What Went Wrong at Nissan and Subaru
A worker assembles a vehicle on the production line of the Nissan Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Japan.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/BloombergA bad year for Japan Inc. got worse last week after Subaru Corp. joined Nissan Motor Co. in saying it was recalling cars that were signed off by uncertified vehicle inspectors. The revelations follow Kobe Steel Ltd.’s admission that it cheated on quality control tests and Takata Corp.’s bankruptcy filing following its airbag debacle. In comparison to those scandals, the transgressions by Nissan and Subaru are likely to be less damaging, but they are still an embarrassment.
The transport ministry has said Nissan and Subaru are the only two automakers recalling automobiles in Japan because people not authorized to certify vehicles approved the final OK at the very end of the assembly line.