TOYOTA, Aichi Pref.: Japan’s transport ministry on Tuesday conducted an on-site inspection of Toyota Motor Corp.’s headquarters in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, over vehicle test fraud.

Irregularities have been newly found in tests to obtain type approval, which is necessary to mass-produce automobiles, at five Japanese companies including Toyota.

The inspection of Toyota began around 9:30 a.m. The ministry will inspect the other four companies as well.

In crash tests to confirm vehicle safety, Toyota from 2014 tampered with vehicles so that air bags inflated automatically with a timer and reported the results of tests conducted on the right side of the hood of a vehicle as those of the left side.

Toyota halted production and sales of three of the seven vehicle models affected by the fresh scandal.

Toyota had already been rocked by similar fraudulent testing scandals at group companies Daihatsu Motor Co. and Toyota Industries Corp. that came to light last year.

In February this year, the ministry instructed 85 manufacturers and importers that had obtained type approval for vehicles and components to report any wrongdoings over the past 10 years. Seventeen, including Toyota, have said they are still looking into the matter.

Testing irregularities “are extremely regrettable as such acts undermine the trust of (vehicle) users and shake the very foundations of the automobile certification system,” transport minister Tetsuo Saito told a press conference Tuesday.

“We take seriously the fact that irregularities were newly found after those discovered at Daihatsu,” he said. “We will take stern action based on our findings from the inspection.”

JIJI Press