Mitsubishi Fuso admits defects in tire

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has admitted its responsibility for dozens of tire-dropout accidents and announced that it will recall or repair vehicles.

MFTBC President Wilfried Porth on March 11 called a news conference in Tokyo to express his condolences. But he stopped short of apologizing to the family of the victims of a fatal accident.

In January 2002, a 29-year-old woman was killed and her two children injured when a wheel rolled off a Mitsubishi truck in Yokohama City.

The mother of the victim said, "If Mitsubishi had implemented the vehicle recall earlier, my daughter wouldn't have died."

Since 1992, 50 cases of wheels rolling off Mitsubishi trailer trucks have been reported.

Akahata has long pointed out that "structural defects" in hubs connecting the wheels and the axle may be a factor in the accidents, including wheels coming off.

Mitsubishi, however, had insisted that the accidents were due to "poor maintenance" and refused any vehicle recalls. The transportation ministry had also endorsed the maker's explanation.

The Japanese Communist Party first brought up this problem in May 2002 at a Lower House committee meeting and has been requesting on-site inspections since that time. (end)