Nissan Motor confirmed it would recall 1.2m vehicles sold in Japan after government officials discovered flaws in the company's post production inspection procedures.
The problem originally came to light in early September following plant scrutiny carried out by the ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism which found safety inspections at a number of Nissan factories were being carried out by unqualified personnel.
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Since then, unconfirmed reports have emerged suggesting some documents may have been falsified.
The automaker acted swiftly to deal with the problem with the suspension of new vehicle sales at the weekend – until new safety procedures and inspection personnel were put in place.
As many as 24 models sold in Japan between October 2014 and September 2017 will be recalled for another inspection which is expected to cost the automaker around JPY25bn (US$222m).
The recall is mainly procedural and the company does not expect to have to replace any parts.
The ministry likely will impose additional financial sanctions on the company for its procedural lapses.
See also: After Nissan, other Japanese OEMs check inspection systems
