Toyota Motor Corporation

Australia's Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) opened a formal investigation into Toyota (publicly named April 2026, after Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind first flagged an unnamed 'Asia'-based carmaker in February 2026), examining whether Toyota's connected vehicles collect personal data -- including location history, braking patterns, and vehicle speed -- beyond what is reasonably necessary for vehicle function, whether it obtains valid consent, whether it discloses driver data to third parties for secondary purposes such as sales and marketing without proper consent, and whether it adequately destroys or de-identifies data it no longer needs. The probe follows a 2024 CHOICE consumer-advocacy investigation that rated Toyota's data practices as 'middle of the pack' among 10 car brands and included a Toyota VP telling News Corp Australia that 'customers should really, really be aware' of what data is collected. Toyota declined to comment while the investigation, expected to take up to 18 months, is ongoing.

In June 2024, Japanese Transport Ministry officials raided Toyota headquarters after discovering Toyota and four other automakers submitted incorrect or manipulated safety test data for vehicle certification. Toyota admitted rigging safety tests on seven car models affecting 1.7 million vehicles, involving falsified collision tests, airbag inflation data, and engine power tests. Misconduct at Toyota Group companies (Daihatsu, Hino Motors, Toyota Industries) dated back decades.

In May 2024, InfluenceMap ranked Toyota as the worst automaker in global climate policy lobbying for the second year in a row. Shareholders rejected a proposal for greater disclosure about Toyota's climate lobbying with only 9.17% support. Chairman Akio Toyoda has been criticized for controversial statements claiming one EV pollutes as much as three hybrid cars.

In March 2024, workers at Toyota's engine plant in Troy, Missouri launched a UAW organizing campaign with 30% of the 1,000 workers signed up. Workers described unsafe conditions including being ordered to clean confined spaces with only KN-95 masks instead of proper hazmat equipment. Workers reported injuries including torn rotator cuffs and fractured skulls, with one worker ordered to return to work the Monday after Friday surgery.

Following the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, Toyota Motor Corporation donated 50 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society, Central Community Chest of Japan, and Japan Platform, and deployed its Toyota Disaster Recovery Support (TDRS) team of roughly 300 trained volunteer employees to distribute supplies and apply Toyota Production System methods to improve relief logistics. Toyota Tsusho, a group company, donated a further 10 million yen. Toyota later signed an ongoing cooperation agreement with the town of Shika for long-term recovery support.