2011 MITSUBISHI LANCER Complaints

THE AYC PUMP FAILED BY DISPLAYING A BLINKING TARMAC LIGHT. IT CONSTANTLY FLASHES WHILE DRIVING. THE AYC PUMP CORRELATES WITH THE STEERING AND STABILITY CONTROL FOR THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. THIS IS A BIG HAZARD. THE AYC PUMP SHOULD BE RELOCATED TO THE TRUNK COMPARTMENT SO IT IS NOT EXPOSED TO WEATHER CONDITIONS LIKE SNOW AND RAIN. THIS WILL PROTECT THE AYC PUMP FROM FAILING. THE WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THIS FAILED PUMP AT ALL. *TR

TARMAC ICON BLINKS INCESSANTLY ON THE DISPLAY PANEL, AS ONE DRIVES. THE BLINKING CAN CAUSE PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY (PSE), WHICH IS A FORM OF EPILEPSY SEIZURES TRIGGERED BY VISUAL STIMULI THAT FORM PATTERNS IN TIME OR SPACE, SUCH AS FLASHING LIGHTS, BOLD, REGULAR PATTERNS, OR REGULAR MOVING PATTERNS. I FOUND OUT LATER, THE BLINKING IS AN INDICATOR THE ACD PUMP - ACTIVE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL - IS FAILING AND IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE COMPONENT COMPLETELY GIVES OUT. MANY, MANY INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES THE ACD PUMP FAILURE DUE TO DESIGN AND PLACEMENT OF THE COMPONENT IN AN INOPPORTUNE LOCATION. AS SUCH, CORROSION FROM MOISTURE AND SALT DEPOSIT ON THE ROAD CAN EASILY INFILTRATE INTO THE PUMP COMPONENT, CAUSING FAILURE IN DUE TIME. FURTHER POOR SEALING, LACK OF WEATHER PROTECTION (ANTI-CORROSION SPRAY) AND POOR PLACEMENT ALL CONTRIBUTES TO THE SYSTEMATIC, PREMATURE FAILURE OF A $1500 PUMP. *TR

THE ISSUE FIRST PRESENTED ITSELF AS A FLASHING ALL WHEEL CONTROL INDICATOR LIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS INITIALLY AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE THAT OCCURRED ONLY OCCASIONALLY. I ARRIVED HOME FROM MY TRIP AND WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP AT 36,200 MILES. THEIR SCANNER INDICATED A C161E CODE WHICH INDICATES AN ACD PUMP ACTUATOR LOCK. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THIS CAN HAPPEN UNDER AGGRESSIVE DRIVING CONDITIONS AND WAS NORMAL. HOWEVER, AFTER INFORMING THEM THE ISSUE OCCURRED WHILE CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALSO WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT THEY INFORMED ME TO RETURN IF THE ISSUE PERSISTED. I RETURNED A WEEK LATER AFTER I CONFIRMED THE ISSUE OCCURRED EVERY TIME I DROVE THE VEHICLE, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO READ CODES BECAUSE THEIR DIAGNOSTIC TOOL HAD BROKEN. AT 37,000 MILES THE VEHICLE DISPLAYED A MESSAGE INDICATING I NEEDED TO SERVICE THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM. THE NEARBY DEALERSHIP'S SCANNER WAS STILL BROKEN. AT 37,900 MILES I ARRIVED AT A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND THE CODES C161E AND C161F WHICH INDICATES AN ACD PUMP FAILURE. DURING THE TIME SINCE THE ISSUE FIRST BEGAN I ALSO NOTICED THE TRACTION CONTROL DIDN'T APPEAR TO FUNCTION. IN WET CONDITIONS WHEN I LOST TRACTION I DID NOT SEE THE DASH INDICATOR FOR TRACTION LOSS / TRACTION CONTROL NOR DID I FEEL THE SYSTEM KICK IN TO COMPENSATE. I BELIEVE THIS PRESENTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON AND WELL DOCUMENTED ISSUE, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS OF VARYING CLIMATE. THE ROOT CAUSE IN MY SCENARIO IS MOST LIKELY VOLATILE LOCAL WEATHER WHERE WINTERS INVOLVE HEAVILY SALTED ROADS AND TEMPERATURES THAT RANGE FROM WARM TO BELOW FREEZING IN THE SAME DAY. THIS CAN LEAD TO PREMATURE PUMP FAILURE DUE TO A KNOWN ISSUE WITH A PUMP SEAL AND RUST. *TR

