Trucks Recalled to Prevent Tyre Loss

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp is recalling at least 56,000 trucks again to repair components that were the cause of another big recall nearly three years ago, the company said. Mitsubishi Fuso, which is majority-owned by DaimlerChrysler AG, told the Japanese Transport Ministry that it would recall its ‘Super Great’ model trucks as their wheel hubs contained a flaw that could lead to the tyres falling off.

According to a company spokesman, Mitsubishi Fuso will recall 56,000 Japanese market trucks manufactured between November 1990 and September 2005, and is considering whether to recall vehicles in this category that were shipped to export markets.

The heavy trucks were first recalled to rectify a problem with the wheel hubs in March 2004 after 140 kg tyres came off, hitting and killing a 29-year-old woman and injuring her two sons. The hubs of 220,000 vehicles were replaced because they were found to be insufficiently strong to guarantee the tyres would remain in place.

Mitsubishi Fuso vice-president Naoya Hasegawa told a news conference “The problem was on the company’s side, and I don’t believe it was a problem in how customers drove the trucks.”

“We understand that some measures need to be taken to prevent the company from falling into poor management again,” he said.

But last October a front-wheel hub on a Mitsubishi Fuso truck was found to have ruptured, and the company subsequently discovered seven more cases of vehicles with slightly cracked hubs that could eventually break.

In a written statement, the company admitted “After reviewing safety guidelines set up in 2004, the company concluded they were not sufficient for the conditions under which the trucks were being used.”