Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. and other auto makers that compete in Japan filed 170 recalls from April to July, more than four-fifths of the total for the entire previous year, in part because of increased parts sharing among manufacturers.
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport received 204 recall applications in the business year ended March 31, according to data on the ministry's website.
Auto makers are sharing more parts to cut costs and speed up development of new models, which means one faulty component may trigger recalls by more than one car maker. Mitsubishi Motors and its truck affiliate filed more recalls than other companies after admitting hiding defects, saying it will call back more than 800,000 Mitsubishi-brand vehicles this year.