Mitsubishi Fuso concealed customer complaints

Akahata of April 30 revealed that Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTB), which is facing criminal accusations in connection with dozens of accidents, including a fatal one in which a wheel fell off a Fuso truck, withheld from the regulators 98 percent of customer complaints it had received in 1998.

The revelation was based on the information that a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Mitsubishi for its complaints-hiding attempt submitted to the court.

From January to December 1998, Mitsubishi had received 3,839 complaints from customers driving its trucks and buses. Although automakers are required to report customer complaints to the transport ministry, only 42 of them were reported to the ministry when it inspected Mitsubishi in March 1999.

The withheld information included the one regarding defective wheel hubs.

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

In July 2000, a whistle-blower revealed that Mitsubishi had systematically concealed customer complaints for more than 20 years. (end)