NAGOYA, Japan -- Toyota Motor found no issue with the safety and performance of its vehicles after completing inspections of materials supplied by Kobe Steel that were linked to the steelmaker's data falsification scandal, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday.
Kobe Steel said in October that it fabricated data for aluminum products, including their strength. The Japanese steelmaker later was found to have done the same for its steel wires and other products.
Toyota in October checked the safety of Kobe Steel-made aluminum plates that were used in the hood and elsewhere, using untampered data kept at the steelmaker.
To ensure that vehicles incorporating other materials from Kobe Steel met its internal quality and performance standards, the automaker conducted similar checks for aluminum extrusion, copper pipe and steel wires purchased from the steelmaker in Japan.
With follow-up checks covering those materials purchased overseas by its suppliers now complete, Toyota has concluded inspecting all materials potentially affected by the scandal, the company said Wednesday.
Fellow Japanese automakers Honda Motor, Mitsubishi Motors, Suzuki Motor and the Toyota group's Daihatsu Motor also have said they confirmed the safety of their vehicles that use Kobe Steel products.
(Nikkei)
