2003 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER Complaints

MY MITSUBISHI SPYDER 03 STARTED HAVING SOME WHITE/ YELLOW SPOTTING ABOUT A YEAR AGO, AND THE LAST FEW MONTHS GETTING WORSE, LOOKING LIKE THE PAIN IS ALSO CRACKING IN SOME SPOTS. I AM REAL ANAL ABOUT WAXING MY CAR, ALWAYS CLEAN, ALWAYS LOOKING NICE. AND NOW MY CAR LOOKS LIKE CRUD. PAINT FADING, AND CRACKING.. *TR

MY AC IS LEAKING INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE JUST ABOVE THE GAS PEDAL. THE LEAK IS OCCURRING WHERE THE AC CONNECTS TO THE FIRE WALL. THE CONNECTION IS SQUARE AND THE LEAK IS COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SQUARE. IT OCCURS EVERYTIME I USE MY AC. I JUST NOTICED IT ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO BUT HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR 10 MONTHS. I AM SURE I DIDN'T NOTICE IT BEFORE BECAUSE I WASN'T USING MY AC DURING THE WINTER. I AM TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT. *TR

PAINT ON HOOD, TRUNK AND FENDERS IS PEELING, CRACKING, COMING OFF. CONTINUES TO WORSEN. MITSUBISHI IS AWARE OF THE "DEFECT", AND STATE THEY ARE NOT MANDATED TO FIX IT. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH, I AM LEARNING THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF MISTIBISHIS (ALL BLACK IN COLOR, LIKE MINE) THAT ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *TR

ROTTED FUEL FILLER NECK. EVAP CODE AND FUEL LEAK DURING REFUELING. NO PARTS AVAILABLE DUE TO HIGH DEMAND. *TR

DASH IS CRACKING INTO MULTIBLE PIECES DUE TO POOR MANUFACTURING MATERIAL/STANDARDS. PIECES COULD BECOME DANGERIOUS PROJECTILES IN A COLLISION. *CN

THE PAINT IS COMING OFF ON SELECT AREAS ON MY 2003 ECLIPSE SYDER GTS. I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON THAT HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM OR DOCUMENTED IT YET NOTHING SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING TO RESOLVE IT. IF MITSUBISHI CUT CORNERS IN THE PAINTING OF THESE CARS AND IT BACKFIRED THEN THEY NEED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY GAMBLED AND LOST. IT SEEMS TO BE DOMINANT IN THE 2003 BLACK ECLIPSES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER. THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHEN IT WAS STARTED. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH AND ABOVE, THE VEHICLE STALLED. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL, BUT COULD EVENTUALLY BE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP AND FILTER FAILED, WHICH PREVENTED FUEL FROM REACHING THE ENGINE. BOTH COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE STILL OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY WITH THE DEALER. THE POWERTRAIN, DEALER INFORMATION, AND PURCHASE DATE WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 175,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

APPROXIMATELY 1-YEAR AGO, I PURCHASED A 2003 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SYDER FORM A DEALERSHIP WITH APPROXIMATELY 65,000 MILES ON IT. I CHECKED THE RECORDS AND CONTACTED THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND EVERYTHING WAS IN ORDER. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND SERVICED. WHEN I PURCHASED THIS CAR IT HAD A MINOR CRACK IN THE DASH BOARD. IT WAS ABOUT 1 INCH LONG. WEEKS LATER, IT GREW. ALSO OTHER CRACKS STARTED TO APPEAR. WHILE IN THE GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, I PARKED NEXT TO ANOTHER SPYDER AND NOTICED IT'S DASH WAS CRACKED IN THE EXACT SAME LOCATIONS. AFTERWARDS, I NOTICED THAT EVERY MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 2003 AND NEWER HAVE CRACKED DASH BOARDS IN THE SAME LOCATION. I RESEARCHED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND WEBSITES AND MESSAGE BOARDS WHERE OWNERS OF MITSUBISHI ECLIPSES COMPLAIN ABOUT CRACKING DASHBOARDS. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE SERVICE MANGER TOLD ME TO CONTACT MITSUBISHI USA. HE SAID THIS PROBLEM IS ENDEMIC OF MITSUBISHI ECLIPSES AND SPYDERS DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE MATERIAL THE DASH IS MADE OF AND THE WAY THE DASH BOARD IS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME OF THE CAR. THERE IS NO AFTER-MARKET SOLUTION. A NEW DASHBOARD (INSTALLATION AND PARTS) AT A DISCOUNT IS OVER $1,000. MITSUBISHI USA WILL NOT HELP ME. THEY SAY THIS IS BECAUSE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I AM NOT SEEKING WARRANTY WORK. OTHER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS MAKE "DASH CAPS" - MOLDED ABS PLASTIC COVERS TO FIX THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. NO SUCH PRODUCT IS MADE FOR THIS VEHICLE. FURTHER, MITSUBISHI USA WANTS ME TO PAY $1000.00 FOR THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART THAT WILL CRACK THE SAME WAY. MITSUBISHI SAYS THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THIS IS NOT A "DEFECT". THE ALSO STATE THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP MY CAR, BUT THE DASH BOARD IS FALLING APART. THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL AND UNSAFE. BECAUSE MY CAR IS A CONVERTIBLE, IF WATER GETS INTO THE DASH BOARD, MY ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS COULD SHORT OUT (INCLUDING MY AIRBAGS, HORN, LIGHTS, ETC.) PLEASE HELP! *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPIDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT 25 - 30 MPH ON A NICE DAY WHEN THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. SHE STATED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. THIS HAPPENED ON DECEMBER 23, 2006. THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD, LOST POWER, AND COASTED OUT OF TRAFFIC. SHE STATED THAT THE HORN BEGAN HONKING, AND SHE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. SHE COULD SEE FLAMES COMING OUT FROM THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED BY ITSELF BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. TO DATE THE DEALERSHIP HAD BEEN UNABLE TO TELL HER WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE BOTH 120,000. *AK

I HAVE A BLACK 2003 SPYDER GTS AND THE CLEAR COAT IS BUBBLING AND TURNING WHITE. IT STARTED ON THE HOOD AND HAS PROGRESSED TO THE TRUNK, THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SIDE, THE FRONT WINDSHIELD TRIM AND THE SPOILER. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN JUNE 06 AND CONTINUES. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE HOOD. I TALKED TO THE DEALER AND THEY WANT ME TO WAIT, IS THIS SOME KIND OF PLOY TO ALLOW THE WARRANTY TO EXPIRE; THEREFORE AVOIDING WARRANTY WORK? IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE AND I'M TRYING TO GET THEM TO CORRECT A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER (5) BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE NOT LOYAL TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. *NM