TOKYO (AP) -- Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it will suspend vehicle production at two factories in Japan after a parts shipment was halted by volcanic ash disrupting international flights.
Nissan's production at a line at its Oppama plant near Tokyo and two lines at its Kyushu factory in southern Japan will stop all day Wednesday because the planned shipment of tire pressure sensors from Ireland has not arrived, company spokeswoman Sachi Inagaki said.
Nissan is the first known major Japanese manufacturer to be affected by drifting ash from the Icelandic volcano which has grounded flights for five days, crippling European air travel and cargo shipments. Only limited flights were allowed to resume Tuesday.
The components, installed on the back of a tire valve cap, are used in three models for the North American Market -- the Cube compact made at the Oppama plant, and the Murano and Rogue crossover SUV models produced at the Kyushu plant.
The suspension would affect nearly 2,000 vehicles, including the three models and eight other models that are produced on the same production lines, Inagaki said.
Production plans from Thursday on have not been determined, she said.
