2002 MITSUBISHI GALANT Complaints

BRAKES VIBRATE, GRIND, SQUEAL AND FADE. MITSUBISHI SAYS NOTHING WRONG AND KEEPS RESURFACING ROTORS AND REPLACING PADS. FIRST BRAKE JOB WAS AT APPROX. 850 MILES, THEY SAID FAULTY CALIPER SUPPORTS WERE THE CAUSE. THEY SQUEAL FROM THE MOMENT I PICK UP THE CAR FROM SERVICE AND START TO GRIND AND PULSATE RELIGIOUSLY EVERY 5000 MILES AFTER BRAKE SERVICE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ABOUT SEVEN TIMES AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE BRAKES ARE OVER HEATING DUE TO DRIVING HABITS AND LOCAL TRAFFIC. NONE OF MY OTHER VEHICLES EVER HAD ISSUES LIKE THIS DRIVING IN THE SAME TRAFFIC. *JB

CAR BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE. BRAKE PULSATION,SECOND TIME,LEFT FRONT WHEEL. CAR IS UNDER 3 YEAR 36,000 WARRANTY. CAR HAS 23,472 MILES,WARRANTY GOOD TILL FEB 27TH,2005. DEALER SAYS I NEED BRAKE PADS,INSIDE PADS ARE WORN PAPER THIN,OUTSIDE PAD IS HALF LIFE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN FOR SAME COMPLAINT. DEALER WILL NOT COVER THE BRAKE PADS. BEING THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWICE,AND FROM SAME SIDE..I WOULD BELIEVE THAT A MALFUNCTION OF THE BRAKE CALIPER,OR OTHER DEFECT HAS CAUSED THE ABNORMAL WEAR ON PADS. DEALER REPLACED BOTH FRONT ROTORS,WOULD NOT COVER COST OF BRAKE PADS! ALSO REQUESTED FRONT WHEELS TO BE BALANCED,DEALER CHARGED ME FOR RE-BALANCE,BUT WHEELS WERE NOT RE-BALANCED,HENCE..STILL HAVE VIBRATION. *JB

REAR BRAKES MAKE A SQUEALING/GRINDING NOISE WHEN BRAKING. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED TWICE. THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID IT WAS BUILT UP BRAKE DUST, THE SOUND CONTINUED AFTER I PICKED IT UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP. TOOK IT BACK AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO, AND THEY SEEMED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY, AND THE ONLY WAY TO REMEDY IT WAS TO REPLACE THE PADS, WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY.*AK

INTERMITENT GRINDING NOISE THAT WAS DETERMINED AT HUNTINGTON BEACH MITSUBISHI TO BE THE TIRE FROM GOODYEAR ,P205, LS55 R16 89H

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THEN THE ENGINE COMMENCED TO MAKE A POPPING NOISE. VEHICLE WAS PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY, AND THEN PULLED TO CONSUMER'S HOME. CONSUMER STATED ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS BLEW OUT. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED.*AK

ON LEAVING WORK, I FILLED UP THE GAS TANK. I STARTED TO DRIVE HOME AND MY GAS GAUGE SHOWED NEAR EMPTY AFTER 15 MILES. I STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND THE POLICE OFFICER SAID TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY SINCE I HAD A GASOLINE LEAK. I THOUGH THAT IT WAS IN MY GAS TANK SO I FILLED UP TO DRIVE HOME. IT DID NOT SEAM TO LEAK WHEN THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE IT TO THE MITSUBISHI DEALER AND A FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I DID NOT WANT TO RAISE THE HOOD BECAUSE THE OXOGEN WOULD CAUSE A FIRE TO ENVOLVE THE ENTIRE CAR. I KEEP THE HOOD DOWN FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES UNTIL THERE WAS NO SMOLDERING. I THEN CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE THE CAR TO MY DEALER. MY 2002 MITSUBISHI GALANT V6 CTZ WAS CHECKED OUT BY THE DELOR AN HE FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC PROTECTOR THAT COVERS THE GAS HOSE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS CHEWED UP, HE SAID, BY A SQUARREL CAUSING THE GASOLINE TO FLOW ONTO THE TOP OF THE HOT ENGINE. HE REPLACED PART OF THE PLASTIC PROTECTOR. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE REPEATED SINCE THIS SEASON HAS COLD WEATHER AND ANIMALS HIDE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOR HEAT. LUCKALY THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A MAJOR CAR FIRE WAS AVERTED.

