The Japanese Mitsubishi Motor Vehicle Co. on Thursday made an apology to Chinese consumers for its defective cars and promised a global free replacement of car parts including Chinese users.
The company's new model car Pajero/V73 has defections in its brakes that will lead to a brake malfunction or even failure in driving. A total of 4300 such cars that were imported between 2000 April and 2001 July were covered by the replacement, according to the company's announcement.
The company said the users of the cars can get a free replacement of brake parts since August 6 in its agent companies and contracted maintenance stations across the country.
The design flaw was found last September, when several accidents occurred due to Pajero brake system failures in Yunnan Province, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. An examination found that the brake fluid in the cars tends to leak during rough driving and cause brake failure.
Mitsubishi got in trouble since then as the outbreak of nationwide discontentment against its refusal of apology and compensation.
A seriously injured woman, who was knocked down by a Pajero when its brakes failed on December 25,2000 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province, remained in hospital.
(Xinhua 08/02/2001)