Toyota to Suspend 3 Lines at 2 Plants Mon.

Nagoya, March 8 (Jiji Press)--Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend three lines at two plants in Aichi Prefecture on Monday, company officials have said.

The suspension is believed to be due to the effects of an explosion and fire accident at a plant of Chuo Spring Co., a Toyota affiliate, on Thursday.

The automaker will decide around noon on Monday when to resume the lines.

Subject to the suspension are a line in the Takaoka plant in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, which produces the RAV4 and the Harrier SUVs, and two lines in Toyota Industries Corp.'s Nagakusa plant in Obu, Achi, which produces the RAV4.

Thursday's explosion prompted Chuo Spring to halt two of the seven lines at its Fujioka plant in Toyota, which produces springs for vehicle suspensions. It has not been decided when the lines will be restarted.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]