TOKYO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Suzuki Motor Corp. on Thursday confirmed with Japan's transport ministry that it would proceed with its largest-ever domestic recall of vehicles that did not undergo appropriate safety inspections.
An external team of lawyers earlier this month found that personnel at Suzuki who were not appropriately qualified to undertake safety inspections, including those on vehicles' brakes, had been signing off on such safety checks.
The recall spans 29 models made by Suzuki as well as vehicles it has produced for other automakers, and will cost the Shizuoka-based automaker about 80 billion yen (715 million U.S. dollars) in special losses for the fiscal year that ended last month.
Similar improprieties, including uncertified safety checks found to have been routinely carried out by other automakers here, including Nissan Motor Co. and Subaru Corp., also leading to extensive recalls, have compounded growing concerns about quality control in Japan's manufacturing sector.
