Nissan Motor will recall all 1.2 million new passenger cars it sold in Japan over the past three years after discovering final vehicle inspections were not performed by authorised technicians, it said on Monday.
The recall is the second major misconduct incident involving a Japanese automaker in as many years after Mitsubishi admitted in April 2016 it had falsified the fuel economy for some of its domestic market models.
Nissan, Japan’s second biggest carmaker, said all recalled vehicles would undergo re-inspections for final checks on issues including steering radius and braking and acceleration capabilities, at a cost of 25 billion yen (€189m).
"We must take the registration framework and procedures seriously, regardless of how busy we may be or how short-staffed we may be," chief executive Hiroto Saikawa told reporters at a media conference. "We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers."
Passenger car sales in Japan account for roughly 10 per cent of Nissan’s global sales.
Nissan’s shares fell as much as 5.3 per cent to hit their lowest since April before recovering some ground. – Reuters
