Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. announced Wednesday it will recall about 112,000 large vehicles due to defective wheel hubs that have caused a series of accidents.

The truck and bus maker officially apologized for taking so long to recognize the design flaw, which causes wheels to detach from the vehicles, after an accident two years ago that left a Yokohama woman dead.

"We deeply regret the long time of two years it took (after a fatal accident in Yokohama) to file the recall, and wish to apologize for having caused public disturbance," Mitsubishi Fuso President Wilfried Porth told a news conference.

"I wish to visit the family of the victim of the accident and extend my condolences."

Large vehicles sold by Mitsubishi Fuso, including those manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors Corp., have been involved in 57 accidents caused by defective wheel hubs since 1992, including those in which wheels detached. In one case that occurred in January 2002, a 29-year-old woman in Yokohama died and her two sons were injured when they were hit by a wheel that detached from a passing truck.

Mitsubishi Fuso previously claimed the wheels came off because of faulty maintenance by users and not because of structural defects. But the Mitsubishi Motors unit admitted earlier this month that a design flaw could have caused the wheels to detach.

The recall covers all large vehicles produced up to 1996. The firm will replace the hubs that connect wheels with the axle.

Around 112,000 vehicles are subject to the recall. The firm has been voluntarily replacing the front hubs of some models since January 2002 and has thus far repaired 76,000 vehicles.

The recall covers some 35,700 large vehicles that have previously been omitted from voluntary repairs. Mitsubishi Fuso said those vehicles had been excluded because the firm at that time concluded they posed no safety concern.

Mitsubishi Fuso's cost for the recall is estimated at around 6.5 billion yen, Porth said.

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry is investigating to find out when Mitsubishi Fuso became aware of the design flaw.

If it becomes evident that Mitsubishi Fuso blamed improper maintenance even though it was aware of the structural deficiencies, the ministry will consider legal steps against the firm for making false reports, officials said.

Mitsubishi Fuso was established in 2003 when Mitsubishi Motors spun off its truck division.

According to the transport ministry officials, the truck maker submitted two in-house reports March 8 suggesting that structural defects can cause wheel hubs to crack and break, leading wheels to come off.

Porth said the firm will conduct a thorough investigation of how the firm reached the original conclusion stating that the wheels were coming off due to improper maintenance.

Mitsubishi Fuso said the countermeasures taken under the recall would be temporary because the firm has not yet developed new hubs of improved strength.

Under the tentative measures, the hubs will be replaced with "type B" models until improved hubs with sufficient strength can be supplied. The type B hub already has a history of experiencing cracks. But Mitsubishi Fuso said there is no need for concern because the type B hubs will be used for a short period of time.

The truck maker said it would take several months to replace the defective hubs with the improved model.