MONDAY MORNING I WARMED UP MY CAR FOR 5 MINUTES. STARTED TO DRIVE MY CAR FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS, AWD SERVICE REQUIRED POPPED UP ON MY DISPLAY. I STOPPED THE CAR AND BROUGHT IT BACK HOME. LOOKED UP WHAT THE ISSUE COULD BE AND FOUND OUT THAT THE ACD PUMP HAS FAILED. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM FROM MITSUBISHI FOR THESE CARS AND THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR REAL FIX. WITHOUT THE ACD PUMP FUNCTIONING, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE CAR CAN LOSE TRACTION IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS OR DAMAGE THE ENTIRE DRIVETRAIN SYSTEM. MITSUBISHI CLAIMS THAT ITS NOT PART OF THE DRIVETRAIN SO THERE IS NO WARRANTY AND IT'S ALSO A "LUXURY" SYSTEM. CONTROLLING WHEEL TRACTION IS NOT A LUXURY ITS A SAFETY FEATURE. *TR

THE AYC PUMP FAILED AS NOTED BY A TROUBLE CODE. THE AYC PUMP DIRECTLY CORRELATES WITH THE STEERING AND STABILITY CONTROL FOR THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. *TR

LETTER FROM SENATOR TOOMEY ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE 2011 MITSUBISHI (ATTN: ROBERT SIMPSON). *SMD ACCORDING TO THE INVOICES, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, AND THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER ON FOUR OCCASIONS. *JB

WHEN COLD TEMPERATURE COMES (AROUND 20F) OR BELOW YOU CAN HEAR A VERY LOUD WHINE COMING FROM THE AYD/ACD PUMP LOCATED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL WELL WHEN FIRST STAYING VEHICLE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THERE WILL BE A MOMENT WHERE THE TARMAC/GRAVEL/SNOW INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD BLINK AND PUTS THE PUMP INTO FAILSAFE MODE. IF YOU DRIVE WHILE THE PUMP IS IN FAILSAFE MODE THE HANDLING IS TERRIBLE AND ANY ENGINE BRAKING IS NON EXISTENT. OVER THE PAST FEW WINTERS I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS UP UNTIL THIS WRITE UP. NOW IN WARMER WEATHER (70F) OR ABOVE THE PUMP IS STUCK IN FAIL SAFE MODE AND DOES NOT RETURN TO NORMAL OPERATION LIKE IT SOMETIMES WOULD IN WINTER MONTHS. THIS PUMP PROVIDES THE FRONT AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL ASSEMBLY WITH THE FLUID NEEDED TO PROVIDE NORMAL AND ADEQUATE DRIVING. VEHICLE NOW HAS 41000 MILES AND NEEDS THIS PUMP REPLACED WHICH IS JUST OVER 2,000 USD. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND WEATHER AND/OR SALT/SANDY ROADS TO CAUSE PREMATURE FAILURE OF THIS PUMP. I BELIEVE MY PUMP WENT AS A COMBINATION OF BOTH BECAUSE OF POOR PLACEMENT BY MITSUBISHI TO LOCATE THIS PUMP JUST BEHIND THE PASSENGER REAR WHEEL UNDER THE VEHICLE. I NOW HAVE A HEFTY BILL TO LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY 3-4 YEARS IN PUMP REPLACEMENT COSTS ALONE IF I KEEP THIS HAZARD OF A CAR. *TR

