Southeast Motor recalls 998 Mitsubishi branded sedans in China

By: Louise Liu   2010-03-01

734 Mitsubishi Lancer EX sedans are recalled due to defective lever bolts.

FUZHOU, Fujian - Southeast (Fujian) Motor Co., Ltd. (Southeast Motor) is recalling 734 Mitsubishi Lancer EXs and 264 Galant sedans to fix defective bolts and automatic transmission fuel pipes.

The Lancer EX has safety problems caused by the brittle lever-bolt made with improperly modified techniques, while the Galant has possible leakage problems with AT fuel pipes caused by improper electroplating, according to online statements by China's quality watchdog - the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in early February.

Affected vehicles include the CVT-equipped Lancer EXs produced from November 17 to December 15, 2009, and Galants produced from August 28 to September 24, 2009. Southeast Motor promises to fix the problems for free.

The Lancer EX hit the roads in China in mid-November last year. The previous generation Lancer has been a flagship sedan model of Southeast Motor and once accounted for 60 percent of the three-way JV's sedan sales.

Mitsubishi introduced the Lancer EX as the first model in its all-new China strategy, and bets heavily on it to revive sales.

CBU-Autostats shows that 6,007 Lancer EXs were sold in the last two months of 2009. December sales alone stood at 3,961 units. On top of that, 3,541 Galant sedans were sold in China last year, down 16.35 percent year-on-year.