Japan's Hino Motors, Toyota accused of misconduct in U.S. lawsuit (updated)

Hindoostan Mills

12/08/2022 08:10

(Adds details; paragraphs 3-6)
    TOKYO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Japanese vehicle maker Hino Motors
Ltd and its parent, Toyota Motor Corp, have been accused of
historical misconduct in a class action lawsuit brought in the
United States, Hino said on Friday.
    The case, in the Southern District of Florida, has been
filed on behalf of those who bought or leased 2004-2021 model
year Hino trucks in the United States, the company said in a
statement. 
    The complaint does not say how much the plaintiffs seek to
recover but mentioned that the aggregate amount concerned
exceeded a threshold of $5 million for the court to have
jurisdiction, the company said.   
    An investigation report this month by a company-commissioned
panel said Hino, Toyota's major affiliate, had falsified
emissions data on some engines going back to at least 2003, or
more than a decade earlier than previously indicated.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2ZE00P
    Hino blamed an inward-looking corporate culture and a
management failure to engage sufficiently with workers that led
to an environment that put greater priority on achieving
schedules and numerical targets than following processes.    
    The panel said its inquiry looked into mid-size and large
engines for the domestic market, but did not rule out chances of
similar problems overseas.  

 (Reporting by Rocky Swift and Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by
Clarence Fernandez)
 ((rocky.swift@thomsonreuters.com;))