FAULTY WATER PUMP CAUSED AUTO TO RUN HOT CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO ENGINE DEALERSHIP/EXTENDED WARRANTY WIL NOT COVER DAMAGES TO ENGINE, THEY ONLY REPLACED WATER PUMP AUTO UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

WE BROUGHT OUR CAR IN 4/2002. HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES. WE ARE CURRENTLY ON OUR THIRD SET OF PADS AND OUR SECOND SET OF ROTORS. SQUEEKING HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ALONG WITH GRINDING AND FOR SOME REASON WHEN THE BRAKES ARE DEPRESSED THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. WE HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT THE BRAKES DURING THE LAST PAD CHANGE AND HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE CALLIPER SYSTEM. I JUST THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS HAVING THESE PROBLEMS UNTIL I CHECK IT OUT.*AK

I HAVE HAD REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES. I PURCHASED MY 2002 GALANT ES BRAND NEW IN FEB 2002 FROM GARCIA MITSUBISHI. I STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES WHEN THE CAR HAD AROUND 21000 MILES. THE BRAKES STARTED SQUEALING LIKE A BUS, SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO GARCIA MITSUBISHI IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER MY ROTORS WERE GETTING TOO HOT WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKE PADS TO CRYSTALLIZE OR GLAZE OVER. I WAS TOLD TO HAVE THE BRAKE PADS CHANGED AND THE ROTORS TURNED. I HAD THE BRAKE PADS REPLACED (WITH NON-FACTORY PADS) AND THE ROTORS TURNED AROUND 24,000 MILES. MY PROBLEM RECURRED, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THE PROBLEM DID NOT LIE WITH THE PADS. I TOOK MY GALANT BACK TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS AGAIN TOLD THERE WAS NOT A PROBLEM, MY NON-FACTORY PADS WERE THE PROBLEM. I KNOW THIS IS NOT TRUE BECAUSE THE PROBLEM ORIGINATED WITH FACTORY PADS. I TOOK MY CAR TO TWO MECHANICS WHO BOTH SAID THE ROTORS ARE NO GOOD AND THERE IS A HIGH POSSIBILITY OF THE CALIPER STICKING. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THERE ARE OTHERS WHO OWN THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR AS MY GALANT WHO ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. EACH TIME I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP I AM TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM IS DEFINITELY NOT WEAR AND TEAR. GARCIA MITSUBISHI RESPONDED TO A LETTER I WROTE AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT HONOR MY WARRANTY BECAUSE I DID NOT MAINTAIN MY CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP (OIL CHANGES, ETC...). I HAVE REPLACED THE ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE SHAKES WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. I CAN ALSO SMELL A STRONG SCENT OF BURNING RUBBER. IT HAS BEEN A SHORT 4 MONTHS AND THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. I HAVE CALLED 800-MITSU2002 AND THEY ACCUSED ME OF BEING A BAD DRIVER. I HAVE OWNED 5 OTHER VEHICLES IN THE PAST AND NEVER HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. I AM AFRAID OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IF I EVER HAVE TO BRAKE SUDDENLY, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO. *AK

SUMMARY - VEHICLE STEERING AND BRAKES VIBRATE UPON BRAKING, POOR BRAKE PERFORMANCE - BRAKING DISTANCE IS TOO LONG. SHODDY ROTOR/CALIPER QUALITY. DEALERSHIPS AND MITSUBISHI REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK THE CAR HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP REPEATEDLY (5 TIMES) TO REMEDY THE BRAKING PROBLEM - EVERY FEW MONTHS (WITH LESS THAN 2500 MILES SINCE THE LAST TIME THE ROTORS WERE REPLACED). THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE WEST BROAD MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP IN RICHMOND, VA WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS BEING CAUSED BY WARPED ROTORS. THE DEALER RESURFACED THE ROTORS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RE-OCCURED AFTER 7000 MILES. WEST BROAD MITSUBISHI THEN CLAIMED THAT THEY REPLACED THE ROTORS. 5000 MILES LATER, THE BRAKES BEGAN SQUEELING AND THE VIBRATION STARTED AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK IN TO THE WEST BROAD DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTORS A SECOND TIME TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. BARELY 2300 MILES LATER, THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN BACK TO ANOTHER MITSUBISHI DEALER (STOHLMAN) IN VIENNA, VA. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE (NEW) ROTORS HAVE WARPED AND THEYVE HAD TO BE RESURFACED. 2 WEEKS LATER (ABOUT 500 MILES), THE PROBLEM SHOWED UP AGAIN. AT THIS POINT, I WROTE A COMPLAINT LETTER TO MITSUBISHI. AFTER 4 WEEKS, A MITSUBISHI REP CAME TO THE DEALERSHIP TO CHECK THE PROBLEM - ONLY TO CLAIM THERE WAS NOTHING WORNG WITH THE CAR DESPITE OBVIOUS VIBRATION AND BRAKE SQUEELING. SUBSEQUENTLY, A QUICK CHECK BY A THIRD-PARTY MECHANIC REVEALED PROBLEMS WITH THE ROTORS AND CALIPERS.