2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

ON MONDAY 2013 APRIL 22 I [XXX] (OWNER OF VEHICLE) WAS GETTING OFF MY SHIFT AT APPROXIMATELY 0700 HOURS FROM BETHEL TWP PD; WHERE I WORK AS A PATROLMAN. THE TEMPERATURE WAS FAIRLY MILD 60-65F, I STARTED MY 2008 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION 10 TO LET IT WARM UP LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE FOR APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES. I PUT MY EVO IN GEAR AND ON THE CENTER L.E.D. SCREEN I RECEIVED THE C161 MESSAGE WHICH INDICATES S-AWC FAILURE OR SUPER ALL WHEEL CONTROL. THIS EFFECTS EVERYTHING WITH THE CARS' SUSPENSION STABILITY, YAW CONTROL, AND THE "SMART BREAKING" FEATURE. FOR AN UN-EXPERIENCED DRIVER THIS COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. KNOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS I WAS FORCED TO BRING THE CAR TO SPRINGFIELD MITSUBISHI IN SPRINGFIELD, PA. 1(484)574-8434. NOW I'M STUCK WITH A $2132.00 BILL AND THE CAR IS STILL IN THE LOT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE $2132.00 TO "SHELL" OUT. I WENT TO TWO SEPARATE FORUMS WWW.EVOXFORUMS.COM AND WWW.EVOLUTIONM.NET, AND I DON'T KNOW WHATS SCARIER THE THOUSANDS THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND ARE TOLD BY THEIR LOCAL DEALER ITS SAFE TO OPERATE IN THAT CONDITION OR THE FACT THAT NO BODY IS DOING ANYTHING TO ASSIST OR FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE BE THE ONES WHO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE HERE..... THANK YOU [XXX] PS I APOLOGIZE I AM WRITING YOU AGAIN, I NEVER RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE THE FIRST TIME....... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

A FEW MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED MY USED EVO X WITH 30,000 MILES AND A 5 YR/ 60,000 MILE WARRANTY, I NOTICED A PUDDLE OF FLUID ACCUMULATING WHILE IT WAS PARKED IN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I SOON DID RESEARCH TO DETERMINE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. I LEARNED MY AYC/ACD PUMP IS LEAKING, AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATING IT TURNS OUT THIS PUMP IS NOTORIOUS FOR LEAKING AND FAILING. THE MITSUBISHI DEALER DENIED MY WARRANTY CLAIM AND I WAS NEVER GIVEN A REASON, EVEN AFTER ASKING WHY. I HAVE SINCE THEN CONTACTED A THIRD PARTY DISPUTE CENTER. THIS PUMPS THE NECESSARY FLUID TO THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE ASSEMBLIES. IF THIS PUMP FAILS, IT WILL ULTIMATELY DESTROY THE ENTIRE DRIVE TRAIN/ ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM. RESULTING IN IT LOCKING UP, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO CAUSE THIS PART TO BE FAULTY, UNLESS IT IS DAMAGED, THEREFORE IS A DEFECTIVE PART AND SHOULD BE REPLACED OR FIXED TO INSURE THE SAFETY OF ITS DRIVER AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD. *TR

SATURDAY 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

I HAVE A 2008 LANCER EVOLUTION. THE SERVICE REQUIRED LIGHT FOR THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM CAME ON. I ONLY HAD AROUND 59000 MILES ON THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPEN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS AN INTERNAL FAULT IN THE AWC PUMP. THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $2250 PLUS TAX TO REPLACE. SO I CALLED MITSUBISHI TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REPLACE THE PUMP FOR FREE SINCE IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN. THEY SAID NO SINCE MY 3 YEAR OR 36000 MILE WARRANTY WAS UP. A LOT OF EVOLUTIONS IN COLDER CLIMATES HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE COLD WEATHER MAKES THE FLUID IN THE AWC PUMP TO THICK AND IT CAUSES IT TO BURN UP. WITHOUT THE PUMP WORKING THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING RIGHT AND MAY CAUSE A WRECK IF IT LOCKS UP. MITSUBISHI EVEN RELEASED AN AWC ECU REPROGRAMMING FLASH TO TRY TO KEEP THE PUMPS GOING OUT IN COLD WEATHER. I LIVE IN VIRGINIA WHICH WAS ONE OF THE STATES THEY LISTED FOR THE REFLASH. THEY KNOW THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT REFUSE TO REPLACE MY PUMP WITH THE NEW MODEL. THIS IS THEIR FAULT. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW PUMP. *TR

MITSUBISHI MOTORS OF AMERICA HAS A AWD ECU SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR VEHICLES SPECIFICALLY DRIVEN IN COLD CONDITIONS. DEALERSHIPS AND MITSUBISHI CORPORATE HAVE DENIED MY CLAIM TO OBTAIN THIS SOFTWARE BECAUSE MY CAR WAS SOLD IN CALIFORNIA AND THEY HAVE SAID IT IS NOT ELIGIBLE. I TAKE MY VEHICLE EVERY YEAR UP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAIN RANGE WHERE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS ARE SIMILAR TO ANY OF THE NORTHERN STATES WITHIN THE SERVICE BULLETIN. THE MITSUBISHI SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER IS SC-09-002 ALSO AVAILABLE HERE ON GOOGLE DOCS TO READ ( HTTP://DOCS.GOOGLE.COM/FILEVIEW?ID=0BZNIGP9LGBK8NTU5OTRINJGTZTJHMC00MJY0LWI2NMMTOWZHZJU1NZFKNDCZ&HL=EN) IT STATES THAT "THIS REPROGRAMMING PROCEDURE WILL MODIFY THE ALL-WHEEL-CONTROL (AWC) ECU SOFTWARE TO ACCURATELY MATCH THE OPERATIONS CHECK OF THE AYC/ACD MOTOR WITH CURRENT AMBIENT CONDITIONS. EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER CAUSES INCREASED EXCESSIVE LOAD ON THE MOTOR, WHICH COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE MOTOR. THIS BULLETIN DESCRIBES PROCEDURES TO REPROGRAM THE AWC ECU WITH NEW SOFTWARE PARAMETERS TO PREVENT THIS CONDITION." THE SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT IF I'M USING MY AWD VEHICLE IN COLD CONDITIONS AND THE CRITICAL AWD COMPONENTS FAIL DUE TO DRIVING IN COLD CONDITIONS AS STATED IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN AND CAUSE ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT OR EVEN HURTING OTHERS WHICH CAN BE PREVENTED WITH A 20 MINUTE SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT IS AVAILABLE NOW. *TR