Mitsubishi recalls mini cars in Japan

Mitsubishi recalls mini cars in Japan

TOKYO: Troubled automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Thursday it would recall 676,741 Minica and Minica Toppo light cars in Japan due to a battery problem, though no accidents had been reported.

"Rainwater may enter the battery box causing battery fluid to scatter (in) some cases. The scattered fluid may hit the left front brake pipe resulting in possible damage to it," Mitsubishi said in a statement.

In the worst case scenario a car's braking ability could be affected, Japan's fourth largest automaker said, adding it had received 31 reports of such a problem.

Mitsubishi would install battery covers and replace battery sheets with those fitted with a drainage hose to fix the fault, it said. The firm will also inspect braking pipes for its customers.

The recall covers vehicles made between 1993 to 1998.

Mitsubishi's image was tarnished after it confessed in August 2000 to having failed to inform authorities about at least 64,000 customer complaints over faulty vehicles since 1977, opting to repair the vehicles itself instead of issuing costly model-wide recalls. --AFP