Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that power output data had been manipulated for 10 of its models sold globally, in a new blow to the world's biggest automaker group, which has been plagued by a series of quality control issues in recent years.

Its affiliate Toyota Industries Corp. fabricated the data on diesel engines it makes and supplies for the automaker, Toyota said, adding that it will suspend shipment of the affected vehicles, including the Land Cruiser 300 and the Hilux.

"We apologize to all the stakeholders, including our customers and suppliers," Toyota Industries President Koichi Ito said at a press conference. "We will do our utmost to rebuild the company with legal compliance as our top priority."

The revelation comes as a number of quality issues have been shaking the group's foundation.

Toyota's small-car unit Daihatsu Motor Co. stopped all shipments at home and abroad last month after a third-party investigation found that safety tests for most of its models were rigged.

Hino Motors Ltd., another Toyota subsidiary, admitted in March 2022 to submitting fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to transport authorities.

The 10 models also include the Hiace, the Fortuner and the Innova. The cars were sold in Japan, Europe, and the Middle East, among other markets. The output data rigging dates back to 2017, Toyota Industries said.

Toyota Industries doctored the volume of fuel injection in engine output tests in a bid to make the engines' torque, or rotating force, appear better than it was, according to a report by a third-party panel.

The panel blamed the company's corporate culture, saying it lacked the will to actively increase compliance amid an environment where it felt secure in its position as a Toyota supplier.

"Its data compliance has grown lax," Hiroshi Inoue, the head of the panel, said at a separate press conference.

Toyota said it has confirmed the affected engines and that the vehicles now meet engine output standards following a reevaluation after the rigging was discovered.

Japan's industry ministry on Monday condemned Toyota Industries, saying the problem shook the foundation of the automobile certification system, and instructed it to find out the cause of the problem.

Monday's announcement followed a revelation in March last year when Toyota Industries admitted to falsifying emissions data for its forklift engines. The third-party panel has been investigating the issue.

On Monday, Toyota Industries said the data rigging was found in more of its forklift engines, and it has stopped shipment of all the affected products.

==Kyodo

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