2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE Complaints

HAVE A POPPING SOUND FROM THE FRONT OF MY CAR. THIS OCCURS UNDER DIFFERENT SITUATIONS SUCH AS REVERSING, MOVING FORWARD AND TURNING. TOOK CAR IN TO MITSUBISHI AND THEY PUT A RUBBER COVER AROUND THE COILS PER A TSB. STILL HAVE PROBLEM. WHEN I TOOK IT BACK IN TO MITSUBISHI. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE IT. TOOK TEST DRIVE AND COULDN'T DUPLICATE. PROBLEM IS I CAN HAVE IT ONE DAY AND NOT THE OTHER. DON'T KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING IT BUT THE POPPING IS SOMETIMES VERY LOUD THAT I THINK THE FRONT END IS GOING TO FALL APART. DT

ALSO I FOUND SHATTERED GLASS UNDER THE REAR SEATS, WHICH APPEARS TO BE REAR WINDSHIELD GLASS. MY CAR ALWAYS PULLS TO THE RIGHT AND MY RIGHT SIDE WINDOW DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS VEHICLE WAS IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT WHEN I PURCHASED IT. DT

REAR WINDOW SHATTERED IN CONVERTABLE TOP AT 15 MPH AFTER NORMAL ACCELEORATION FROM 0 MPH. WE WERE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR SEVERAL MINUTES WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PERSONS PRESENT TO EITHER SIDE OR REAR OF VEHICLE. WE WERE IN A SMALL LINE OF TRAFFIC, 4 PASSENGER CARS FROM OUR POSITION TO THE TRAFFIC LIGHT. OTHER PROBLEMS NOTED BY MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP BEFORE REAR WINDOW GLASS FAILURE ARE EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT/POPPING OF REAR GLASS AT SPEEDS OF 50+ MPH. PULLING/STRETCH MARKS IN FABRIC OF TOP AROUND REAR WINDOW GLASS, FABRIC HAD BEGUN TO "SHRINK" UPWARDS ON THE PASSENGER AND DRIVERS SIDE OF TOP ABOVE FRONT WINDOWS EXPOSING INTERIOR OF TOP. UPON INSPECTION OF THE ITEMS BY MITSUBISHI DEALER THEY CONSIDERED ALL OF THE ABOVE ITEMS NORMAL WEAR ON CONVERTABLE TOP. MITSUBISHI DENIED WARRANTY CLAIM SAYING THAT "WINDOW GLASS DOES NOT JUST BREAK ON IT'S OWN". MR

THE FACTORY RIMS THAT CAME WITH THE VEHICLE UPON PURCHASE ARE DESCRIBED BY THE OWNER AS "BUTTER". ALUMINUM IS TOO SOFT TO HANDLE NORMAL ROAD DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE RIMS BENT AND TWO OF THE TIRES HAD BLOWOUTS. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *MR

I AM REPORTING TWO SEPARATE INCIDENTS, BOTH INVOLVING THE QUALITY OF THE MANUFACTURER'S RIMS ON THE 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT. I HAVE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO DENT BOTH THE RIGHT FRONT AND RIGHT REAR RIM ON MY NEW 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT WITHIN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF DRIVING (ODOMETER READ LESS THAN 3600 MILES AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT). I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GST I PURCHASED NEW WITHOUT ANY RIM ISSUES AND TRADED IN AFTER 45,000 MILES FOR THE NEW ECLIPSE. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT A STOP LIGHT DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MPH. I DROVE TOO CLOSE TO A CURB AND MY FRONT TIRE HIT A POTHOLE. THE TIRE INSTANTLY DEFLATED, AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACTUAL TIRE, HOWEVER THE RIM WAS BENT IN AT LEAST 2-3 INCHES AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY, SO MY COST FOR A NEW RIM WAS AROUND $300, AND THEN THE DEALER STATED THAT I HAD TO GO ELSEWHERE TO HAVE TIRE AND RIM INSTALLED BECAUSE THEIR TIRE MACHINE WAS BROKEN! TOTAL COST OF THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS APPROXIMATELY $320. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURED ONLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, BUT I AM STILL NOT SURE HOW OR WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURED. THE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT REAR RIM IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS AS I AM STILL DRIVING ON THIS RIM TODAY. (THE RIGHT REAR RIM IS DENTED LESS THAN 1/4 INCH AND THERE WAS NO EFFECT ON THE TIRE OR THE STEERING.) NEITHER MY DRIVING SKILLS NOR THE DRIVING CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED SINCE OWNING THE PREVIOUS ECLIPSE TO MERIT THOSE REASONS AS FACTORS FOR THE FAULTY RIMS. *AK

AT 4,000 MILES RIMS BEGAN COLLAPSING, NOT RETAINING AIR, BENT EASY. THESE ARE MANUFACTURED RIMS THAT CAME WITH VEHICLE UPON PURCHASE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

AT 5,000 MILES, THE MANUFACTURED RIMS BEGAN TO COLLAPSE, CAUSING ONE OF THE RIMS TO BEND, AND CAUSING THE TIRE TO BLOWOUT. *AK THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING WHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE VEHICLE WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT. THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT AND THAT THE RIM WAS DEFORMED. *SCC

CONSUMER STATES WHILE HE WAS CLEANING HIS VEHICLE HE NOTICED THAT THE WHEELS WERE BENT, AFTER TAKING THEM TO THE DEALER HE WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT REPAIR THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THE WHEEL ARE STILL DRIVEABLE. NLM

RIMS WERE DEFECTIVE. CONSUMER ADVISED THAT RIMS BEND VERY EASILY AND ADVERSELY, AFFECTING STEERING CONTROL WHILE DRIVING.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ALL FOUR RIMS BENT WITHOUT BEING HIT.IT WAS CAUSED BY MATERIAL THAT RIMS WERE MADE, BEING SO FLIMSY.COMMON PROBLEM. DEALER CONTACTED.*AK