Ministry of Justice investigates Toyota Corolla Cross exhaust

Since its launch, the Toyota Corolla Cross has received heavy criticism for the very apparent position of its exhaust. The automaker even sought a “Brazilian way” for the attacks, by painting the part black from the 2023 line onwards, but the solution could yield even more headaches – this time with the Ministry of Justice.

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The National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon) of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security notified the automaker last Monday (20) about possible poor quality in the part and camouflage used by Toyota in the Corolla Cross 2023.

In a note, the agency highlighted consumer reports that claim: Toyota used inferior material in the painting of the Brazilian version. There is no public evidence to support or disprove this claim, however.

“We are attentive to practices that violate transparency in the relationship between companies and consumers,” said Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who added that if Toyota is found to be in bad faith, it may face administrative sanctions.

Senacon’s objective is to understand the “alleged differentiation between the quality, performance and aesthetics of the items of vehicles sold in Brazil, compared to those of the same brand and model sold in European and North American countries”. In the aforementioned territories, Toyota’s SUV is sold in a similar configuration, with the exhaust painted in matte black.

For the Ministry of Justice and Senacon, the fact that Toyota paints only the tailpipes is another problem. According to the authorities, owners of the model are also not happy with the quality of the paint used, claiming that it peels off in a short time. Currently, the Japanese SUV does not leave dealerships for less than R$ 158,780.

Senacon also says it will look into whether customers are being properly informed about partial exhaust paint and whether the paint used is, in fact, of low quality. The automaker has ten days to provide official clarifications.

The report contacted Toyota in search of the automaker’s position, however, until the publication of this note, no response was received. This will be added once the brand returns.