2008 Mitsubishi Outlander

I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE REGARDING MY 2008 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER REGARDING THE DRIVE BELT AND PULLEY SYSTEM. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY DEALERSHIP, JERRY'S MITSUBISHI, IN PARKVILLE MD 21234 AND THEN THEY CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT STATING THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PARTS AND HAVE NO DATE WHEN THEY ARE TO ARRIVE. I TRIED CALLING MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER RELATIONS 888-648-7820 AND THEIR AUTOMATED SYSTEM DOESN'T ALLOW NOR CAN I EVER SPEAK TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. I HAVE ALSO TRIED TO CONTACT NHTSA AT 1-888-327-4236 AND AGAIN HAVE NO WAY OF SPEAKING WITH A REPRESENTATIVE. SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE ONLY AVENUE OF APPROACH IS TO SUBMIT THIS COMPLAINT WHICH IS NOT ONLY FOR THE RECALL BUT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE INABILITY TO CONTACT ANYONE LIVE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DEALERSHIP. I SINCERELY HOPE THIS GETS ATTENTION. *TR

WE HAVE A 2008 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER THAT WE PURCHASED IN 2010. I WAS FOLLOWING MY WIFE DOWN THE ROAD AND NOTICED THAT WHEN SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES THE BRAKE LIGHTS SOMETIMES DID NOT COME ON. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM. WHEN WE GOT HOME I TESTED IT AND FOUND THAT ABOUT 20% OF THE TIME NO BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE TO SEE HOW DIFFICULT IT WOULD BE TO FIX AND DISCOVERED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. IT ALSO EFFECTS THE SHIFT INTERLOCK WHICH PREVENTS SHIFTING THE CAR OUT OF PARK EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. MY WIFE CONFIRMED SHE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM TOO. WE HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE 2010 AND HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE. I CALLED OUR LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS PART OF A RECALL. THEY SAID THE RECALL HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON OUR CAR IN 2009 AND IF IT NEEDED REPLACEMENT AGAIN IT WOULD BE AT OUR EXPENSE SINCE IT HAD BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR SINCE THE WORK WAS DONE. THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. THE CAR WAS RECALLED WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY TO HAVE A DEFECTIVE PART REPLACED. NOW THE PART HAS PROVEN TO BE DEFECTIVE AGAIN. THE DEALER CONTACTED MITSUBISHI TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE REPLACEMENT PART BUT THEY HAVE DECLINED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V562000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

WHILE PARKED AND TURNED OFF(FOR 15 MINUTES), THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT(HEATED SEAT) CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE WAS DISCOVERED QUICKLY AND EXTINGUISHED BEFORE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TOOK PLACE. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MITSUBISHI WHO DIRECTED ME TO THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE MITSUBISHI(KERRY MITSUBISHI) DEALER WOULD NOT SHARE THE RESULTS WITH ME BUT CONTACTED MITSUBISHI. THE "MANAGEMENT TEAM" AT MITSUBISHI REJECTED ANY RESPONSIBILITY SAYING THAT THE FIRE CAME FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE. I HAD ONLY REQUESTED THAT THEY REPLACE THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE. *TR

JULY 3, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 PM WE CAME HOME AND PARKED THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY WHICH IS AT A SLIGHT INCLINE. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO UNLOAD ITEMS FROM THE BACK, AND AS I CAME AROUND ON THE PASSENGER SIDE THE CAR MADE A LOUD POP SOUND AND THE CAR BEGAN TO ROLL BACKWARDS AND WAS MAKING AN AUDIBLE CLICKING NOISE. IN AN INSTANT I WAS WORRIED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO RUN OVER ONE OF MY KIDS WHO WERE OUTSIDE AS I UNLOADED THE VEHICLE SO I MANAGED TO CLIMB IN AND AS I REACHED OVER TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION, THE CAR BUMPED OVER WHERE THE DRIVEWAY AND STREET MEET KNOCKING ME OFF BALANCE. AS I FELL FROM THE CAR, MY RIGHT LEG GOT JAMMED IN THE PASSENGER DOOR, MY HEAD WHACKED THE BOTTOM FRAME OF THE DOOR, AND RIGHT BEFORE THE CAR ROLLED TO A STOP, THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE STARTED TO RUN OVER MY LEFT LEG AS I TRIED TO KEEP THE LEG OUT OF THE PATH OF THE WHEEL. I SUSTAINED MULTIPLE INJURIES INCLUDING A HEAD INJURY, CONCUSSION, SPRAINED KNEE, CUTS AND BRUISES. *TR

