Mitsubishi 3000gt 1991 - Power train - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Mitsubishi 3000gt 1991

Recalls
Technical Service Bulletins
Defect investigations
Consumer Complaints

Recalls

Campaign	Manufacturer	Manufacturing date	Type	# of units affected	Date Owner notified Mfg	Recall Initiated by	Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products	Report Recieved Date	Record Creation Date
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE
93V033000	MITSUBISHI AMERICA	from 04/01/1990 to 04/01/1991	V (Vehicle)	3154	06/03/1993	ODI	MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.	03/26/1993	03/29/1993
Defect Summary	A condition exists that allows oil to leak from the all wheel drive transfer case. low oil levels in the transfer case can cause bearing damage and failure.
Consequence Summary	Bearing failure in the transfer case can result inpower train lockup without prior warning, while the vehicle is at highway speed.this could result in a loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Corrective Summary	Install a c-ring to transfer case to prevent oil leakage, or replace transfer case to maintain sufficient oil levels in the transfer case.
Notes	System: drive train.vehicle description: passenger cars, vr-4.
POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)
02V143001	MITSUBISHI AMERICA		V (Vehicle)	15000	12/09/2002	ODI	MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.	05/14/2002	06/03/2002
Defect Summary	On certain passenger vehicles, a condition exists that allows oil to leak from the all-wheel drive transfer case.
Consequence Summary	Low oil levels in the transfer case could cause bearing damage and result in drive train lockup, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective Summary	Dealers will inspect the transfer case for indications of oil leakage or damage. vehicles that have oil leakage will have the transfer case resealed and re-fill the transfer case to the proper level, or replaced the transfer case if there is evidence of damage. owner notification is expected to begin december 9, 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mitsubishi america at 1-888-648-7820 or mitsubmishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
Notes	Mitsubishi recall bulletin no. sr-02-003. customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Item no.	Summary	Added
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TSB9754004	03/01/1997	52090	Deletion of elc-4 a/t eco circuit- service manual revision. *jd	07/17/1997
POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE
TSB9723015	12/01/1997	600571	Information about improved automatic transaxle end clutch. *tt	05/26/1998
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TSB9322002	08/01/1993	39689	New speedometer driven gear. *tw	11/01/1995
POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)
94	06/01/2003	10003757	5-speed transfer case assembly identification. *tt	10/29/2003

Investigations

NHTSA ID	Manufacturer	Date open	Date close	Subject	Recall campaign
POWER TRAIN
EA92004	MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.	01/23/1992	03/26/1993	TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP	93V033000
	There is no summary currently available
EA92004	MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.	01/23/1992	03/26/1993	TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP	93V033001
	There is no summary currently available
PE91054	MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.	02/27/1991	06/28/1991	POWER TRAIN LOCKUP
	There is no summary currently available

