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Japan's second-biggest automaker said the recall would cost it
around 25 billion yen ($222 million) to re-inspect cars produced
for the domestic market between October 2014 and September 2017,
which include top sellers the Serena minivan and the Note
compact hatchback.
"We must take the registration framework and procedures
seriously, regardless of how busy we may be or how short-staffed
we may be," CEO Hiroto Saikawa told reporters at a media
conference.
"We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers."
Saikawa added the company was investigating how and why the
inspections took place, a process expected to take around a
month. A third party will participate in an internal
investigation into the matter, he said.
The announcement is the latest by a Japanese automaker over
improper conduct, and comes a year and a half after Mitsubishi
Motors Corp <7211.T> admitted it had falsified the fuel economy
for some of its domestic market models, which resulted in Nissan
taking a controlling stake in its smaller rival.
It expands the scope of a problem reported last week, when
Nissan initially said it would suspend the registration of
60,000 vehicles over unauthorized inspections.
The automaker' s shares fell as much as 5.3 percent to their
lowest since April before closing down 2.7 percent. The
benchmark Nikkei average stock price index <.N225> ended up 0.2
percent.
Nissan made 386,000 vehicles for the domestic market in 2016.
Automakers must register all such vehicles with Japan's
government before sale, with owners renewing the registrations
of passenger vehicles every three years.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on
Friday it has asked Nissan to report measures to prevent a
recurrence of the issue by the end of October.
($1 = 112.8100 yen)
(Additional reporting by Tom Wilson and Naomi Tajitsu; Editing
by Christopher Cushing and Mark Potter)
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