Subaru Corp. filed a recall of some 395,000 vehicles Thursday with Japan's transport ministry after it was revealed that the carmaker had allowed unauthorized workers to carry out final tests at two of its plants for over 30 years.
The Japanese carmaker has recalled all nine of its models. The models include the "86" sports car, manufactured by Subaru for Toyota Motor Corp.
The carmaker had initially estimated that 255,000 units needed to be recalled, but the number has increased after Subaru found it difficult to identify the vehicles inspected by unauthorized workers.
Subaru has admitted that it had allowed uncertified staff to carry out final tests at two of its plants in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, violating transport ministry requirements.
The transport ministry, which inspected Subaru's two plants last month, instructed Subaru then to report preventive measures in about a month.
Last week, Subaru downgraded its full-year group earnings forecast for the current business year through next March, saying it expects to spend 10 billion yen ($88 million) dealing with the problem.
A string of industrial scandals have been tarnishing Japan Inc.'s reputation for quality.
Subaru's revelation follows a similar case at Nissan Motor Co., where unauthorized workers were found to have conducted final inspection tests. Nissan halted shipment and operations at all of its six domestic plants in October after it had found that improper car tests had continued even after announcing a recall and said it had strengthened control of its inspection processes.
Kobe Steel Ltd. has been grappling with a data fabrication scandal after admitting it presented falsified specification data on aluminum, copper and other products supplied to 525 companies ranging from major carmakers to bullet train operators.
Last week, the steelmaker said an internal probe found that its closed corporate culture and an overemphasis on meeting delivery dates lay behind the data fabrication.