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
11/01/2004	68285	1	11/23/1992
	While driving in a stop and go/bumper-to-bumper traffic vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated and lurched forward and hit another vehicle in front. no injuries were reported. vehicle was towed to the dealer, who replaced vehicle's control unit. ak transmission feels as if slipping gears. transmission control unit was replaced. shifter bushings replaced. engine idled by itself. isc motor replaced and throttle body cleaned. left axle boot was rebuilt. engine light was on. ecu was replaced. front end pulls left. front and rear wheel alignment performed. brakes pulsate when applied. front rotors resurfaced. tt *nm
11/03/2001			11/01/2001
	No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
06/01/2001		2	06/01/2001
	Prev owner states that same problem failure occurred at 43000mile-2nd gear/synchros/leaks. *ak
10/22/1996		1	06/01/1991
	Getrag and mitsubishi refuse to supply parts to do reapirs and only alternative is a $6,000 replacement from mitsubishi no safety defect listed. *ak
08/01/2001		1	05/01/1997
	Transmission locked @35mph. 2nd & 3rd been grinding for two yeas under daily driving. dealership said it was bad shifting and neglected to tell me that the extended warranty was still in effect!! now i have a $5k repair i cannot afford!, it is way to common of a problem in these cars. please help us.*ak
		1	04/01/1995
	Transmission was leaking, and crunching in third gear. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES
08/31/2003	133000	1
	Oil is leaking from the transmission cover case seals, causing consumer to refill more then normal. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT
02/01/1999		2	03/01/1991
	Mitsubishi motors will not honor the 91 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 transfer case nhtsa dot recall. nor will mitsubishi reply to the concerns of any 3000gt owners. nor will mitsubishi offer after market or orig. parts for rebuilding. one must purchase the whole unit. i, as well as many others find mitsubishi motors to be uncaring and unwilling to investigate these potencial problems that can result in injury or even death.
06/01/2000			02/01/1998
	Transfer case spline failed. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
		1
	Transfer case does have a recall, dealer said it was completed, but problems persists. transfer case is noisy and about to fail.*ak
06/03/2000		1	08/01/1991
	The end of the rear cover of the 5 speed transmission blew off, expelling the 5th gear synchonizer assembly and all lubricant from the transaxle case. luckly, the car was only traveling about 20 mph when this occured. car was being driven down a slight grade through a parking lot at time of failure. photos are available.*ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT
08/20/2003	87000	1	07/30/2001
	1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4. output shaft of transmission broke, more than once. one happened while going through an intersection almost causing an accident.*ak
09/03/2003	70000	1	07/23/2003
	My mother owns a 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4, since she isn't competent in using the computer i am sending this in for her. this model car has a common problem in the transaxle with the 18-spline shaft. this part of the car is considered the weak link. the shaft snapped while driving the car and almost caused an accident since it was on a highway with no shoulders to pull over on. luckily there was not a lot of traffic and the car was able to change lanes and put the hazard lights on without incident. i am hoping that nhtsa can assist owners of this car in getting a recall for these 18-spline transmissions. thanks. *ak
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
07/05/2001			06/01/2001
	Prvious mitsubishi just sold in june 2001 had also failure/leakage and same problems as this one has. cars both exquisitely maintained, never abused, failure/leaks seem to be inherant in the 3000 model of mitsubishi line of cars (mine 1991 & 1993)
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
02/01/2006		2
	Transmission failed 2 times on my 91 mitsubishi 3000gt. *jb
04/25/2005	60000	1	04/04/1992
	My gt 3000 sl manual transmission problem the first gear synchro ar bad. come to find out that you can not get parts, how can a company sell soemthing that you can't get parts for all you can do is buy a new transmission that has the same problems or salvage one that has the same problem. getrag and mitsubishi should fix there blunder
06/01/2002	80500	1	05/20/2002
	I have a 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 twin turbo. i had to replace the 18 spline output shaft in the transmission. in 1993 (2 years after production), mitsubishi realized that they made a flaw in the output shafts and went ot the 24 spline. i know of very many people that have had to pay out of pocket for this design flaw. many have to replace it with another 18 spline due to the fact that the 24 spline conversion requires a whole new transmission casing ($$). is there anything that nhtsa could do to help us with this?*ak
01/12/2004		1	01/20/2004
	The output shaft from my 1991 3000gt vr4 is prone to breakage. this is well known by the manufacturer and dealerships. a recall is already in place for our transfer cases and it should be extended to our transmissions as well.*ak
09/03/2003	70000	1	07/23/2003
	My mother owns a 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4, since she isn't competent in using the computer i am sending this in for her. this model car has a common problem in the transaxle with the 18-spline shaft. this part of the car is considered the weak link. the shaft snapped while driving the car and almost caused an accident since it was on a highway with no shoulders to pull over on. luckily there was not a lot of traffic and the car was able to change lanes and put the hazard lights on without incident. i am hoping that nhtsa can assist owners of this car in getting a recall for these 18-spline transmissions. thanks. *ak
05/23/2001		1	05/01/2001
	The 2nd and 3rd gear synchros are worn out and i have a lot of trouble shifting. *ak
05/10/2001		1	04/01/2001
	There have been many other people that have complained about this and nothing has happend about it. i think it is time that there is a recall made for the transmisions. *ak
11/18/2000		1	09/01/2000
	No summmary listed for above vehicle. *ak
		1	08/01/2000
	Get rag transmission fails repetedly in most 91-93 mitsubishi 3000gt's and neither mitsubishi or getrag offer replacement parts for the transmission and also there are many other common problems such as the srs light comming on when the battery is removed. even if mitsu doesn't pay for the repairs at least we ask for replacement parts.
07/13/2000		2	07/01/1998
	No summary

