1.   Auto defects have received little attention on Capitol Hill for many years.

2.   But Justice Department officials said that an investigation was not likely because the federal law covering auto defects is fairly weak.

3.   The tire case is not the only one that makes the cry for a better accounting of auto defects and annoyances compelling.

4.   At that time, the company acknowledged it had been hiding auto defects for decades.

5.   Boosting sales battered by a cover-up of auto defects that surfaced two years ago remains a big challenge.

6.   Japanese consumer trust in the automaker was shaken because Mitsubishi acknowledged it had covered up reports of auto defects for decades to avoid recalls.

7.   Mitsubishi Motors is embarking on a turnaround plan with DaimlerChrysler, struggling to revive sales that have plummeted in Japan since a cover-up of auto defects surfaced last summer.

8.   Mitsubishi is in the midst of a turnaround plan, struggling to revive sales that have plummeted in Japan since a cover-up of auto defects surfaced last summer.

9.   Sales of Mitsubishi cars have plunged in Japan after the company disclosed it had been systematically covering up auto defects for decades.

10.   The automaker has acknowledged it had been systematically hiding auto defects targeted in customer complaints for more than two decades in an effort to avoid costly recalls.