Nissan Motor Co. may have given inaccurate information to the transport ministry in an inspection in September which brought to light the automaker's use of uncertified staff to carry out final safety checks on cars, informed sources said Tuesday.
Keiichi Ishii, minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism told a press conference on Tuesday that the automaker's dealings with the ministry's inspection in September had been inappropriate which could add to Nissan's woes surrounding the scandal.
Ishii said he "will respond harshly if specific facts are confirmed," with reference to whether a criminal complaint would be filed against Nissan following its slew of misconducts.
He also blasted the firm for routinely using unqualified staff for final vehicle inspections which has undermined ministry-standard procedures for certified technicians.
Having halted shipments and production at all six of its assembly plants here in October after it was revealed that uncertified inspections were still occurring even after the scandal first came to light in September, production and shipment resumed at five of Nissan's plants here Tuesday.
The transport ministry has been conducting inspections at Nissan's plants as it steps up measures to ensure the embattled automaker's practice of using uncertified staff to carry out safety checks is curbed and preventative measures put in place.
Such measures include Nissan carrying out final inspections on vehicles in areas that are not connected to other inspection lines and external probes being carried out on a weekly basis.
The final inspections conducted on vehicles by unqualified personnel at Nissan led to the automaker issuing a domestic recall of some 1.2 million cars sold in Japan over the past three years and a suspension to production of domestic automobiles.
According to an internal investigation at Nissan, it was revealed that improper final inspections on vehicles had become an inherent practice at the Yokohama-based automaker and dated back as far as 20 years.
The new independent inspection protocol and probes will lead to a possibly lengthy drop in vehicle production, informed sources said Tuesday.
Nissan's ongoing scandal, along with those related to Kobe Steel and another Japanese automaker, Subaru Corp., have severely diminished domestic and international confidence in Japan's once stellar manufacturing industry.
Subaru Corp. on Monday slashed its full-year group earnings forecast for the current business year owing to costs associated with its lengthy practice of uncertified vehicle inspections.
Subaru is gearing up to issue a recall this month on around 255,000 vehicles after it was revealed in late October that final vehicle inspections had also been carried out by uncertified staff.
The recall will be applicable to the firm's whole range of 12 models that have been sold over the past three years, Subaru said.
