Takashi Usami, chairman of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp., resigned Friday to take the blame for wheel hub problems that caused numerous accidents, including one fatality, and led to a mass vehicle recall.
The company has recalled some 112,000 large vehicles with defective front-wheel hubs.
There have been more than 50 accidents in which wheels became separated from Mitsubishi Fuso vehicles while driving. An accident in Yokohama in 2002 killed a woman and injured her two sons.
In a report to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry on Thursday, the automaker said it will also recall some 10,600 large trucks and buses to fix defective rear-wheel hubs.
Mitsubishi Fuso has come under fire for the delayed recall of its defective vehicles. The ministry might investigate the company for a possible violation of the law governing the recall system.
Mitsubishi Fuso was established in January 2003 after Mitsubishi Motors Corp. spun off its truck and bus operations. DaimlerChrysler AG and MMC are the main shareholders in Mitsubishi Fuso.