Nov. 06, 2017
Statement Regarding Impact of Kobe Steel Quality Issue on
Toyota and Lexus Vehicles (second report)
We regret any inconvenience and concern caused to customers of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
In response to the series of announcements made by Kobe Steel Ltd. regarding improper conduct related to materials used in vehicles, we have been urgently investigating the impact of this matter on Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
On October 19, we announced the results of our investigations related to aluminum plates. Today, we announce the results of our investigations relating to some additional materials.
We have been examining the data that Kobe Steel provided (one or more years' worth) and evaluating the potential impacts of the materials purchased from Kobe Steel, using the data that contained the largest deviations from the specifications of Toyota or its suppliers. In these investigations, as for the materials listed in the thick-bordered boxes in the table below (materials purchased from Kobe Steel in Japan except for the products made from copper material referenced in Kobe Steel's October 8 announcement), we have confirmed that our vehicles' quality and performance satisfy our own internal standards.
| Method of delivery to Toyota | Date of announcement by Kobe Steel | Material | Impact on vehicles related to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material purchased from Kobe Steel in Japan | Material purchased from Kobe Steel outside of Japan | |||
| Directly purchased | October 8 | Aluminum plates | No impact* | |
| October 13 | Copper tubes, steel wires, etc. | Not applicable (no such material purchased) | ||
| Purchased via supplier | October 8 | Aluminum plates | No impact* | |
| Cladding | No impact | Impact currently being confirmed | ||
| Aluminum extrusions | ||||
| Copper products | Impact currently being confirmed | |||
| October 11 | Steel powder | No impact | Impact currently being confirmed | |
| Sputtering target materials | ||||
| October 13 | Copper tubes, steel wires, etc. | |||
*Already announced on October 19, 2017
Kobe Steel made further announcements on October 20 and 26 that the company falsified data on some further materials, and we have confirmed that these materials are not used in our vehicles.
As for the other materials (listed in the chart above), because they were purchased via numerous suppliers and used for various vehicle components, we will need additional time to complete our investigations. The safety and peace of mind of our customers are among our highest priorities, and we will continue to verify the safety of these products based on our most stringent standards.
Again, we regret any concern caused to our customers by this matter, and we appreciate your understanding as we continue our investigations working with our suppliers.
