— Takata airbag inflators have killed several people and maimed even more, but the company also manufactured seat belts for 20 years which met legal standards only because certain test results were falsified.
Takata went bankrupt, but Joyson Safety Systems took control of operations and thanks to a whistleblower report, the company determined Takata hadn't been honest about airbags or seat belts.
Joyson says it received a whistleblower report on April 30, 2020, claiming the seat belt webbing test data had been falsified by Takata for "many years."
Along with an outside attorney, Joyson opened an investigation into the claims and found the numbers had been altered for monthly seat belt webbing inspections at the Hikone, Japan plant and a plant in the Philippines.
Investigators looked at data from the past 20 years and determined changes had been made to the seat belt test data to comply with regulations and demands from clients.
Joyson confirmed test results were "rewritten" in at least 1,000 cases, with the Japanese plant altering data from January 2000 to January 2020. The company says it confirmed webbing test data were altered at the Philippine subsidiary from January 2001 to January 2015.
The company says Takata disregarded quality control measures, data integrity and the use of technical measures to prevent manipulation of test data.
In addition to seat belt webbing, Joyson had concerns there may have been altered test data related to the webbing used in child seats. Investigators had questions concerning abrasion resistance, flame retardancy, light resistance and dyeing fastness.
But it was determined the products did meet the required standards. Nevertheless, Joyson says it cannot guarantee that some illegal products were not sold to customers.
However, even those items which don't meet legal standards allegedly do meet safety standards concerning both seat belts and child seats.
At least 12 automakers are affected by the test results, but investigators couldn't find any safety issues with the webbing so no seat belt recalls are planned.
Joyson says it has established a code of conduct for employees and those involved in quality management. The company also says it created an electronic system in March that will allegedly prevent falsified tests.
"We have endeavored to act appropriately and comply with compliance based on the JSS Group Code of Conduct, which has data integrity as the main principle of quality control, but we regret to have caused such a situation. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and concern caused to our customers and related parties." — Joyson Safety Systems
