Hino admits falsifying engine emissions and fuel economy data
9 March 2022
Hino Motors, the commercial vehicle arm of Toyota, has suspended sales of several medium- and heavy-duty vehicle models in Japan after admitting to having submitted fraudulent data to obtain emission and fuel economy certifications.
Hino said it has identified “past misconduct” in relation to its applications for certification for the A05C medium-duty engine and the A09C and E13C heavy-duty engine models, subject to the Japanese 2016 emission standards. The company has reported the issue to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
The issue may also affect Hino engines in North America, and was actually discovered through an internal investigation of on-road engines for the North American market. Hino provided an initial report of its findings to the “relevant regulators”. Subsequently, the US Department of Justice commenced an investigation, according to the company.
Hino then expanded the scope of the investigation to include a review of emission certification procedures for engines certified to Japanese regulatory standards, and identified misconduct related to the certification procedures for multiple engine models subject to the 2016 emissions regulations and fuel economy standards in Japan. The investigation also found problems with engine performance.
The main findings of the Hino investigation are:
- A05C medium-duty engine with HC-SCR aftertreatment—Hino discovered that, in a durability test for emission performance, the second muffler of the emission aftertreatment system which contains the HC-SCR catalyst was replaced with a non-standard unit. This change was made after learning that emissions performance would deteriorate over time and that the engine may not meet the regulatory emission standards.
- A09C and E13C heavy duty engines with urea-SCR aftertreatment—Hino discovered that, while measuring fuel consumption in a certification test, the fuel flow rate calibration value of the dynamometer panel was altered to make it appear advantageous in relation to fuel economy. This caused an altered value that was better than the actual value to be displayed on the fuel consumption meter.
While Hino also identified a problem concerning the fuel economy performance of the N04C (urea-SCR) engine, no misconduct in relation to its certification testing has been identified to date, the company said.
Hino decided to suspend sales of its medium-duty Hino Ranger vehicles equipped with the A05C engine, and of its heavy-duty truck, the Hino Profia, and its heavy-duty bus, the Hino S’elega equipped with A09C and E13C engines.
Hino said it will decide what measures, up to and including a recall, will need to be taken for Hino Ranger models equipped with the A05C engine. With respect to the Hino Profia equipped with A09C and E13C engines and the Hino Liesse II equipped with the N04C engine, Hino will consider its response for customers, whose actual fuel economy performance may not meet the reported values.
Source: Hino