Toyota production grinds to a halt following malfunction

A malfunction has caused operations at all 14 of Toyota's Japanese factories to be suspended earlier this week, affecting 28 production lines.

According to a written statement from Toyota, 12 of the plants resumed operations after the 24-hour halt, which the Japanese car giant says was "due to a malfunction in the production order system".

The company has apologised to its customers and suppliers for any inconvenience caused.

Two of its factories remained offline for an extra eight-hour shift – one of which produces vehicles for the Japanese market – while the other is responsible for manufacturing Lexus UX, NX, ES, and RX models.

All combined, the 14 factories account for approximately a third of Toyota's global production, according to news outlet Reuters – with Toyota being the world's largest car-maker by volume.

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According to Reuters, Toyota's Japanese factories produced an average of 13,500 vehicles every day in the first half of 2023.

"It is our understanding that the malfunction of the system was not caused by a cyberattack. However, we will continue to investigate the cause," the company said in a written statement.

In March 2022, Toyota was forced to halt production at its 14 Japanese plants due to a cyber attack targeting one of its major parts suppliers.