1994 Mitsubishi Galant

THE WHEEL OF MY DAUGHTER'S MITSUBISHI GALANT FELL OFF! WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY AT OUR HOME, THE GALANT'S BALL JOINT ON THE LOWER LATERAL CONTROL ARM FAILED. THE BALL JOINT PULLED OUT OF THE SOCKET AND THE TRANSAXLE PULLED OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION. THIS RESULTED IN THE WHEEL FALLING AGAINST THE WHEEL WELL (LITERALLY FALLING OFF THE CAR!) THERE WAS NO GREASE IN THE BALL JOINT SOCKET. THANKFULLY, THIS OCCURRED AT A VERY LOW RATE OF SPEED. IF IT HAD HAPPENED ON THE EXPRESSWAY, IT WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT! THIS 1994 GALANT HAS ONLY 86,000 MILES ON IT, AND HAS NO OPEN RECALLS. MY DAUGHTER HAD TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE INCIDENT BECAUSE SHE SOMETIMES HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE WHEEL AREA. THE SHOP WRONGLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS TIE ROD ENDS. THEY SAID THERE WERE NO IMMEDIATE SAFETY CONCERNS. *JB

A NEAR MISS. THE NUT ON THE LOWER CONTROL ARM CAME OFF ON DRIVERS SIDE. 75 MPH AND THANK GOODNESS I WAS STRONG TO PULL THE ASPHALT EATING FRONT END TO THE SIDE. GOING DOWNHILL HEARD WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A PEBBLE HIT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR AND THEN WAS BEING PULLED UNDER THE ONCOMING SEMI. UPON FINALLY STOPPING ON THE SHOULDER, I GOT OUT LOOKED AT MY TIRE SITTING PERPENDICULAR TO THE CAR, THE CARS FRONT END SITTING ON THE GROUND,(I HAVE PHOTO'S) I LOOKED BACK TO SEE A GROVE AND A BLACK LINE TRAVELING FROM THE LEFT LANE TO THE CENTER LINE BACK TO THE LEFT LANE AND TO MY GALANT'S RESTING PLACE. AT 48 YEARS OLD I HAVE DRIVEN MANY A CAR, NEVER HAVE I COME SO NEAR TO MEETING MY MAKER. THE MECHANIC, 300 MILES FROM MY HOME SAID THE BALL JOINT BOOT FAILED AND ALLOWED THE BOLT TO BECOME LOOSE AND THE TRAVEL JUST UNSCREWED THE NUT. ALL THE THREADS WERE THERE, NON WERE STRIPPED. 3 DAYS LATER I BRAVELY LOADED MYSELF AND MY YOUNGER SISTER INTO THE CAR WITH SOME MAKE DUE REPAIRS AND A NEW LOWER CONTROL ARM, A PUT BACK TOGETHER WITH DUCT TAPE AND A PRAYER CV AXLE( WAS PULL OUT AS FAR AS IT COULD GO, A NEW SLIGHTLY SMALLER NEW TIRE, AND A $1000.00 POORER, I SLOWLY MADE MYSELF DRIVE BACK HOME. NOW I HEAR NOISES ON THE OTHER SIDE. NOW I HAVE STARTED LOOKING FOR PLACES LIKE THIS THE AIR MY COMPLAINTS. I WAS FORTUNATE. AS AN OLDER PERSON, A WOMAN AND ORIGINAL OWNER, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED A RECALL, I DIDN'T. HAVE HAD THE SAME ADDRESS FOR 16 YEARS. DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL I GOT HERE. *JB

PURSUANT TO THE BALL JOINT RECALL FOR MY 1994 MITSUBISHI GALANT, I TOOK MY CAR TO OURISMAN MITSUBISHI IN 2004 WHO THEN INSPECTED THE BOOT, NOTICED THE BOOT WAS BROKEN YET THE SERVICEMAN RESEALED THE BOOT AND INFORMED ME THAT THE CAR WAS CHECKED AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE INTACT. IN AUGUST 2005, WHILE I WAS HAVING MY CAR SERVICE FOR A WATER PUMP PROBLEM, THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THE LOWER BALL JOINT WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE IT REPLACED. *JB

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR MY 1994 MITSUBISHI GALANT LS ,AND I TOOK MY CAR TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP, OURISMAN MITSUBISHI, LAST YEAR CONCERNING THE LOWER ARM BALL JOINT. IT WAS DETERMINED THERE THAT THE BALL JOINT WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. AFTER HAVING MY CAR INSPECTED BY MY PRIVATE AND CERTIFIED MECHANIC HE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACE THIS VERY PART. THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE BALL JOINT IS IN SERIOUS NEED OF REPLACEMENT.*AK