THIS VEHICLE WAS RECALLED IN 2009 FOR A FAILURE OF THE SWITCH WHICH ACTIVATES THE BRAKE LAMPS. MITSUBISHI RECORDS INDICATE THAT WE HAD THE SWITCH REPLACED IN MARCH, 2009, ALONG WITH ANOTHER RECALL ITEM. HOWEVER, THROUGHOUT THE FIRST HALF OF 2011, MY WIFE AND I HAD PROBLEMS GETTING THE CAR TO COME OUT OF 'PARK', AND WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL COMPUTER INDICATING MALFUNCTIONS. ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THOSE ISSUES INVESTIGATED, I FOLLOWED THE VEHICLE, AND NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE TIME, THE BRAKE LIGHTS DID NOT ACTIVATE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED THAT ALL THREE PROBLEMS WERE CAUSED BY MALFUNCTIONS OF THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH, AND REPLACED IT. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, IT HAS WORKED CORRECTLY SINCE THEN. HOWEVER, I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE SWITCH. AFTER ALL, THAT'S A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF A MAJOR SAFETY SYSTEM, AND RECALL SERVICE HAD BEEN PERFORMED WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO PREVENT THAT VERY SAME PREMATURE FAILURE. IT IS MY OPINION THAT AN IMPORTANT SAFETY COMPONENT SUCH AS THE BRAKE LAMP SYSTEM SHOULD NOT SUFFER A FAILURE AFTER 3.5 YEARS OF SERVICE AND 60,000 MILES. I'M DOUBLY CONFIDENT THAT FAILURE SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED AFTER THE SCRUTINY YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS ALREADY APPLIED TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

MITSUBISHI IS FULLY AWARE OF PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRONIC KEYS IN NEW MODELS AND WOULD NOT REPLACE THE KEYS. PROBLEMS REPORTED BY MITSUBISHI IN "TECHNICAL BULLETINS" TO DEALERS ARE NOT TREATED AS EQUIPMENT RECALLS, EVEN THOUGH KNOWN EQUIPMENT DEFECTS ARE REPORTED. FOR NO APPARENT REASON THE ELECTRONIC KEY TO MY OUTLANDER WOULD NOT START THE ENGINE. THE ELECTRONIC KEY IDENTIFIED AS MISTSUBISHI'S F.A.S.T KEY WOULD NOT WORK AND IT IS UNKNOWN IF THE DEFECT CAN OCCUR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER, IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT MITSUBISHI ISSUES "TECHNICAL BULLETINS" TO NOTIFY DEALERS OF EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS THAT ARE NOT CONSIDERED RECALLS BUT REPORTED DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT PARTS THAT SHOULD BE REPLACED ONLY IF THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT. I WAS TOLD THAT MITSUBISHI WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC KEYS FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS BUT WOULD NOT RECALL THEM AND WOULD ONLY REPLACE THEM AFTER PROBLEMS WERE REPORTED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE KEY COSTS ABOUT $500 DOLLARS INCLUDING PROGRAMMING. I CONSIDER THAT MITSUBISHI COULD NOT CONFIRM IF THE ENGINE WOULD STOP DURING USE AND THEREFORE ALL ELECTRONIC KEYS SHOULD BE REPLACED AS THEY ALREADY KNOW OF THE DEFECT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE KEY AT NO COST ONLY BECAUSE THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN REPORTING THE DEFECT WAS ISSUED, BUT REFUSE TO PROVIDE A COPY OF THE ACTUAL TECHNICAL BULLETIN. PLEASE TREAT CONFIDENTIAL-DO NOT DISCLOSE MY NAME. *TR