Suzuki to Recall 2 M. Vehicles over Inspection Scandal

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)--Suzuki Motor Corp. <7269> notified the transport ministry on Thursday that it will recall more than two million vehicles for possible breaches of the state-set safety standards, following revelations of improper preshipment inspections. Subject to the recall are 2,021,500 vehicles manufactured between May 2015 and February 2019, marking a record high for a single recall notification in Japan. Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki told a press conference on Friday that the recall is likely to cost about 80 billion yen. The transport ministry plans to carry out an on-site inspection of the minivehicle manufacturer's head office in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Friday under the Road Transport Vehicle Act. It is considering administrative punishment against the company. The recall covers 17 vehicle models including the Spacia, Wagon R, Alto and Hustler, as well as 12 models that Suzuki supplies to Nissan Motor Co. <7201>, Mazda Motor Corp. <7261> and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. <7211>. In its investigation report released on Friday, Suzuki revealed irregularities including data manipulation in brake inspections for four-wheel vehicles at three factories in Shizuoka Prefecture. Improper operations have also been detected in inspections of speedometers and other parts. After hearings with inspectors, the report indicated that improper inspections may have started around June 1981 and continued through around January this year. The report also said there were attempts to cover up vehicle inspections by workers who were not certified as inspectors. Other Japanese automakers including Nissan Motor Co. <7201> and Subaru Corp. <7270> have been hit by similar inspection scandals and slapped with punitive measures by the transport ministry.