2002 Mitsubishi Lancer

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER. EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL FAILURES REGARDING THE BRAKE SYSTEM. WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, SHE HEARD A CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY TIGHTENED THE SUSPENSION STEERING. ONE YEAR LATER, WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE BRAKES BEGAN TO SQUEAK AND FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY FOUND NO FAILURES WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM. TWO YEARS LATER, WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD SQUEAKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY STATED THAT THE FRONT BRAKES HAD A TEN PERCENT LOSS IN BRAKING POWER. THE FRONT BRAKES WERE REPLACED. SIX MONTHS LATER, WHILE BACKING UP THE VEHICLE, SHE HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY RESURFACED BOTH REAR DRUMS. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY; THEREFORE, NO REPAIRS WERE MADE UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,840 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 66,000. UPDATED 12/22/08 *CN UPDATED 12/29/08. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE CLUTCH FELT AS IF IT HAD LOST PRESSURE. THIS CAUSED A HESITATION IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WORE OUT TOO QUICKLY. THE BRAKES HAD TO BE CHANGED 7 TIMES IN 5 YEARS DUE TO WEAR ON THE PADS. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

I PURCHASED MY 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER IN 2001, IT HAD 7 MILES ON IT. IN THE YEARS SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED THE CAR I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS 6 TIMES. IT NOW HAS 88,000 MILES ON IT. I PRETTY MUCH HAVE TO GET A NEW SET EVERY YEAR, AND THESE ARE THE EXPENSIVE LIFETIME PADS. I HAVE TURNED THE ROTORS TWICE AND ALREADY REPLACED THEM ONCE. WHEN TRYING TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS MY MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE BACK BREAKS HAD NEVER BEEN USED, THEY STILL HAD UNTOUCHED MANUFACTURER BRAKE PADS. SO THE BACK BREAKS HAD NEVER WORKED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY DID LOOK AT THE CAR, THEY STATED THAT IT WAS SIMPLY AN ISSUE OF A DISCONNECTED LINE (AFTER I HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR FOR 4 YEARS). BUT THEN 6 MONTHS LATER I HAD TO CHANGE THE BRAKES YET AGAIN AFTER ONLY 5,000 MILES. ONCE AGAIN- THE BACK BREAKS WERE STILL UNTOUCHED. I CALLED THE DEALER ABOUT THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY UP FRONT FOR ANY INSPECTION OR REPAIRS SINCE MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS MANUFACTURER DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF IMMEDIATELY AND IS A POTENTIAL SERIOUS DANGER, I HAVE YET TO CONTACT CORPORATE REGARDING THIS MATTER AS I HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY WOULD NOT INVOLVE THEMSELVES BY OTHER MITSUBISHI OWNERS. *NM

IN 2003 I BOUGHT A 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER FROM A MITSUBISHI DEALER. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES ON IT AND HAD THE ORIGINAL BRAKES. IN DECEMBER 2004 I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND WAS TOLD THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I HAD THE WORK DONE AND THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 42,000 MILES ON IT AND IT WAS NOW ON IT'S SECOND SET OF BRAKES. IN APRIL 2006 I NOTICED THE BRAKES WERE SQUEAKING ,AND TOOK THE CAR TO A BRAKE REPAIR SHOP. THEY SAID THE CAR DID NEED NEW BRAKES BUT ALSO OF THE TWO FRONT ROTORS ONE WAS MARGINAL FOR BEING TURNED, AND THE OTHER WAS BELOW SPECIFICATIONS. IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO ONE OF THE CALIPERS WAS NOT RELEASING PROPERLY SO THE BRAKE ESSENTIALLY STAYED ON, AND THERE WERE BLACK HEAT MARKS ON THE ROTOR. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 75,000 MILES ON IT, AND IT WAS NOW ON ITS THIRD SET OF BRAKES. I HAD THE BRAKE PADS REPLACED. ALSO TOOK ALL THE PARTS THAT HAD BEEN REPLACED AND WENT TO THE MITSUBISHI DEALER THAT I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR FROM, AND WHERE THE FIRST SET OF BRAKES HAD BEEN REPLACED. AT THE DEALER THEY REFUSED TO REMOVE ALL THE COMPONENTS. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE WHAT I HAD BEEN SHOWN AT THE BRAKE SHOP. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND THE ONLY THING AGREED UPON WAS THAT THE ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. A WEEK LATER I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE BRAKE SHOP AND HAD THE ROTORS REPLACED. I CONTACTED MITSUBISHI MOTORS BY PHONE AND ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THE BRAKES AND WAS TOLD NO. I WROTE TO MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICAN CORPORATE OFFICE, AND RECEIVED A REPLY STATING THEY DO NOT DEAL WITH TECHNICAL QUESTIONS BUT I SHOULD CONTACT THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER. I TOLD THEM IN THE LETTER THAT I HAD DONE THAT ALREADY. THESE BRAKE JOBS HAVE BEEN EXPENSIVE, ESPECIALLY THE LAST ONE WHERE THE ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED. I FEEL THAT MITSUBISHI HAS BEEN VERY UNHELPFUL WITH THIS COMPLAINT. *JB *AK *NM

