The truck and bus maker officially apologized for taking so long to recognize the design flaw, which causes wheels to detach from the vehicles.

Large vehicles sold by Mitsubishi Fuso, including those manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors Corp., have been involved in 57 accidents caused by defective wheel hubs since 1992, including those in which wheels detached. In one case that occurred in January 2002, a 29-year-old woman in Yokohama died and her two sons were injured when they were hit by a wheel that detached from a passing truck.

Mitsubishi Fuso previously claimed the wheels came off because of faulty maintenance by users and not because of structural defects.

On March 25, the president of the company, Wilfried Porth, visited the Yokohama grave of Shiho Okamoto and laid some flowers to apologize for the accident. It was the first time anyone from MMC had offered a direct apology to the victim's family.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 3, 2004
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