I OWN A MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION X GSR 2011. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON FEBRUARY 2013 BRAND NEW. BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2013 (7 MONTHS) I HAD ABOUT 15,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE AND I STARTED EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE GEAR WAS ENGAGING PROPERLY BUT THERE WAS A DELAY ON GETTING TRACTION TO THE WHEELS. THE ENGINE RAMPED UP SEVERAL RPMS BEFORE THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING IN ANY GEAR. ON OCTOBER 2ND 2013 I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP AND I WAS TOLD THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH BECAUSE IT WAS WORN OFF. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS FAIRLY NEW AND I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, ALL MY PREVIOUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I ALSO GOT THE VEHICLE CHECKED WITH TWO LOCAL MECHANICS AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS WORN OFF BEYOND NORMAL. THE CLUTCH IS NOT UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY BECAUSE IT'S WEAR OFF DEPENDS ON THE DRIVER ACCORDING TO MITSUBISHI. THE PROBLEM ARISES WHEN I CHECKED THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEBSITE FOR RECALLS AND I FOUND OUT THAT IN NOVEMBER 11 2013 THERE WILL BE A RECALL NOTICED FOR MY VEHICLE FOR THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER. AFTER NOVEMBER 11 I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO CONFIRM THAT MY CAR IS ONE OF THE CARS AFFECTED AND IT WAS INDEED. I GOT THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED AND THE CAR IS STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE. MY QUESTION IS, AND I NEED TO KNOW IF THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION CAN DO THE RESEARCH FOR ME, WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF A DAMAGED CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER ON THE WEARING OF A CLUTCH? I NOW HAVE TO PAY OVER $2,000 TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE CLUTCH REPLACED. IF THE CLUTCH WAS DAMAGED DUE TO MISS-FUNCTION OF THE MASTER CYLINDER WOULDN'T MITSUBISHI HAVE TO COVER REPAIR COST FOR THE EARLY WEARING OF THE CLUTCH? PLEASE GET BACK TO ME. SINCERELY, *TR

MY CAR BEGAN TO HAVE A FLASHING ACTIVE YAW CONTROL LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT AYC/ACD PUMP WAS FAILING DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE AWD STOPS FUNCTIONING, SO THE CAR IS NOW IN TWO WHEEL DRIVE MODE. MITSUBISHI MOUNTED THE AYC PUMP IN THE REAR FENDERWELL AREA WHERE IT IS OPENLY EXPOSED TO THE WINTER ELEMENTS SUCH AS SNOW, SALT AND SAND. THIS IS A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM AND THE DEALER I WENT TO HAS DONE ABOUT 6 CARS IN THE LAST MONTH OR SO JUST FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER FOR WARRANTY REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS VERY HELPFUL AND WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE PUMP UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WHEN WAS DENIED THE REQUEST DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ENGINE HAD HAD A "TUNE" ON IT. SO, THE PUMP WILL HAVE TO BE REPAIRED AT COST TO MYSELF. THE REASON I AM BRINGING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION IS BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY APPARENT DESIGN FLAW. PLACING A CRITICAL PART LIKE THIS PUMP OPENLY EXPOSED TO SNOW, SALT AND SAND THROWN UP BY THE TIRES WHICH IN TURN CORRODES THE PUMP, IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THIS STOPS THE AWD TO FUNCTION AND RENDERS THE CAR TO BE ONLY DRIVEN IN TWO WHEELED DRIVE MODE WHEN THE CAR IS IN FACT, DESIGNED FOR ALL WHEEL DRIVE. THERE ARE SO MANY WELL DOCUMENTED CASES OF THIS PROBLEM, AT SOME POINT IN TIME, MITSUBISHI WILL HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AND DO SOMETHING TO MITIGATE THE SEVERE CORROSION OF THE AYC PUMP.

I GOT TO WORK AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED THE MOTOR OFF. A CO-WORKER SHOWED UP, I WAS TALKING TO HIM WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG, BY THE TIME I LOOKED THE DRIVER SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG DEPLOYED. I LIFTED MY ARM UP TO COVER MY FACE. IT BURNT MY LEFT SIDE ARM AND BRUISED MY FACE. *TR