2001 Mitsubishi Mirage

The contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt failed to retract, and the driver was unable to remove the seat belt from the buckle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a retraction failure and that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The seat belt was not repaired nor replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE APPX 105,000 MILES. PURCHASED MAY 2007. VEHICLE'S FUSE BOX CAUGHT FIRE AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TOTALING THE CAR. NO PRIOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS BEFORE THE EVENT OCCURRED. AFTER RUNNING ERRANDS I PULLED INTO MY APARTMENT COMPLEX'S PARKING LOT AND THE CAR SUDDENLY DIED. I TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE DID NOT EVEN TURN. I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND I SAW SMALL FLAMES COMING FROM THE FUSE BOX ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I CALLED 911 IMMEDIATELY AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE DESTROYED AND COMPLETELY MELTED THE FUSE BOX AND BATTERY AND DAMAGED THE COOLING SYSTEM. I FILED A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND MONDAY 12/14/2009 THE DAMAGE APPRAISER CAME AND EXAMINED THE DAMAGE AND TOTALED THE CAR. I HAVE HAD NO PRIOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND THERE WERE NO INDICATES THAT THE CAR WAS MALFUNCTIONING. *TR

POOR MANUFACTURING LEADING TO EVENTUAL OPERATIONAL FAILURE. THE HOOD HINGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE HAS SEIZED UP. THIS HAS PLACED A GREAT AMOUNT OF STRESS UPON THE TINY BRACKET ATTACHED TO THE HOOD; CAUSING IT TO BEND AND STRUCTURALLY FAIL. A SIMILAR PROBLEM IS NOW BEGINNING TO PROPAGATE OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HINGE AND BRACKET. THIS MAKES OPENING AND CLOSING THE HOOD EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, ALONG WITH THE HOOD NOT PROPERLY CLOSING. ALSO, THE TOP HINGE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HAS ALSO SEIZED UP PLACING A SEVERE AMOUNT OF STRESS ON THE ATTACHED BRACKET AND BOTTOM HINGE. THE AMOUNT OF STRESS CAUSED BY THE SEIZED HINGE HAS FORCED THE BRACKET THROUGH THE DOOR; PIERCING THE METAL. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALSO CAUSED MISALIGNMENT WITH THE DOOR, RESULTING IN IT NOT CLOSING/SEALING PROPERLY AS WELL AS RUBBING AGAINST THE FRONT RIGHT QUARTER PANEL. THE COST OF THE DAMAGES WILL RESULT IN APPROX $700.00 IN REPAIRS FOR A VEHICLE A BIT OVER 6 YEARS OF AGE. CURRENTLY NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE DAMAGES. WE SPOKE WITH A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS RUDE AND PRETTY MUCH TRIED TO DEFLECT QUESTIONS WITH NO CLEAR ANSWERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE US AND MAKE US STOP BOTHERING HIM. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF APPEALING TO THE CORPORATE OFFICE TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE REGARDING THIS OBVIOUS (AS SHOWN ON THIS SITES MANY CONSUMER COMMENTS) MANUFACTURING FLAW. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN IS NOT WORKING. HE HAD TO PULL THE FUSE FROM THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT IF HE PRESSED THE HORN TOO HARD, IT COULD DAMAGE THE MECHANISM. IN ORDER TO HAVE THE DEFECT REPAIRED, THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH THE HORN AND THE AIR BAG MECHANISM. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $700. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 144,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,000. UPDATED 12/12/07

