1999 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE Complaints

I PURCHASED A USED 1999 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER IN AUG 2006. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE IT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK TO A SHOP, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG & RESET THE BUTTON. WHEN I RETURNED HOME THE SES LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN & I TOOK TO TRANSMISSION SHOP TO SEE WHY?THEY FOUND NOTHING....I THEN DROVE IT & THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY BURNED UP & STRANDED ME @ NIGHT, ALONE, ON A WEEKEND IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE..ON MONDAY I CALLED THE ORIG TRANS. SHOP & THEY CAME & TOWED IT BACK..REBUILT IT WHICH COST ME CLOSE TO $1,800..I DROVE AGAIN BACK FROM THE LA AREA & SES LIGHT CAME ON & TRANNY WAS ALMOST BURNT COMPLETELY AGAIN.SINCE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY A PLACE IN BAKERSFIELD CAME & TOWED IT THE NEXT DAY. I WAS STRANDED AGAIN @ NIGHT & HAD TO PAY FOR A CAB TO TAKE ME BACK TO WHERE I HAD BEEN, OVER 250 MILES WHICH I PAID FOR!.....2 WEEKS LATER MY CAR WAS READY....I HAD TO RENT A CAR TO GET TO BAKERSFIELD TO PICK IT UP..... A MONTH LATER WENT BACK TO LA & SES LIGHT CAME ON & SMOKE POURED FROM UNDER THE HOOD...I CHECKED TRANNY FLUID & IT WAS FULL HOWEVER COULDN'T DRIVE UNTIL IT WAS LOOKED AT..AGAIN STRANDED, NO VACANT HOTELS EXCEPT ONE ($300+ A NIGHT)...HOLIDAY WEEKEND SO I WAITED UNTIL TUES FOR AN AFFILIATED SHOP(PASA ROBLES) TO LOOK AT IT.....THEY SAID IT WAS FINE TO DRIVE....I DROVE 60 MILES & IT HAPPENED AGAIN.....STRANDED IN LOST HILLS I CALLED THE ORIG TRANNY SHOP(SANTA CRUZ) & LATER THEY DROVE 2 LOST HILLS & TOWED IT BACK. I HAD TO PAY FOR A CAB TO BAKERSFIELD AIRPORT ($200), & RENT ANOTHER CAR TO GET TO LA....I RENTED YET ANOTHER CAR TO BE ABLE TO RETURN HOME.........I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR FOR A TOTAL OF AT LEAST 90 DAYS OR MORE WITHIN A 7 MONTH PERIOD........NOW ONCE AGAIN I AM TAKING MY CAR BACK TO TRANNY SHOP AS SES LITE IS ON & IT WILL NOT GO IN REVERSE, AND SLIPS WHEN DRIVING......IT HAS ONLY BEEN 5 MONTHS SINCE A NEW MFG. TRANNY WAS PUT IN!!!! SUSIE WILHITE *TR

I PURCHASED CAR IN 2003 AND WITHIN 6 MONTHS CERTAIN AREAS ON THE CAR THE PAINT BEGAN TO DIMINISH. TAKEN TO MITSUBISHI FOR EFFECTED AREAS AND THEY PAINTED CAR ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, (THE EFFECTED AREAS AT THAT TIME) BUT WHEN THE REST OF THE CAR CONTINUED TO DIMINISH MITSUBISHI REFUSED TO PAINT AFFECTED AREAS BECAUSE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL MITSUBISHI'S WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, AND I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY MITSUBISHI DOESN'T PAINT THE ENTIRE CAR AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THIS PROBLEM. THE ENTIRE CAR IS PAINTED WITH THIS CLEAR COAT, SO THE ENTIRE CAR WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, MITSUBISHI DOESN'T PAINT THE ENTIRE VEHICLE ALL AT ONCE SO THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS WILL ONLY GO TO THE DEALER THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENS, AND WILL JUST PAY OUT OF THEIR POCKETS WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN! THIS SAVES THE GREEDY COMPANY MONEY! *TR

CAR WILL COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WILL HAVE TO TRY TO RESTART THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. , .SEVERAL MECHANICS AND EVEN THE MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP HAD HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER, AND THEY WILL NOT GET ANY READINGS FOR THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID IT WAS BECAUSE OF BUILD UP IN THE EXHAUST, AND THEY CLEANED IT OUT, AND NOT EVEN 5 MILES DOWN THE ROAD IT STALLED AGAIN. REPLACED BELTS,GASKETS,SPARK PLUGS AND HOSES. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. WELL IF THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT I WOULDN'T BE SCARED TO DRIVE IT WITHOUT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT. *AK

WHILE HAVING A BASIC OIL CHANGE AT THE MITSUBISIHI/CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP WAS INFORMED OF THE HEAD GASKET LEAK. AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE MOTORS AND A $1000 TO REPAIR.*AK

I WENT TO OPEN THE CAR DOOR BARELY HAD THE HANDLE LIFTED UP AND THE PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE SNAPPED OFF IN MY HAND. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLE DID THE SAME THING. *NM

DRIVING ON THE NJ TURNPIKE, NOTICED SPEED DECREASING ON ITS OWN. WHILE MOVING OVER TO THE EMERGENCY LANE, THE REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP. *NM

BLACK GLUE SUBSTANCE THAT HOLDS THE PLASTIC BARRIER FILM INSIDE THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR MELTS AND LEAKS DUE TO HIGH SUMMER TEMPERATURES. WATER ENTERS BETWEEN THE TRUNK DOOR, NOT SEALED PROPERLY. VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT. VEHICLE STEERING IS NOT UP TO STANDARD. *NM

SIMILAR TO ODI 10080649 BUT RESULTED IN FIRE WITHIN ENGINE BAY WHICH WAS QUICKLY PUT OUT WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE INTERIOR. THREW A PISTON THROUGH THE ENGINE BLOCK. VEHICLE ONLY HAD 66K MILES. WORKING CAR FIRE FIRST REPORTED VIA 911 IN BRIDGEWATER NJ. REVISED STATUS WAS ALSO CALLED IN BUT WAS RESPONDED TO. STATE FARM INSURANCE WILL NOT COVER THE COST OF ENGINE EVEN WITH FULL COVERAGE INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE. CAR STILL AT TOWED LOCATION. *NM

I STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLE JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE NEW. THE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE WOULD NOT "CATCH" SOMETIMES WHEN I TRIED TO OPEN THE DOOR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT. A FEW WEEKS AFTER THAT I CONTINUED TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. SINCE THE DOOR HANDLE DID NOT ALWAYS DO THIS I JUST DEALT WITH IT AND DID NOT TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER. AFTER THE WARRANTY WAS UP THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HANDLE COMPLETELY BROKE OFF AND NOW THE DRIVER SIDE HANDLE DOES NOT "CATCH" SO I CANNOT OPEN EITHER DOOR--I HAD TO CLIMB IN THROUGH THE HATCHBACK!! IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE DOOR HANDLES. ALSO, THE TRUNK/HATCH LOCK IS WEIRD, I HAVE TO TURN THE KEY TWICE EVERY TIME TO OPEN THE TRUNK--THE FIRST TIME THE TRUNK OPENS SLIGHTLY BUT REMAINS LOCKED...*NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE LEFT FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THE DOOR HANDLE FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING. WEEKS LATER, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, THE DOOR HANDLE FRACTURED AS WELL. THE DEALER WAS ALERTED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED.