Safety supplier Joyson probes test data 'inaccuracies' at former Takata plant in Japan

TOKYO -- Auto supplier Joyson Safety Systems said Wednesday it is investigating inaccuracies in the reporting of seat belt webbing test data at a Japanese factory acquired from bankrupt airbag maker Takata Corp. over two years ago.

"JSS is currently reviewing available and relevant data over a 20-year period on a test-by-test and product-by-product basis," global communications director Bryan Johnson said in a statement.

The inaccuracies were found in reporting from the factory in Hikone, Japan, which JSS bought from Takata in April 2018. Joyson said the inaccuracies arose before its acquisition of the plant.

Takata was responsible for the largest safety recall in automotive history for defective airbags that could explode and spread shrapnel within a vehicle during an accident. At least 26 deaths -- including 17 in the U.S. -- and 290 injuries have been linked to the defective airbags globally.

The Japanese transport ministry has asked Joyson's unit in the country to submit an investigation report, and has also told automakers to prepare for recalls of the seat belts in question, the Nikkei business daily reported, citing sources.

A transport ministry official told Reuters Wednesday the ministry was still investigating how many cars were affected by the issue and whether any such vehicles were shipped to markets outside of Japan.

Joyson Safety Systems Japan is the top seat belt maker in the country with a market share of about 40 percent.

Joyson Safety was created by Key Safety Systems' $1.6 billion acquisition of scandal-plagued Takata's assets in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 2018. The deal was financed by Key Safety's Chinese parent company Ningbo Joyson Electronics Corp., private equity firm PAG and Chinese state-owned Future Industry Investment Fund. Key Safety changed its name to Joyson Safety in April 2018 and moved its headquarters within the Detroit suburbs to Auburn Hills, Mich.

In 2017, Takata pleaded guilty to criminal wrongdoing over its inflators, including submitting false inflator test results to automaker clients to induce them to buy its defective products.

Joyson ranks No. 39 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $6.6 billion in 2019.

Automotive News and Crain's Detroit Business contributed to this report.