1996 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE Complaints

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET TRAVELING 30MPH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG!!! MY CAR SLAMMED TO A HALT IN THE FRONT YARD OF SOME UNKNOWN HOUSE. ONLY TO SEE THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF MY CAR IS NOW RESTING THE WHEEL WELL ON THE TIRE, THE TIRE ABOUT TO JUST FALL OVER, MY FRAME BY THE DOOR ALL CRUSHED BACK FROM THE TIRE, AND MY AXEL ON THE GROUND. HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY I COULD HAVE JUST KISSED MYSELF GOODBYE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY MITSUBISHI NEVER INFORMED ME OF THIS. I LOOKED FOR THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND HERE'S WHAT I FOUND - PROBLEM:~>WHEEL BEARINGS LEAKING OIL, CAN ROTATE CASING MORE THAN 3 INCHES, ACCORDING TO DEALER. WHOLE CASING COULD SEPARATE, CAUSING CRASH.

I BOUGHT A 1996 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE AND ON THE WAY HOME IT BROKE DOWN COMPLETELY. I RESEARCHED THE CAR AND FOUND EVIDENCE THAT THE ODOMETER HAS EITHER BEEN DISCONNECTED OR ROLLED BACK. THE REASON THAT I SAY THIS IS BECAUSE ON WWW.CARFAX.COM IT REPORTS THAT IN 2001 WHEN THIS PERSON PURCHASED THIS CAR IT HAD 51,717 MILES ON IT. THEN IT SAYS THAT OVER A YEAR LATER IN 2002 THAT THE CAR REPORTED 51,719 MILES ON IT. WHAT ARE SOME OTHER THINGS I CAN DO TO MAKE MORE PROOF OF THIS HAPPENING. WHAT CAN I GET OUT OF THE SELLER IF THIS IS THE CASE... ALL MY MONEY BACK? MORE THAN MY MONEY BACK? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, I ALSO COPIED AND PASTED THE CARFAX PAGE WITH THE ODOMETER READINGS. GET BACK TO ME ASAP. THANK YOU GOOD NEWS! CARFAX SEARCH RESULTS ON THIS 1996 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GST ([XXX]) DID NOT UNCOVER A POTENTIAL ODOMETER ROLLBACK. CARFAX ANALYZED THIS VEHICLE'S REPORTED ODOMETER READINGS TO DETERMINE IF ANY READING IS LESS THAN A PREVIOUSLY REPORTED READING. DATE REPORTED: ODOMETER READING: 06/10/1996 475 REPORTED ON 05/08/1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 07/09/1998 16,989 REPORTED ON 06/25/1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08/10/1999 32,576 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/16/2000 33,596 REPORTED ON 10/26/1999 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11/14/2001 51,717 REPORTED ON 07/23/2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12/04/2002 51,719 REPORTED ON 12/04/2002 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

1996 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. *****DIMS 11 IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS****770819.*AK *JB

AFTER COMING FROM A STOP AT A STOP LIGHT, REACHING A SPEED OF AROUND 10 MPH, HEARD LOUD POP (ALMOST LIKE TIRE BLOWING OUT), TRIED TO PULL OFF TO SIDE OF ROAD, WHICH AT THAT POINT ALL I HEARD WAS GRINDING (ALMOST LIKE RIDING ON THE RIM), WENT TO PUT VEHICLE INTO PARK AND AS I REACHED THE PARKING GEAR A LOUD GRINDING NOISE CAME FROM ENGINE, PUT HAZARDS ON BECAUSE WAS OUT ON A BUSY STREET AND WAS UNABLE TO PULL OFF, GOT OUT TO FIND THAT FRONT-RIGHT BALL JOINT HAD BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE BOOT/TIRE, AND TIRE WAS SHOVED UP INTO WHEEL BASE, AND AS A RESULT HAD TO REPLACE BALL JOINT, CONTROL ARM AND FRONT-RIGHT AXEL DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE BALL JOINT DISCONNECTED FROM REST OF CAR. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT BECAUSE I WAS ON REGULAR ROAD AT A LOW SPEED. DT

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE FRONT BALL JOINT ARE WORN AND THE CONSUMER CAN HEAR A LOUD POPPING NOISE. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR

MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE TRAVELING BETWEEN 60 &65 AT 6:30AM MAY 21, 2002 WHEN I NOTICED A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR, INSTANTANEOUSLY THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE CAR WENT INTO A SPIN. (THE 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION THROUGH A GEAR OUT THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING CAUSING THE FRONT WHEELS TO LOCK) I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL, IN AS WELL, HIT A BANK CAUSING MINOR DAMAGES TO THE PASSENGER SIDE FENDER. (EST. $350.00). PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS, COMPLETELY UNAWARE. I SPOKE TO MITSUBISHI ON MAY 24, 2002 TO SEE IF THIS WAS AN ISSUE AND HOW TO SOLVE THIS FROM HAPPINING AGAIN. THEY WERE PROFESSIONAL AND AFTER 15 CONVERSATIONS WITH 15 DIFFERENT PEOPLE, THEY ADVISED ME THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR RESPONSABILITY, THAT THE CAR'S WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THAT THEY HAD NO COMPLAINTS ON THIS TRANSMISSION. I INVESTIGATED THIS FURTHER TO FIND THAT THREE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT MANAGERS TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED THESE TRANSMISSIONS IN THE ECLIPSE, THAT THE PIN WORKS LOOSE CAUSING FAILURE. I DECIDED TO HAVE MY CAR FIXED AND BUY A NEW TRANSMISSION. I CONTACTED A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP PRIDE & JOY AUTO REPAIR (540-633-0202). THEY EVALUATED THE CONDITION AND CALLED MITSUBISHI TO FIND OUT THAT THESE TRANSMISSIONS WERE ON BACK ORDER UNTIL SEPT. 30, 2002. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 3 MONTHS. NLM

CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

AT 65 MPH CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH VEHICLE, FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP, AND VEHICLE WENT IN CIRCLES. DEALER DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. TRANSMISSION IS ON BACKORDER AT THIS TIME.*AK

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER BECAUSE SRS AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER STATED THAT BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AIR BAGS HAVE NEVER BEEN DEPLOYED. CONSUMER CONCERNED THAT AIR BAGS COULD DEPLOY W/O WARNING OR NOT DEPLOY AT ALL IN A COLLISION. VEHICLE MANUAL CLEARLY STATED THAT AIRBAG SYSTEM SHOULD BE INSPECTED EVERY 10 YRS. CONSUMER CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, WHO ADVISED CONSUMER THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY OR MAKING A TURN STEERING HAS VIBRATION INSIDE OF THE WHEEL. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK