2009 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE Complaints

DASH PAD IN VEHICLE HAS COME APART, COMPLETELY BLOCKING PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THE DASH PAD IS STICKING UP AT LEAST 3 INCHES IN FRONT OF AIRBAG. IF AIRBAG DOES DEPLOY EVER IT WILL NOT PROPERLY AND COULD CAUSE MORE HARM TO PASSENGER AND DRIVER. WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED MY CAR WAS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS ONLINE OF THIS HAPPENING TO THESE VEHICLES. I THINK ALL AFFECTED CARS SHOULD BE FIXED, SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE ON PRETTY NEW CARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. IN ADDITION, THE SHIFT GEAR WOULD INDEPENDENTLY SHIFT FROM THIRD GEAR TO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

THIS VEHICLE MODEL IS KNOWN FOR INTERMITTENT BRAKE PROBLEMS WHERE THE BRAKES WILL GO TO THE FLOOR AFTER A SUDDEN BRAKING. BRAKES THEN CATCH DANGEROUSLY LOW FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL THE SYSTEM RECOVERS. *TR

DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AND HIT MY BRAKES TO AVOID A CAR STOPPING ABRUPTLY. MY BRAKES WENT SOFT AND I HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID SLAMMING INTO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. MY BRAKES REMAINED VERY SOFT WITH LITTLE TO NO BRAKING POWER FOR AT LEAST A DAY. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE IN A MONTH. THE BRAKES WHEN PRESSED WERE VERY SOFT AND WHISTLED WHEN I LIFTED MY FOOT. I RECORDED THE SOUND FOR DOCUMENTATION. *TR

THERE HAS BEEN NO INCIDENT YET. HOWEVER IF THIS VEHICLE GETS IN AN ACCIDENT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT DEPLOY CORRECTLY. THE DASH PAD IN FRONT OF THE AIR BAG HAS COME UNGLUED AND IS BLOCKING THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IF IT WERE TO DEPLOY. THIS DASH PAD IS STICKING UP 4 INCHES IN FRONT OF RIGHT DASH AIRBAG. THESE SHOULD BE REPLACED ON ALL AFFECTED UNITS. I HAVE SEEN OTHER BRANDS DASH PADS LIFT AROUND DEFROST HOLES, ESPECIALLY GM IN THE 90S, THIS IS THE FIRST I HAVE SEEN WHERE IF THE PAD STARTS LIFTING IT WILL BLOCK THE AIRBAG. THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM WITH PADDED DASHES ( ESSENTIALLY A POLY FOAM GLUED TO PLASTIC WITH A VINYL OVERLAY GLUED TO IT) WHEN THE FOAM STARTS TO DETERIORATE IT TURNS TO POWDER AND COMES LOOSE/LIFTS. *TR

THE LADY CROSSED TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC AND RAN A RED LIGHT AND HIT MY CAR ON DRIVERS SIDE FRONT INCLUDING THE DOOR. DOOR WON'T OPEN AND AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE CAR WAS TOWED CAUSE IT COULDN'T START AND WASN'T DRIVABLE. SEAT BELTS DIDN'T LOCK SO THE PEOPLE IN MY CAR HIT STEERING, DASHBOARD AND BACK OF THE SEATS. MY CAR WAS HIT IN THE FRONT IN DEC. 5, 2013 AND SAME THING HAPPENED. AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND SEATBELTS DIDN'T LOCK. FROM THE ACCIDENT BEFORE I MADE A COMPLAINT WITH MITSUBISHI AND THEY DONE NOTHING. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

ANOTHER DRIVER WAS TRAVELING WEST AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN LEFT. I WAS TRAVELING EAST WHEN THE OTHER CAR TURNED FROM A DIRECT LINE AND HIT THE FRONT OF MY CAR. MY CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAGS, SIDE AIRBAGS, AND SIDE HEAD CURTAIN AIRBAGS. AT THE MOMENT OF IMPACT MY AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. *TR

THERE IS A HOLLOW OPENING BEHIND CARPET IN FLOOR UNDER GAS PEDAL. IN LESS THAN 10,000 MILES, A HOLE WORE THROUGH THE CARPET. NOW HEELS OF SHOES (JUST NORMAL WOMEN'S SHOES, NOT SPIKE HEELS!) GET STUCK WHILE DRIVING. AN ACCIDENT IS INEVITABLE IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT REPAIRED. I HAVE DRIVEN MANY OTHER MODEL CARS, MANY WITH WORN CARPETING, BUT NONE HAD A DESIGN FLAW LIKE THE 2009 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. I HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO CRASHING SEVERAL TIMES. I REPORTED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY SAID IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER. WHILE SEATED IN THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE RELEASE MECHANISM WAS DIFFICULT TO ACCESS. THE MECHANISM WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO REACH BECAUSE IT WAS LOCATED BETWEEN THE SIDE OF THE SEAT AND THE CONSOLE. THE EXCESSIVELY SMALL AREA PREVENTED ACCESSIBILITY TO UNLOCK OR LOCK THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE MALFUNCTION. A SEAT BELT EXTENDER WAS PURCHASED AND INSTALLED, BUT WAS INEFFECTIVE DUE TO THE LENGTH. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,000.