Cruz, Justine S.

4 BAC

DTI orders recalls of Mitsubishi Montero units, company files appeal

Dominic Almelor, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 07 2017 09:30 PM

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.
Republic Act No. 7394 Consumer Act of the Philippines
It is the policy of the State to protect the interests of the consumer, promote his
general welfare and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry.
Towards this end, the State shall implement measures to achieve the following
objectives:
a) protection against hazards to health and safety;
b) protection against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and
practices;
c) provision of information and education to facilitate sound choice and the
proper exercise of rights by the consumer;
d) provision of adequate rights and means of redress; and
e) involvement of consumer representatives in the formulation of social
and economic policies.

Republic Act No. 10642 Philippines Lemon Law

A lemon car is a defective brand-new unit that’s bought from an authorized
dealer in the country. Any factory defects found in and around the brand-new unit
that don’t meet the manufacturer’s specifications or warranty claims are covered
by the law. The consumer may request (in writing) the dealer to have the
defective unit fixed the 12-month time period for at least 4 attempts. Consumer
must return the unit within 30 days from the previous repair attempt otherwise the
previous repair may be considered as successful.