2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE Complaints

THE HEADLIGHT PLUG BURNED THE CONNECTION. THIS RESULTED IN A SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF LIGHT OUTPUT/ NO HEADLIGHTS. THE PLASTIC PLUG IS ALSO MELTED, CAUSING A CONCERN FOR FIRE AND APPEARING THAT A SMALL FIRE MAY HAVE HAPPENED. *TR

I HAD TO REPLACE A ROTTED GAS FILLER NECK ON MY 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS A POORLY DESIGNED PART AND SHOULD NOT HAVE ROTTED. I HAVE HAD MANY CARS AND NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. MITSUBISHI SHOULD BE MADE TO HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART. *TR

ON 2/21/10 EARLY SUNDAY MORNING I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT APPROX. 55MI/HR WHEN MY MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE JUST STOPPED. IT WOULD NOT GO FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS. THERE WAS NO NOISE OR SOUND OF ANY KIND TO INDICATE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND SAT THERE FOR 3 1/2 HRS FOR A TOW TRUCK. CAR WAS TAKEN TO SOUTH PARK MITSUBISHI IN BETHEL PARK. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR HAD ONLY 57183 MILES AND I WANTED THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. THEY WOULD NOT DO THAT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AAMCO. I READ ON LINE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION USED IN MY CAR AND ALSO CERTAIN CHRYSLER MODELS WITH A DEFECTIVE "WAVE SPRING" THAT BREAKS SUDDENLY AND CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN THE TRANSMISSION. I ASKED AAMCO TO SAVE ALL BROKEN PARTS. THE WAVE SPRING BROKE, WENT THROUGH THE PUMP, AND BROKE THE GEARS JUST AS DESCRIBED IN THE ARTICLE "MITSUBISHI F4A51 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAZARD PROBLEM". THIS PROBLEM WAS WELL KNOWN BY MITSUBISHI BECAUSE THE WAVE SPRING WAS REDESIGNED BUT TOOK NO ACTION TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE HAZARD THAT EXISTED. BY SWAPPING OUT A REBUILT TRANSMISSION, THE MITSUBISHI DEALER DOES NOT MAKE THE CUSTOMER AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND JUST ASSUMES THE TRANSMISSION WENT BAD AND NEEDED REPLACED THEREFORE NOT MAKING THE ACTUAL PROBLEM WELL KNOWN. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM AND HAD THE PART REPLACED WITH THE NEW DESIGNED WAVE SPRING. THIS ACTION WOULD HAVE SAVED ME A LOT OF MONEY AND NOT PUT MYSELF AND OTHERS IN DANGER OF HARM OR DEATH. MITSUBISHI KNEW OF THE PROBLEM AND DID NOTHING, THEY NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ERROR AND MAKE OTHER OWNERS AWARE SO THAT THE PROBLEM CAN BE RESOLVED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. THEY CAN NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR CLAIM THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A JUST WEAR AND TEAR CASE. IT IS A DEFECT AND I WANT OTHER OWNERS OF CARS WITH THIS DEFECTIVE PART NOTIFIED AND MY EXPENSES REIMBURSED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 50 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. HE WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS CONTAMINATED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 106,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH THE WAVE SPRING WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION BROKE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT WHEN THE WAVE SPRING BROKE IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION PUMP. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. MITSUBISHI UPGRADED THE WAVE SPRING SINCE THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 117,000.

RIGHT FRONT STEERING ASSEMBLY (TIE ROD & BALL JOINTS) TORE AWAY FROM WHERE IT WAS ATTACHED TO THE FRAME RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE TO GO OUT OF CONTROL . VEHICLE STRUCK THE CURB AND RAN INTO A LIGHT POLE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. *TR

MY 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE'S AXLE SNAPPED WHEN I WAS GOING OVER A SPEED BUMP AT ABOUT 3 MILES PER HOUR. THE CONTROL ARM ALSO BROKE ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE. IT ONLY HAD 135,000 MILES AT THE TIME. I GOT IT REPLACED AND STILL MAKES A REALLY BAD GRINDING NOISE. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE COULD BE A RECALL ON THE AXLE OR THE CONTROL ARM. IF I WAS DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED, I'M SURE SOMETHING ALOT WORSE WOULD OF HAPPENED. *TR

RIMS ON 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE WEAK, VERY CAREFULLY DROVE, HAD TO REPLACE ONE RIM AND OTHERS ARE ALL BENT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER. AFTER PARKING HER VEHICLE, SHE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART IT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE HARNESS FOR THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE EXISTING RECALL APPLIED TO 2.4 ENGINES NOT 3.0. THE CONTACT STATED THAT RECALL NUMBER 00V299001 DOES NOT STIPULATE THE ENGINE SIZE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,334. UPDATED 5/26/09 *CN THE CONSUMER MENTIONED RECALL# 99V333001, BUT WAS TOLD HIS/HER VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE MANUFACTURED DATE. UPDATED 05/28/09.*JB

WIRING HARNESS FEMALE SOCKET FOR THE HEADLAMPS OVER HEATED AND MELTED. THE PASSENGER SIDE FEMALE SOCKET MELTED ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO TO A POINT WHERE IT WOULD NOT PROVIDE HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION. BEFORE THE COMPLETE FAILURE, THE HEADLIGHT WOULD EITHER BE FULLY BRIGHT, OR VERY DIM. THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME WAS AROUND 60K. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE FEMALE SOCKET ALSO HAD MELTED SOME DURING THIS TIME. IN JAN. OF THIS YEAR, WITH APPROX. 70K MILES ON THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED COMPLETELY WITH THE FULL MELTING OF THE FEMALE SOCKET. A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO COMPLETE FAILURE, A BURNING ODOR IS NOTICED IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. I HAVE BOTH PIECES AVAIL TO SEND IF NEED BE. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE BECAUSE A COMPLETE FAILURE OF BOTH FEMALE SOCKETS AT THE SAME TIME IS POSSIBLE. THIS COULD CAUSE SOMEONE DRIVING TO GO FROM HAVING TWO HEADLAMPS TO NONE WITHIN SECONDS. IF THAT OCCURRED AT NIGHT, IT MIGHT CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR