Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Quake Heard Across the Auto IndustryFollowing the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan's Kyushu region on July 28, several automakers, including Honda and Toyota, announced production shutdowns. While the disaster occurred in Japan, some affected plants build vehicles for the U.S. market, raising concerns about potential disruptions.For instance, Toyota's Tahara plant, which builds the Land Cruiser 250 and Lexus GX for the U.S. market, will remain idle through August 7. Toyota has not disclosed the extent of the disruption there. Honda, meanwhile, builds the U.S.-spec Prelude at its Yorii plant but confirmed to Automotive News that the suspensions would not affect its U.S.-bound models.James OchoaThe Real Damage Is in the Supply ChainThat is partly because relatively few Hondas are imported from Japan. American Honda imported just 5,637 cars from the country in the first half of 2026, representing less than 1% of its U.S. sales. The Japanese automaker operates several manufacturing plants in the U.S., including facilities in Ohio and Indiana, helping insulate it from Japan-based disruptions while reducing its exposure to import tariffs imposed by the current administration.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe earthquake-related shutdowns are estimated to cost the industry nearly 20,000 vehicles in lost output, including vehicles from Mitsubishi and Daihatsu. Many of the stoppages were caused by supplier and logistics disruptions rather than direct damage to the assembly plants. Japan's auto industry relies heavily on just-in-time manufacturing, which keeps relatively little inventory on hand, so a disruption at even one supplier can force an assembly line to stop.Nissan expects its own shutdowns at two Kyushu plants to reduce output by around 5,000 vehicles. Like Honda, Nissan has an extensive U.S. manufacturing footprint, although it still imports models such as the Leaf, Armada and Z – none of which are among the brand's U.S. volume sellers.LexusBack to WorkThe silver lining is that most of the assembly-plant shutdowns covered in the report were scheduled to end by August 7. Because August 8 falls on a weekend, however, it remains unclear exactly when every affected plant and supplier will return to full-scale production.More broadly, the disruption highlights how important domestic production can be for the U.S. market. It can reduce exposure to overseas supply-chain shocks, which can delay customer deliveries and raise costs. Automakers may also need overtime or special recovery shifts to recoup missed output.NissanView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.