AT MY 30K SERVICE THE FRONT BRAKE PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOW AT 52K MILES THE ROTORS NEED TO BE MACHINED. I'M WONDERING IF THE MATERIAL THE BRAKE PADS ARE MADE FROM ARE JUST CHEAP AND WEAR OUT QUICKLY OR WHAT WOULD MAKE THE ROTORS NEED TO BE MACHINED AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE. I'VE OWNED MANY VEHICLES AND HAVE NEVER HAD TO HAVE ROTORS MACHINED, RESURFACED OR REPLACED, EVEN UP TO 150K MILES! THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I CAN SEE THAT I'LL BE DOING BRAKE PADS EVERY 40K MILES OR SO IF THE TRACK RECORD CONTINUES. I CAN FIND NO TSB ON BRAKES. THE DEALER ALSO SAID I HAD AN OPEN RECALL TO "REFLASH PCM" WHICH I CAN'T FIND ON YOUR SITE FOR MY VEHICLE. IS THIS A VOLUNTARY RECALL OR A FEDERALLY MANDATED ONE? BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND IT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE RECALLING OR WHAT I SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR IF THE PCM FAILS AFTER THE RECALL. *NM

DT: 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER. BRAKES FAILED TWICE. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MITSUBISHI SERVICE DEALER TWICE. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOUR TIMES, BUT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT WAS FINALLY DETERMINED THAT THE PUSH ROD WAS INCORRECTLY SPECIFIED. THE MECHANIC TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT BASICALLY THE WRONG PART WAS PUT ON THE VEHICLE. IT HAD THE WRONG BRAKES INSTALLED. THIS PROBLEM WAS LISTED IN SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 0235003. CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE BRAKES. THERE WAS A VIBRATION IN BETWEEN THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE TIRE AXLE. THIS ONLY OCCURED WHEN CONSUMER PUSHED ON THE BRAKES. THE ACCIDENTS WERE REPORTED TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY. *AK

2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES . HAVE HAD FOUR (4) ACCIDENTS WITH THIS VEHICLE FROM DATE OF PURCHASE TO PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 13 MONTHS IN 2/2004 THE AUTOMOBILE STARTED STALLING, AND DURING THE STALL IT WOULD ACCELERATE, AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FUNCTION DURING THIS. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION MADE REVVING SOUNDS PERIODICALLY.I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE MITSUBISHI DEALER ?BELLSOUTH MITSUBISHI? IN SAYREVILLE NJIN FEB 04? AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THE SERVICE DEPT.THE PUT THE CAR ON A MACHINE FOR TESTS AND NO ERRORS WERE FOUND. I THEN NOTIFIED THE SALES PERSON THAT SOLD ME THE CAR THEY REQUESTED ME TO LEAVE IT FOR 4 HOURS TO RUN TESTS ETC? THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. 12/17/04 WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED AT A STOP SIGN AND ACCELERATED INTO THE TRUCK AHEAD OF ME CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE FRONT ,THE BUMPER, AND HOOD OF MY CAR. SINCE THEN THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION IS MAKING MORE LOUD REVVING SOUNDS SINCE THAT INCIDENT. IT SEEMS TO BE WORSENING.ON 12/30/04 AT A STOP LIGHT THE CAR ACCELERATED WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKETHE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK?THE MOTOR REVVED UP VERY LOUDLY AND THE CAR SHOOK FOR ABOUT 30SECONDS TO A MINUTE THEN WENT BACK TO ?NORMAL? I CALLED THE BELL MITSUBISHI IN RAHWAYNJ.IMMEDIATELY AND THEY ROAD TESTED THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.12/31/04 I TOOK THE CAR BACK INTO BELLSOUTHMITSUBISHI IN SAYREVILLE,NJTHEY PUT THE CAR ON A MACHINE ?SORRY THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED?THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS A MUCH EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE CAUSING 2 SEPARATE ACCIDENTS THE CAR ACCELERATES SUDDENLY, TAKES LONG TO SLOW DOWN TO A STOP IN 2/04 DURING A SNOW STORM I WAS DRIVING APPX 25MPH THE BRAKES TOOK TO LONG TO APPLY AND I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR .IN THE RAIN THE CAR FAILED TO STOP AGAIN WHEN BRAKES WHERE APPLIED AND STARTED TO SKID INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I TRIED TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AWAY TO AVOID COLLISION THE STEERING WAS NOT RESPONSIVE THERFORE RESULTING IN COLLISION. AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY IN ANY ACCIDENT. *AK