On June 5, 2024, Yamaha became the second major Japanese vehicle manufacturer to undergo an on-site inspection by Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism Ministry regarding testing irregularities found in some of its vehicles.
The first such on-site inspection began at Toyota headquarters. Additional similar inspections are currently planned to take place at Mazda, Honda, and Suzuki in the coming weeks.
What's the issue? False performance data was filed by all five companies and later discovered by the Transport Ministry upon further review. From initial reports, the types of performance data that were falsified seem to vary, and are not uniform across the companies examined so far.
In Yamaha's case, the falsified data that executives have already acknowledged and apologized for involve noise level tests conducted on at least three motorbike models. The known bikes found with falsified data filed on their behalf include the YZF-R1, the YZF-R3, and the TMAX scooter.
Yamaha has already halted production of the TMAX and R3, and is also halting production of the R1 in the wake of this investigation. In total, the company has produced approximately 7,500 units of the three affected models combined, according to The Japan News.
A similar on-site investigation into falsified data began at Toyota HQ on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. If this sounds familiar, it should. In 2023, Toyota-owned Daihatsu underwent a safety testing scandal, which is in part what prompted a stricter review of performance data filed by all Japanese consumer automotive and motorcycle manufacturers.
So far, the Transport Ministry has ordered Toyota, Mazda, and Yamaha to halt shipments. It's not yet clear what types of testing irregularities were discovered with regard to Honda and Suzuki. In Honda's case, it's also not yet clear whether the testing irregularities affect cars, motorbikes, or both.
In Toyota's case, some of the falsified testing data involved safety tests. So far, Yamaha has maintained that safety testing concerns are not among the ones that it falsified.
Japan's Transport Ministry, however, has said that it will conduct independent tests of its own on all affected vehicles, to ensure that they comply with both existing safety and environmental standards. It also plans to make the results of its tests available to the public.
Since this is a developing story with multiple moving parts, we'll be sure to keep you updated as new details become available.
