Nissan Motor said on Wednesday an "extremely low awareness" of the seriousness of inspection standards and rules had led to improper measuring of exhaust emissions and fuel economy in vehicle models made in Japan.
Reuters noted Nissan had said in July sample testing for emissions and fuel economy in final vehicle inspections at most of its factories in Japan did not meet domestic standards, the second case in less than a year where misconduct was found in its inspection process.
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The breach of inspection standards was similar to a case last year, when the firm admitted that for decades uncertified inspectors had signed off on final checks for cars sold in Japan.
"As a company – executives, managers to plant supervisors – Nissan had extremely low awareness of the gravity of violating (final vehicle inspection) standards and rules," Nissan said in a statement cited by the news agency.
It blamed the misconduct on a shortage of final inspectors and a lack of oversight by plant managers, adding it also needed to do more training.
Nissan said there were improper inspections during sample testing of 1,205 vehicles, more than the 1,171 units the company had initially reported in July.
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By GlobalDataOther tests for horn volume, external vehicle noise and the aim of headlights were also conducted improperly, Nissan said.
According to Reuters, Nissan said its sample tests would now be overseen by supervisors and managers. It also planned to boost the number of inspectors and revamp the computer software used to measure vehicle emissions.
Separately, the news agency added, Suzuki Motor said, also on Wednesday, it found that 6,438 vehicles had been improperly tested for emissions and fuel economy, slightly higher than what the company reported to the government in August.
