A Japanese automaker owned by Toyota has admitted to tampering with safety tests for decades. Vehicle producer Daihatsu has been battling through a probe of its safety test results conducted by a third-party committee.
The company said safety test results have been forged for over 30 years, an investigation found. The automaker has reported the results of the investigation to multiple agencies in the country, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. said in a statement.
Daihatsu said in a statement that the company has decided to "temporarily suspend shipment of all Daihatsu-developed models currently in production, both in Japan and overseas," and said the company "will report to and consult with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as well as the relevant authorities in each country, and proceed with the necessary actions."
The company initiated a shutdown amid the investigation, which is expected to last until at least the end of January and will impact around 9,000 employees who are responsible for production within Japan, a representative for the company said.
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Results from the probe claim there have been no official reports linked to any deaths or accidents that could be blamed on forged safety test results.
The company was founded in 1951. Toyota later became the first significant shareholder in 1967 and then later garnered a majority stake in the company at 51.4 percent in 1998.
In 2016, Toyota took full control of Daihatsu, continuing its practice of producing mostly small truck and car lines, with over 1.1 million vehicles produced this year alone.
