The massive earthquake that struck Japan on Friday has forced the country's major automakers to suspend all production at their manufacturing plants indefinitely, as the companies take stock of the damage caused by the natural disaster.

Japan was rocked by an 9.0-magnitude earthquake, which also triggered a subsequent tsunami. Many of the factories for Toyota, Honda and Nissan are located in the central part of the main island, which only suffered minor damage from the earthquake and avoided the tsunami completely. However, the Tohoku region, just north of Tokyo, was hit particularly bad, and the three companies suffered damage to more than a dozen plants in the area.

In addition, the status of the part suppliers used by the companies is unknown at this time.

"Our first priority on Friday was, are our people OK?" Nissan communications and marketing director Simon Sproule told the Detroit News. "What's uncertain now is the extent of the damage to suppliers, particularly small suppliers in remote areas. That's what we're looking at now."

All three automakers have released statements that reveal they are still trying to determine the extent of the damage. In terms of vehicles sold in the U.S., most are made at plants located within North America. However, some select models, like the Scion xD and xB, Acura RL, Honda CR-Z and Toyota Yaris are made exclusively in Japan and are imported. There is currently no timetable for when production will resume.