	I am representing the stealth / 3000gt community. our cars have major safety concerns with the transmissions. i would send the entire letter we as a community have composed, but i am only limited to 2000 characters. to be brief, our cars transmission systems are sub-standard quality. they have broken while people are driving the cars, and the break again. we cannot get replacement parts for our transmissions either, due to mitsubishi not providing them. please email me at mikehoffa@aol.com or hoffa_mike@prc.com so i can send in the full detailed letter. i have a spreadsheet that i compiled over the week of almost 50 names/information of people who have re-occuring transmission problems. and i got those names in only 5 days time. we have been dealing with our cars constantly breaking down and being worried about them breaking down while driving. some people have had gears and other parts break right through the transmission casing walls while the car is moving. luckily, nothing serious in terms of an accident has happened. i will send the entire letter to you [nhtsa] if you email me back. i will also attach the spreadsheet of names and info i have received of supporters that have transmission problems as well. as i said before, please email me at mikehoffa@aol.com and/or hoffa_mike@prc.com so i can send you the letter. thanks, stealth/3000gt community.
07/11/2000			06/01/2000
	No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak
07/03/2000			11/01/1999
	Transmission case cracked after car popped out of gear for no reason. must be replaced at a cost of $3,000.*ak
06/03/2000		1	08/01/1991
	The end of the rear cover of the 5 speed transmission blew off, expelling the 5th gear synchonizer assembly and all lubricant from the transaxle case. luckly, the car was only traveling about 20 mph when this occured. car was being driven down a slight grade through a parking lot at time of failure. photos are available.*ak
09/20/1998		3	09/01/1998
	The transmission is made by a german company called getrag. they only will sell a complete new unit and will not sell replacement parts. the parts are weak from the start with many known failures of these transmissions, and also their weak output shafts. the syncronizers are the most common thing to go with my 2nd and 3rd gear being replaced with used ones twice with no success. these transmissions are garbage and without individual replacement parts being available buying a whole new unit for $5,000 is not a very good solution. i've never seen such a monopoly such as the one getrag and mitsubishi have formed together. *ak
		1
	While driving smelled something, internal failure resulted in there being a hole in the transmission, not able to get reapir because he can't find the part.
POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)
01/05/2007	140000	1	01/17/2004
	Tl*the contact owns a 1991 mitsubishi 3000 gt. while making a right turn at 25 mph, the powertrain locked up and disabled the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that it was previously repaired in 2005 according to nhtsa campaign id number 02v143001 (powertrain:transfer case (4-wheel drive)) and would not assume liability. the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the current and failure mileages were 140,000.
07/13/2007		1	07/13/2007
	Transfercase on 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 is leaking tc fluid and mitsubishi hq and dealership will not repair/fix problem as stated in recall. *tr
06/30/2007	142000	1	11/19/2006
	Tl*the contact owns a 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt. while driving over 45 mph, both rear tires locked up and the vehicle came to a complete stop. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle is not included in recall number 02v143001 (power train:transfer case (4-wheel drive)). the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 142,000.
03/27/2007	70985	1
	Tl*the contact owns a 1991 mitsubishi 3000 gt. there is a safety recall on the vehicle, but the contact's vin is excluded. the contact stated that the transfer case has a leak. the weather and driving speed were not factors and the vehicle has not failed since. the current mileage is 71,000 and failure mileage was approximately 70, 985.
12/09/2006	186000	2	12/09/2006
	Tl* - the contact purchased a 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 december 9, 2006. the contact stated that while driving at 75 mph under dry road conditions and light traffic, the vehicle shook and vibrated a few times. the contact slowed down to stop the vehicle, while reducing speed to 10 mph the vehicle rear wheels locked causing the vehicle to skid about 20 feet. no one was struck or injured during this incident. the vehicle was taken by flat bed truck to a local shop where the drive shaft was removed allowing the wheels to move. there was a trace of liquid on the transfer case that had a burnt smell. the contact found out about the recall while researching www.3si.org. there is a recall on the transfer case and relates to oil leaking out that may cause the rear wheels to lock. the contact called mitsubishi in regards to the recall. mitsubishi informed the contact of a recall issued in jan 2003. the repairs for his car were made july 8th 2003. mitsubishi explained that they could not pay for these repairs since the vehicle was already seen for the recall. the consumer stated paid over $2,000 for repairs. updated 08/13/07 *tr
11/22/2005	119355	1	06/15/2003
	1. the car had no sign of failure until the automobile was immobile. 2. the failure was the result of a defective transfer case, and caused the car's drive train to seize. 3. no actions were taken to resolve the failure. *nm
09/02/2004	12000	1
	Due to the failure of the transfer case, the rear wheels locked up. the consumer pulled over and had the vehicle towed. the dealership was aware of the problem.. please provide more information. *jb
08/18/2003		1
	Transfercase snapped, wheels locked up while moving car to be repaired.*ak
02/09/2004		1
	Information request regarding transmissions wearing prematurely/breaking on 1991-1993 mitsubishi 3000 gt and dodge stealth. mr also in reference to the mitsubishi 3000gt vr4. the output shaft of the transmission wore prematurely. recall#02v143001. although the output shaft goes into the transfer case, it was not included in the recall unless the transfer case locked up and the shaft became damaged. the consumer found that the transmission had been changed a few years prior. common problem with this vehicle. sc the consumer also had an exhaust pipe installed on the vehicle *jb
07/07/2000		1	04/01/2000
	Description of problem - getrag awd transfer case: the subject transfer case on my 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 is leaking. according to certified auto repair facilities, this leakage will eventually cause the unit to fail. if the vehicle is in motion at the time of failure, injury or death may occur as failure of the transfer case while the vehicle is moving will cause the wheels to lock up suddenly. as aresult, the driver may lose control of the vehicle. i contacted mitsubishi customer service regarding this problem on july 7, 2000 and described the problem. i asked the representative if the problem could be addressed under mitsubishi's technical service bulletin (tsb)# sr93003r; however, the respresentative refused to authorize the repair of my vehicle in conjunction with the tsb, in spite of my reminding him of the risk to myself and any passengers riding in my car at the time of failure. consequently, i wrote mitsubishi customer relations support in cypress, ca. to express my concerns. misubishi has never responded to my letter and has simply chosen to ignore my concerns.
03/01/1999		1	08/01/1998
	The transfer case literally exploded, pieces everywhere. mitsubishi refuses to acknowledge the recall.
02/12/1998			04/13/1997
	Leakage in the transmission caused clutch to fail and also leakage in transfer case.