Decision still subject to appeal as Mitsubishi asserts safety of its vehicles

MANILA - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Wednesday ordered Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation to recall automatic transmission units of the Montero Sport released from 2010 to 2015 due to a defect in its pedal displacement design.

The DTI Adjudication Division’s decision was in response to complaints filed against Mitsubishi Motors for alleged cases of sudden unintended acceleration (SUA).

The agency found that accidents involving the vehicle were not due to SUA but because of a defective pedal displacement design, which rendered unsafe and dangerous 2010 to 2015 automatic transmission models of the Montero.

The agency commanded Mitsubishi Motors to cease and desist from marketing and selling units of the vehicle model in question, to refund those that have affected vehicles depending on the appraised value, and to make public the product recall order within 20 days.

It also instructed Mitsubishi Motors to recall the vehicles of the 24 victims of alleged SUA cases, and to give them a refund.

DTI said the decision was not yet final due to a motion for reconsideration filed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines.

The complainant, DTI's Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), will have to answer the motion before a final resolution is released.

In a statement, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines said it was confident about the technical integrity and safety compliance of the car units in question.

"No safety-related concerns on SUA have been raised in any other market concerning the Montero Sport (2010-2015) automatic, of which 360,000 units have been sold around the world," the statement read.

In December 2015, the FTEB filed administrative charges against Mitsubishi Motors Philippines for the sale of alleged defective, hazardous, and dangerous products based on complaints over its Montero model.