Filed under: Government/Legal, Japan, Recalls/TSBs, Mitsubishi
Ex-head of Mitsubishi convicted for driver death in recall scandal
This story should give every auto executive pause the next time he or she is faced with whether or not to issue a recall for a defective part. A court in Japan has ruled that a former head of Mitsubishi Motors is guilty of negligence that ultimately led to the death of a driver who was killed when his Mitsubishi truck crashed due to a faulty clutch housing that was never recalled. The court ruled that Katsuhiko Kawasoe (shown here in 2004 when he first faced these charges) and three other executives at the time had known about defective parts on its vehicles for decades and actively tried to conceal them or have them fixed in secret. Kawasoe and his three cohorts, who all plead not guilty, were given suspended sentences, so none will serve any jail time. Mitsubishi's recall scandal first came to light in 2000, since which other deaths have been attributed to the automaker's negligence. Last month another court in Yokohama found two other Mitsubishi execs guilty of the same crime, but this is the first time the head of an automaker has been convicted. [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, photo by JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike 3:07PM (1/16/2008)
an entire blog post about defective parts leading to death... and not one mention of the actual defect, or how it related to deaths.
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Mike 3:12PM (1/16/2008)
Nice edit....
kooldino 4:23PM (1/16/2008)
LOL, good point.
Luis 8:00PM (1/16/2008)
They've all (carmakers) been guilty at some point...
tankd0g 3:24PM (1/16/2008)
And yet Iacocca roams fee...
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Temple 6:02PM (1/16/2008)
. . .same goes for Ford and Firestone execs who knowingly allowed defects into their vehicles that accounted for 250 deaths and 3,000 injurys.
Brian W 6:17PM (1/16/2008)
True. Mitsubishi has paid the price more than any other auto maker has. They all lie and cover defects up but since Mitsu got caught, others have been a lot more truthful.
Polly Prissy Pants 10:47AM (1/17/2008)
Here isn the U.S. we really don't hold execs accountable for anything that goes wrong, we just give them credit when things go well. Perhaps if they were held at least somewhat accountable for their decisions we would have a better, safer, more consumer friiendly marketplace. Just a thought.
RK 3:25PM (1/16/2008)
Well, who would have known, even teriyaki cars have defects.
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MachinaDC5 4:17PM (1/16/2008)
Mitsubishi's never really had the greatest reputation for reliability. Remember, owning a DSM is better than an ASE certification?
R 5:05PM (1/16/2008)
Mitsubishi's always been on the low end. They were nearly financially wiped out before being bailed out by the Japanese government, as far as I know.
I've heard of other shady practices done by Mitsu, and this one just adds to it. I think I will continue to avoid Mitsus.
Temple 6:05PM (1/16/2008)
Mitsubishi wasn't bailed out by the Japanese government, they were sold off to the other Mitsubishi conglomerates after being run into the ground by Daimler Chrysler.
Also, these recalls that they are referring to is for Mitsubishi Fuso, and NOT Mitsubishi Motors. Fuso is the heavy truck division that is still owned by DCX, and has little operate connection with MMC.
EquinsuOcha 1:32AM (1/17/2008)
Thank you Temple - this is the information that SHOULD have been in the original story, but somehow was left out.
Frank 8:47AM (1/17/2008)
"after being run into the ground by Daimler Chrysler."
Should say - after being run into the ground by the former Daimler Chrysler. If you are Mitsu fan now you know how Chrysler fans feel about Shremp, Dr. Z, and the other Daimler minions.
blogged to death 3:52PM (1/16/2008)
dum, duh dum dum - Ford.
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pat 5:32PM (1/16/2008)
Wow. You are awesome, you put down Ford. HaHaHa.
It is a true knee-slapper how you put down Ford in a Mitsubishi blog. You should be a stand up comedian.
P.S. That was sarcasm. Only an utter jack-@ss would insult Ford in a non-Ford thread.
blogged to death 7:38PM (1/16/2008)
Mitsu got what it deserves - now if only the US would hold our automakers (such as Ford) accountable for the fatal defects they've pawned on us. You know he safe for the public Pinto or the easy to roll over Explorer.
But you so smart (read that as satire) - can't see the link from Mitsu's corporate greed by selling dangerous vehicles to Ford's corporate greed by selling dangerous vehicles to the public. But, I'll stand "pat" that companies in the US no longer get free lunches and executives are exonerated b/c they cannot be held personally liable for their cheap skate decisions that were the direct cause of their customer's death.
Cya jack-@ss
DIRETTORE 10:07PM (1/16/2008)
Silence of the Lambs
A TV documentary has revealed that the BMW fortune may well have been built on forced labour from concentration camps under the Nazis. The documentary says controllers of BMW, the Quandt family profited immensely from the forced slave labour shipped in from the Neugamme concentration camp.
Ford, Merc, Opel, VW were not much better.
Jerk Face 4:05PM (1/16/2008)
Yikes..
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RLQ 5:17PM (1/16/2008)
If there is one Japanese auto company that has problems...
its Mitsubishi.
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