Toyota LandCruiser production restarts after ‘torque smoothing’ scandal
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, 70 Series and Coaster bus shipments resume from Japan following ‘certification irregularities’Toyota Australia has confirmed production and shipments of the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, 70 Series and Coaster bus have resumed in Japan, following the discovery of ‘certification irregularities’ in various models.
Said irregularities stem from the fitment of unique ECUs to the vehicles used for output testing, designed to smooth out the power and torque delivery as well as the engine characteristics when developing maximum power and torque.
The Japanese brand insists its mass-production vehicles still develop the advertised power and torque figures without compromising emissions outputs or safety.
“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) resumed production and shipment of LandCruiser 70, LandCruiser 300 and Coaster models for the Australian market on Tuesday 13 February,” a company spokesperson told carsales.
“HiAce and Granvia remain paused at this stage. Production and shipment of HiLux and Fortuner, built outside Japan, were not paused. Regulations differ by each region and country.”
“Together with our production teams and our local dealers, we are working to minimise the impact on customers.
“Shipments to Australia have improved over the past six months or so, which has helped reduce wait times. We are focused on delivering as many vehicles as possible to our customers, as quickly as possible.”
The extent of the delivery delays is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing. However, there should be no interruption to HiLux and Fortuner supplies, given those models are primarily sourced out of Thailand.
There’s been no mention of the current-gen Prado, which is now essentially in runout as production of the new model starts in earnest.
Ten global and Japanese-market models across the Toyota, Hino and Lexus brands are part of the scandal, all featuring the car-maker’s 1GD-FTV, 2GD-FTV or F33A-FTV diesel engines.
Lexus Australia is yet to confirm if production of its diesel-powered LX 500d – the upmarket sibling of 300 Seres – has resumed, but it would be reasonable to assume so given LandCruiser production is back in full swing.
Equally unknown is the impact the roughly three-week production halt has had on the already-vast – two-year – delivery wait times for the Toyota Group’s premier global luxury SUV, something Lexus has tried to reduce through the recent addition of two new seven-seat variants.
Related: Toyota HiLux, Prado, LandCruiser face fresh delays amid engine ‘irregularities’
Related: 2024 Toyota Prado range detailed ahead of mid-year release
Related: 2024 Lexus LX range grows in size and price
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
