Toyota has resumed shipments of models powered by its turbo-diesel engines, following an investigation which cleared the Japanese automotive giant of cheating government testing.
In January, the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced it had discovered “irregularities” during engine certification testing of three turbo-diesel engines produced by its subsidiary Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO).
The carmaker said the three affected engines were found to have been fitted with engine control units (ECU) for testing which differed from those in mass production, resulting in an investigation by Japanese authorities to determine whether the engines were compliant – and if the brand had deliberately cheated.
Last week the Japanese transport department announced it did not find any misconduct by Toyota, announcing it would not revoke the certification for the three engines.
Toyota 1GD-FTV engine
Overnight, Toyota said it would resume shipments of vehicles powered by the three engines, which includes the Australian-delivered HiLux, LandCruiser 300 Series, LandCruiser 70 Series, Fortuner, HiAce and Granvia and Lexus LX.
Specifically, the three engines were the ‘1GD-FTV’ 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, the ‘2GD-FTV’ 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, and the ‘F33A-FTV’ 3.3-litre V6 turbo-diesel.
Toyota didn’t make it out of the saga unscathed, with three of its mass-produced industrial engines for forklifts and other heavy equipment having their certification revoked.
Toyota F33A-FTV engine
In a media statement, Toyota said it “will continue to provide support to TICO so that it can return to its roots and revitalise its engine business”.
“In addition, as a Group-wide activity, we will once again review the situation to thoroughly ensure that safety and quality are the top priorities.”
While Toyota has been cleared of wrongdoing regarding the turbo-diesel engines, it has previously come under fire for how its subsidiary divisions operate.
In July 2022, Toyota’s truck division Hino admitted to having falsified emissions data for 860,000 commercial vehicles globally since 2003.
In December 2023, Toyota’s small car specialist brand Daihatsu suspended manufacturing in Japan following the discovery that it falsified safety data and used unauthorised safety testing procedures, dating back to 1989.
Earlier this month, a class action lawsuit was filed against Toyota Finance Australia, alleging the company “ripped off” more than 100,000 customers by charging higher interest rates by arranging “flex commissions” with dealers.
MORE: Everything Toyota
