as well as at its headquarters in Osaka on Tuesday.
The company declined to say when it will resume production, although local press reported that the suspension would be until at least the end of January.
Daihatsu is a unit of Toyota specializing in cars and small trucks that are extremely popular in Japan. The company assembled about 870,000 vehicles across the four factories in fiscal 2022.
According to marketing analysis company Teikoku Databank, Daihatsu factories have supply chains of 8,136 companies across Japan, with total sales of 2.2 trillion yen ($15.53 billion).
Source: AP
