C211001 Reading Court Decisions of the Criminal Cases Concerning Mitsubishi Recall Concealment

Abstract

In 2002 a mother was killed in an accident caused by a tire fallen out of the front left hub of a large trailer truck. Investigation found that the tire fell off because of fatigue failure of the hub. Investigation also found that cracks had been found in many hubs of the same type, but the manufacturer of the truck, Mitsubishi Motor Company, had not taken such steps as recall in order to prevent an accident. Two managers of the manufacturer were indicted for negligently killing a person, and found guilty. We have studied the criminal decisions of the case, which went through the first instance and the appeal, and even to the Supreme Court. Although all the three instances found the defendants guilty, they gave slightly different reasons. Close study of their reasoning has shown that the true cause of the fatigue failure is still unknown, and there is still reasonable doubt that a recall, even properly performed, may not have prevented the accident.