Nissan has admitted misconduct in its exhaust emissions testing procedure in Japan and submitted related information to the Japanese ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism.

The brand alleges to have discovered ‘nonconformities’ in its final inspection process back in September 2017 and has since carried out an internal investigation into how the discrepancies came about. 

Reuters reports that both Nissan and sister brand Renault's shares have fallen since the announcement. 

A statement released by Nissan admits that emissions and fuel economy tests “deviated from the prescribed testing environment” and the “creation of inspection reports based on altered measurement values”. 

The misconduct was discovered through “proactive initiatives to prevent recurrence of such issues”, although the company wouldn't explain why these initiatives were launched when they were. 

Nissan has commissioned a law firm to investigate the issue and implemented its own preventative measures to ensure that a similar issue doesn’t occur in the future. 

Nissan has clarified that none of its cars strays from its advertised fuel economy and emissions figures and that it will continue to search for areas of non-compliance, taking the necessary steps if more are uncovered.