The latest discovery stems from Fuso's investigation into its past quality issues dating back to the 1970s. In mid 2004, the OEM released a list of 159 unreported defect cases dating back to 1992, coming up with 47 defects requiring repairs by the automaker.

The 47 cases were reported to the government for a recall last October. The company said it will submit recall reports for 17 of the 118 remaining cases to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry. The defects in the 17 cases, including brake malfunctions and fuel leaks, led to two accidents that resulted in injuries, it said. Mitsubishi Fuso will notify the ministry of its intention to recall a total of about 167,000 vehicles in a total of 37 defect cases. This is in addition to the 849,000 vehicles already recalled as a result of the investigation.

DaimlerChrysler, which acquired a 65 percent stake in Mitsubishi Fuso from Mitsubishi Motors for about €1 billion in March last year, is believed to be preparing to settle its claim against the company for the reduction in its shareholding value caused by Fuso's ongoing QC problems.