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at Former Takata Plants
Joyson fi nds falsifi ed seat belt test data at former Takata plants
An inves ga on showed test data on belt webbing, used for seat belts and child safety seats, were doctored at plants in Hikone, Japan and the Philippines.
TOKYO -- Supplier Joyson Safety Systems’ Japan unit said Friday that it has found 1,000 cases of data falsifi ca on in seatbelt tests at two plants it acquired from former airbag maker Takata Corp.
An inves ga on, 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 submi ed an inves ga on report to Japan’s transport ministry on Friday. Joyson Safety Systems is owned by China’s Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp. but globally headquartered in suburban Detroit.
The company is not planning a recall, he said, since reexamina on 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 inspec ons.
As part of preven ve measures, the company introduced an electronic system in March that would prevent data from being falsifi ed and is working on expanding human resources for quality management, he added.
Takata’s faulty airbag infl ators caused the auto industry’s biggest safety recall and have been linked to numerous deaths and injuries, mainly in the United States.
The inves ga on also showed that data had been falsifi ed at Hikone plant over a two-decade period un l Jan. 2020, overlapping with when Takata was embroiled in airbag scandals.
“In response to the airbag issue, JSS group as a whole made various eff orts including establishing a code of conduct and enhancing compliance awareness among employees, especially those involved in quality management,” JSS Japan’s senior legal offi cial Kohei Hamamoto said.
“Unfortunately, inves gators pointed out that wasn’t enough,” he added.
