MMC Still Tracing Cause of Lithium-Ion Battery Problems

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. says "rough handling" of lithium-ion batteries during inspection may contribute to overheating problems that prompted the company to suspend production of plug-in versions of its Outlander crossover vehicle in Japan in late March.

But MMC says additional factors could be to blame, and it won't resume output until a definitive cause is identified. The company says it hopes to resolve the problem by the end of April and will order a recall if necessary.

MMC has delivered about 4,300 plug-in Outlanders since the January debut of the model, which currently is sold only in Japan.

The company halted production of the hybrid Outlander at its Mizushima plant late last month after the battery in one vehicle caught fire and the housing of two others melted. At that time MMC also urged owners of the model not to recharge its battery until the problem is resolved.

MMC reports a similar problem with a battery in one of its i-MiEV electric city cars while still at the factory.

Outlander batteries are supplied by an MMC joint venture with GS Yuasa Corp., the Japanese company that made defective lithium-ion batteries for the Boeing 737 Dreamliner passenger plane.