Nidec, the world’s largest motor maker, acknowledged over 1,000 cases of product quality tampering involving unauthorized design changes and falsification of inspection data on May 13, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The issues include unapproved changes to materials, processes, and designs made without customer confirmation [1, 4, 3].
The disclosures come amid ongoing compliance troubles for the company. In March 2023, Nidec revealed accounting irregularities totaling approximately 250 billion yen (about 11 billion RMB), stemming from fraudulent bookkeeping [2]. The recent quality tampering cases add to the strain after Nidec's founder Shigenobu Nagamori departed the company amid the scandals, leaving a leadership gap [4].
Following the May 13 confirmation of the quality misconduct, Nidec’s shares fell as much as 18% in early trading in Tokyo, marking the company’s steepest drop in six months [4].
To address the problem, Nidec announced plans to form an external investigation committee consisting of outside lawyers and experts. The committee will audit and clarify the extent of the quality tampering, with a report expected by the end of August 2026 [2, 3].
This marks the latest step in Nidec’s efforts to resolve serious issues affecting its operations and reputation in the precision motor manufacturing industry [1, 4].
