1993 Mitsubishi Mirage

1993 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE, NHTSA RECALL 97V073001 MITSUBISHI RELUCTANTLY PERFORMED RECALL. MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT STILL WOULD NOT WORK. WAS TOLD TO MANUALLY LATCH AND UNLATCH SHOULDER BELT TO ANCHOR (EMERGENCY PROCEDURE). SHOULDER BELT BECAME FRAYED BECAUSE OF RUBBING ON A GUIDE WHILE MANUALLY USING THE SHOULDER BELT. DEALER SAID VEHICLE IS "UNSAFE". REQUESTED REPLACEMENT OF SHOULDER BELT AND OFFERED TO PAY LABOR. MITSUBISHI REFUSED. APPROXIMATE COST OF REPAIR IS $300- $400. DEALER PAPERWORK AND MITSUBISHI CORRESPONDENCE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

I HAVE HAD LEFT FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT RETRACTOR FAIL 3 TIMES ONCE IN 1998,2000 &2003. THE CAR HAS THE AUTOMATIC SEATBELTS SO WHEN YOU CLOSE THE DOOR THE SEATBELT IS SUPPOSE TO RETRACT BACK BEHIND THE SEAT OR ALONG THE DOOR JAM IN EACH OF MY INCIDENCES I CLOSED THE DOOR AND THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR CABLE COMES OUT OF THE RAIL THAT RUNS ALONG THE TOP OF THE DOOR JAM AND GETS STUCK HALF WAY TO OR NOT AT ALL. IT IS A RECALL I BELIEVE AND I HAD IT REPLACED FOR THE RECALL 2 TIMES AND NOW IM GOING TO A 3RD TIME. IT IS VERY FRIGHTENING TO ME BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE I CANNOT DRIVE MY CAR WITHOUT A SEATBELT IT NOT ONLY UNSAFE ITS AGAINST THE LAW. I HOPE TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS ISSUE AND ASK THAT IT BE LOOKED AT MORE CLOSELY. *AK

MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER CAR LATE ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND IT STALLED OUT IN A RURAL AREA. WE HAD IT TOWED TO OUR MECHANICAL AND THINKING IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE CAM SHAFT HAD SPLIT. HE SAID THAT THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH I HAVE LEARNED THAT MITSUBISHI HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE FACT THAT WITH THE MIRAGE THERE CAN BE A PROBLEM WITH STALLING DUE TO AN ENGINE SHAFT DEFECT. WHEN I CALLED MITSUBISHI ALL THEY SAID WAS THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THAT AND BECAUSE THE CAR IS A 1993 WITH 103,000 MILES THERE IS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO. I STRONGLY FEEL THIS IS A WARRANTY ISSUE NO MATTER HOW OLD THE CAR IS OR HOW MANY MILES IT HAS. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE OR NORMAL AND ROUTINE CARE COULD HAVE PREVENTED. IT IS A SERIOUS MATERIAL DEFECT. *NLM

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE VIA MAIL & BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER. THEY DID SOME WORK ON THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ENOUGH WAS DONE. NOW THEY REFUSE TO DO ANY MORE "GOODWILL" REPAIRS AT NO CHARGE. THIS IS MY SAFETY AT RISK. I EVEN TOOK IT AND PAID FOR IT MYSELF TO ANOTHER SERVICE CENTER AFTER ANOTHER FAILURE. I HAVE WRITTEN REPORTS OF THIS. I ALSO HAVE COPIES OF WHAT I WAS TOLD IS A "SILENT RECALL" WHERE THE OWNER IS NOT NOTIFIED. KEEP IN MIND, BEFORE I TOOK IT FOR SERVICE TO THE FIRST PLACE, THERE WAS NEVER A PROBLEM. ALL THE PROBLEMS HAVE DEVELOPED AFTER THE DEALERSHIP WORKED ON THE CAR. THIS HAS BEEN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING TO ME AND A LONG PROCESS. NOW THEY REFUSE TO DO ANY FURTHER WORK FOR FREE. I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM AND IT IS MY SAFETY THAT IS AT RISK. PLEASE ASSIST AS SOON AS YOU CAN.*AK

THE FIRST HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED ON 3-8-1999 @30,886 MILES. THE SECOND HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED ON 1-24-2002 @ 55,691 MILES. THEY WOULD NOT HELP COVER THE COST BECAUSE IT WAS LONGER THAN ONE YEAR EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS ONLY 24,000 MILES ON THE HEAD GASKET. I HAVE KEPT ALL RECEIPTS ON MY VEHICLE AND HAVE KEPT UP WITH ALL THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE. THERE MUST BE SOME DEFECT INVOLVED.*AK