TOKYO: Toyota Motor said it would suspend shipments of some models including the Hilux truck and Land Cruiser 300 SUV after irregularities were found in certification tests for diesel engines developed by affiliate Toyota Industries.

       A special investigative committee had found irregularities during horsepower output testing for the certification of three diesel engine models.

       Ten models use the affected engines globally, Toyota said. They included the Hiace van, Fortuner SUV, Innova multi-purpose vehicle and Lexus-branded LX500D SUV, the automaker said.

       Toyota, the world's biggest automaker by sales, has been separately seeking to resolve a case of misconduct related to rigged collision safety tests at small car specialist Daihatsu.

       Toyota Industries said it sold about 84,000 affected automobile engines during the financial year to Mar. 31, 2023. A Toyota spokesperson could not immediately say how many affected vehicles the automaker had sold over the years.

       Toyota said the investigation found that electronic control units used during horsepower output testing were different from those used during engine production.

       Shares in Toyota Industries sank into negative territory shortly after the news and ended down 4%. Toyota Motor shares closed 3.1% higher. - Reuters

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