Toyota RAV4 supply in doubt after plant explosion

AUSTRALIA’S best-selling car, the Toyota RAV4, may be at risk of supply shortages following an explosion that rocked suspension supplier Chuo Spring’s Fujioka factory in Toyota City, Japan, killing one employee and injuring two others.

The explosion is understood to have snarled Toyota’s just-in-time supply chain, halting the supply of suspension components to two of the seven lines at Toyota’s Takaoka assembly plant – which produces the RAV4 and US-market Harrier (pictured, a close relation of the Lexus RX).

The explosion has also impacted a related Daihatsu line in Kyoto that produces the Toyota Probox, a compact commercial wagon sold both domestically and into developing markets.

“Safety is Toyota’s top priority,” said a Toyota Motor Corporation spokesperson, adding that “safety investigations are currently underway at the Chuo Spring site.”

While it is too soon to predict any possible impact on overall production numbers, the interruption to RAV4 production could prove troublesome for Toyota Australia, with the importer currently delivering more than 4400 examples of the RAV4 per month.

Speaking with GoAuto today, a Toyota Australia spokesperson said, “We are seeking further information from our production team in Japan. At this stage it’s too soon to know if this will impact on RAV4 production for Australia”.

Both Toyota Australia and Toyota Motor Corporation expressed its condolences to the family of the victim of the Chuo Spring plant explosion, saying it would look to recover lost output once investigations into the cause of the explosion are complete.

It is understood the March 6 explosion occurred in a dust collector at the plant and is the second for Chuo Spring in as many years, following an October 2023 explosion and subsequent fire that caused 10-day part shortages at several Toyota plants.