Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. on Thursday halted production of a total of five models after improperly obtaining vehicle certifications by carrying out quality tests that do not comply with government specifications.
The move comes after the country's transport ministry ordered shipments of Toyota's Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross and Mazda's Roadster RF and Mazda2 to pause.
Toyota said the production halt will last at least until the end of this month, while Mazda said it is unsure when its factories will resume operating.
The annual production volume for the three Toyota models stood at about 130,000 vehicles while that of the two Mazda models stood at about 15,000 units, the companies said.
The two companies, as well as Honda Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp. and motorbike maker Yamaha Motor Co., earlier this week admitted to cheating on vehicle tests to obtain mass production certification, sparking widespread doubts over their products' reliability.
The ministry visited Suzuki's headquarters in Shizuoka Prefecture for an inspection on Thursday to determine if it should order the company to issue recalls. Suzuki is the third company to have been inspected by the ministry after Toyota and Yamaha Motor.
The transport ministry is expected to inspect the remaining two companies soon.
