2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback on 2040-cars

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Lawyer for Ghosn slams bail condition as human rights violation

TOKYO (AP) — The lawyer for Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn on Saturday criticized a bail condition that prevents his client from seeing his wife, as Ghosn awaits trial on financial misconduct charges. A judge has forbidden Ghosn from seeing his wife, Carole, including in the presence of lawyers, or talking to her on the phone. Prosecutors say the restriction is needed to prevent evidence tampering. "This is unfair," Takashi Takano, the lawyer, said in a phone interview, calling it a human rights violation. "It's cruel and unusual." His earlier appeal of the ban, rejected by district and appeals courts, went to the Supreme Court, which turned it down last month. The Supreme Court decision cannot be appealed, but Takano vowed to keep filing new petitions, stressing that the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality or the human rights aspects. The next one will be filed within two or three weeks, he said. Ghosn's lawyers recently filed a second petition with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, arguing that the restrictions on seeing his wife amount to a deprivation of fundamental human rights. Takano acknowledged that the situation looks dismal, as Japan's Supreme Court is not easily influenced by other governments' views or by public opinion. "Even the strongest man in the world can be stressed, psychologically damaged. That's very natural as a human being," said Takano, noting that Ghosn was holding up well compared to other clients he has had. Ghosn has been aggressively taking part in meetings with his defense team, according to Takano. The case has entered the stage known as "pre-trial sessions," during which both sides hand in evidence. A trial date has not been set. In Japan, preparations for trials routinely take months. Ghosn, who led Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. for two decades, was arrested in November and charged with falsifying financial documents in reporting retirement compensation, and with breach of trust in diverting Nissan money toward personal investment losses and a company effectively run by him. Ghosn, 65, a Brazilian-born Frenchman of Lebanese ancestry, has repeatedly said he is innocent, accusing some at Nissan of plotting against him and opposing a plan to merge Nissan with French alliance partner Renault. Renault is set to vote Tuesday on a possible merger with Fiat Chrysler.

2019-22 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport recalled for transmission fault

Mitsubishi says 76,508 Outlander Sports from the 2019 to 2022 model years need to return to dealers for updated software, according to a recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some code released for the electronic control unit managing the continuously variable transmission can suffer a fault if the unit loses power temporarily. In such instances, when power is restored, the software can command the CVT to reset to the lowest 'gear' possible. If this occurs at high speeds, the engine over-revs, and a piston can come into contact with an exhaust valve which then causes the engine to stall. It also kiboshes the engine. This is a bad possibility anywhere, but especially on the highway. It took Mitsubishi engineers about two years to figure out the problem, during which the company has dealt with 50 reports and warranty claims, but says it knows of no injuries or accidents due to the problem. The only Outlander Sports involved in the recall are those with a CVT that need a mechanical key to be started, built from July 31, 2018 to and May 11, 2022. Models with the manual gearbox or push-button start aren't affected. For now, the 2011 to 2018 Outlander Sport isn't included, the software change said to coincide with the 2019 model year. Dealers will install new software that decides on the proper CVT target ratio after a transmission control unit reset.    The automaker said it will begin notifying owners by mail on August 24. Those with questions can call Mitsubishi Motors North America customer service at 888-648-7820 and cite recall number SR-22-004. They can also get in touch with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 888-327-4236 and refer to campaign number 22V563.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.