I PUNCHED OUT FROM MY JOB AND GOT INTO MY CAR. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 8 MINUTES AWAY.I WAS IN MY CAR WAITING FOR THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TO CHANGE TO GREEN. THERE WERE ABOUT 4 OR 5 CARS AHEAD OF ME.I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN MY CAR TOOK OFF LIKE A RACE CAR (VERY FAST).I APPLIED MY BRAKE AND IT FELT AS THOUGH IT DIDN'T WANT TO HOLD.I THEN APPLIED BOTH FEET TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN AN ALMOST STANDING UP POSITION TRYING TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP.IT EVENTUALLY STOPPED. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED EITHER ON DECEMBER 20TH OR DECEMBER 21ST. THE REASON I DIDN'T GIVE A DEFINITIVE DATE IS THAT MY RECEIPT IS IN MY CAR. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME IN MY LIFE, IT HAPPENED AT AN INOPPORTUNE TIME BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED OVER TIME THAT WEEK; BUT DUE TO MY CAR NOT BEING FINISHED (FIXED) UNTIL 4:00 P.M. I LOST A DAY OF WORK. VERY NEXT MORNING I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE ON ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MANAGER AND HE SAID TO ME "MAAM WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE HERE THAT CAN FIX THAT PROBLEM", THE MANAGER THEN SAID THAT HE HAS READ SOMEWHERE WHERE THAT HAS HAPPENED TO SOME VEHICLES. HE SAID THERE MAYBE A RECALL AND THEN ADVISED ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. I LEFT HIS SHOP AND WENT TO GOSSETT/MITSUBISHI MOTORS ON COVINGTON PIKE; THIS IS WHERE I PURCHASED MY CAR FROM. I EXPLAINED IT TO THE WOMAN WHO GREETED ME. I TOLD HER WHAT THE MANAGER AT FIRESTONE REVEALED TO ME ABOUT THE RECALL. SHE SAID THAT SHE WILL LOOK INTO THAT. SHE SAID THAT THE CHARGE $105.00 JUST TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE, BUT IT WILL BE APPLIED TOWARDS THE BILL (AS AN OFFSET). AFTER THEY FINISHED LOOKING AT MY CAR SHE SAID THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THAT TO HAPPEN AND THEY DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL OR WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. THE LADY SAID THAT I DID HAVE A LITTLE CORROSION IN MY FUEL INJECTORS AND THIS MAY BE THE PROBLEM. SHE ALSO SAID THAT I NEED TO HAVE MY TIMING/SERPENTINE BELTS REPLACED. I PAID FOR THE FUEL INJECTORS THERE AND I WENT TO A SECOND FIRESTONE TO HAVE THE 3 BELTS REPLACED. *NM

MY REAR MIDDLE SEAT BELT DID NOT FUNCTION SO WHEN I WENT TO GET MY SAFETY CHECK FROM MITSUBISHI HAWAII THEY CHARGED ME TO REPLACE IT, STATING THEY COULD NOT COMPLETE MY SAFETY CHECK SINCE THE SEAT BELT WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. AT THE TIME OF SERVICE, MY 5 YEAR MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED BY ONE WEEK. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO ANOTHER SERVICE COMPANY TO GET A TUNE-UP (THAT MITSUBISHI SAID I NEEDED EVEN THOUGH I JUST HAD ONE SIX MONTHS PRIOR), THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ILLEGAL FOR THE DEALER TO CHARGE ME TO REPLACE MY PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM THAT WAS DEALER ISSUED AND FAULTY. I CALLED MITSUBISHI AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS LAW AND THAT I WAS CHARGED BECAUSE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED BY A WEEK. NO ONE BOTHERED TO CONSIDER IT TOOK TWO WEEKS TO GET AN APPT AND MY WARRANTY WAS IN EFFECT WHEN I REQUESTED THE APPT. THIS CHARGE DOES NOT SEEM FAIR SINCE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED ON FEB 22, 2006 AND THE EARLIEST APPT I COULD GET WAS ON MAR 1, 2006. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. ALSO, THE SPEEDOMETER DID NOT REGISTER HOW FAST THE VEHICLE WAS GOING, AND THE FUEL GAUGE MALFUNCTIONED, THE CONTACT DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS THERE WAS IN THE FURL TANK. IN ADDITION, THE RPMS DID NOT REGISTER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED. AND THEY DETERMINED THE VEHICLE HAD A DEFECTIVE MODULE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.*AK