Joyson finds falsified seatbelt test data at former Takata plants

US Automotive Manufacturing

18/06/2021 11:05

TOKYO, June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. automotive component maker
Joyson Safety Systems' (JSS) Japan unit said on Friday that it
has found 1,000 cases of data falsification in seatbelt tests at
two plants it acquired from former airbag maker Takata Corp.
    An investigation, which began in October 2020, showed test
data on belt webbing, used for seatbelts and child safety seats,
were doctored at plants in Hikone, Japan and the Philippines,
Hisayoshi Iwamitsu, president of JSS Japan, told reporters. 
    The test results, which looked at quality of the webbing,
were altered to meet legal and client standards.
    Iwamitsu said JSS Japan has submitted an investigation
report to Japan's transport ministry on Friday.
    The company is not planning a recall, he said, since
reexamination of the webbing showed no safety issues, and also
because the 12 automakers that the company is supplying decided
not to implement measures such as car inspections. 
    As part of preventive measures, the company introduced an
electronic system in March that would prevent data from being
falsified, and is working on expanding human resources for
quality management, he added.
    Takata's faulty airbag inflators caused the auto industry's
biggest safety recall and have been linked to numerous deaths
and injuries, mainly in the United States.
    The investigation also showed that data had been falsified
at Hikone plant over a two-decade period until Jan. 2020,
overlapping with when Takata was embroiled in airbag scandals.
    "In response to the airbag issue, JSS group as a whole made
various efforts including establishing a code of conduct and 
enhancing compliance awareness among employees, especially those
involved in quality management," JSS Japan's senior legal
official Kohei Hamamoto said.
    "Unfortunately, investigators pointed out that wasn't
enough," he added. 
    

 (Reporting by Eimi Yamamitsu; Editing by Kim Coghill)
 ((eimi.yamamitsu@thomsonreuters.com;))