Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| TSB0011001 | 02/01/2000 | 610451 | Information and related installation procedures about a new, improved head gasket for vehilces equipped with the 2.0l, non-turbo, 420a engine. *tt | 05/01/2000 | |
| TSB9911007 | 06/01/1999 | 606596 | Information regarding cylinder head gaskets for remanufactured short blocks. *tt | 08/30/1999 | |
| 48 | 06/01/1999 | 606603 | Subject regarding chrysler reprogramming catridge round-up. *tt | 08/30/1999 | |
| 97090199017 | 09/01/1997 | 54305 | Subject on cylinder head distortion inspection. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| TSB9723002 | 03/01/1997 | 52084 | 2/4 clutch piston retainer parts identification (f4ac1 transaxle). *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| TSB9711002 | 02/01/1997 | 52060 | New valve lash adjuster noise checking and troubleshooting procedures. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| TSB9711001 | 01/01/1997 | 52061 | Revised valve and valve guide specifications (420a engine)- service manual revision. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| TSB9715001 | 03/01/1997 | 52093 | Hesitation and/or surge at higher speeds (4g64 2.4l sohc engine). *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 80 | 03/01/2002 | 637066 | Subject regarding replacement crank angle sensor wire colors. *tt | 11/19/2002 | |
| 98070120004 | 09/08/1998 | 602025 | Condition with engine overheating. *yc | 09/08/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - TURBO-CHARGER | |||||
| 97040117001 | 04/01/1997 | 53054 | Containing the correct vacuum hose routing illustrations for affected vehicles. *yc | 11/06/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| TSB9813012 | 09/01/1998 | 602458 | This bulletin describes the operation of the evaporative emission control leak detection system and how to dianose diagnostic trouble codes relevant to this system. *yc | 11/05/1998 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/23/2006 | 125000 | 1 | 09/08/2002 |
| Squealing belts at startup, inconsistent small leaks of coolant, hesitation at 2k rpm were only pre-cursors. out of nowhere, while driving on highway, i looked at gauges for no particular reason....noticed the temperature was rising, eventually going as far as it could above h. so i look for smoke in rear view....nothing. i turn down the radio to listen for noises......nothing. everything seems fine. hoping that air through the radiator would cool the engine......not working. i decided i better pull over.....the second i safely stopped, huge puffs of white smoke billowed out the hood edges. i jumped out, opened the hood......huge clouds of smoke and smell of burning rubber, i thought the car was on fire. once the smoke settled, oil could be seen splattered all over the engine. tow truck comes and while putting on flatbed.....oil drained out like a water faucet. found out later from the dealer that oil line burst, causing the head gaskets to blow and most likely damaged totaled the engine. new engine quoted at $5000, used 71,000 mile engine in some salvage yard in alabama quoted at $2-3000. nice chunk of money and the engine still needs to be shipped and installed. what a deal? i actually spoke highly about mitsubishi's in the past, but now i'm having second thoughts. too bad mitsubishi company has such a bad history of failures, recalls, and poor repair service. i was actually thinking of buying a 2006 eclipse........not any more. i'll miss my 97 eclipse......it was pretty good to me, but this recent event with no warning, did me in and it is just wrong that i have read similar incidents on the internet and mitsubishi does nothing. time for an american car...............too bad we don't have the sense to make oil and gas-free vehicles though.......the technology is there. oh well......i guess i better start figuring out how i am going to get to work on monday. *jb | |||
| 04/15/2006 | 1 | ||
| 1997 eclipse caught on fire in the engine compartment. *ts *jb | |||
| 07/07/2003 | 57000 | 1 | |
| Consumer noticed oil in the driveway. vehicle was taken to a mechanic to detect where the oil was leaking from. mechanic determined that the head gasket blew out. head gasket has was revised twice by the manufacturer before they had one that worked. defective head gasket was replaced with the revised head gasket. however, leak hasn't recurred.*ak | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 97000 | ||
| On august 8, 2003, my son purchased a 1997 mitsubishi eclipse, 97037 miles, from ed emadi-owner, south bay auto-dl#32493. we purchased the car for $8,849.21. on august 11, 2003, the engine blow because there was no oil in the car, and the dealer stated that the car had been serviced and it was in good mechanical condition. just this week the warranty investigator said that the oil leak was there before we purchased the car, and that they will not be replacing the engine, and that the car is the dealers problems. needless to say, the dealer does not want to do the moral thing and give us back our hard earned money, nor does he wants to replace the engine. this same dealer, loan us an unsafe car that we found out that it has been declared by the state of california as a salvaged. the car is a 1991 honda, vin #jhmcb7645mc075578. last saturday, on the way home from san jose, ca, to vallejo, ca, the brakes were starting to give out on the car. this week, i could not stop the car and ran into a wall to stop it. thank god, i was not hurt. i then called the dealer and told him what had happen, and the only thing he told me that i will pay for any damages done to the car. he had the car towed and stated that he would charge me for the tow and the repairs. now he wants me to compensate him for putting my life, and the life of my family at risk while driving his unsafe, salvaged car. | |||
| 10/22/1996 | |||
| Engine has high pitch rave noise when starting in the morning, engine idles intermentently when in neutral, replace timing belt. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 103000 | 3 | 12/18/2005 |
| Constant over heating and fluid coming out of the radiator cap, also severe shaking in the sterring wheel and 4th gear. what is that all about? | |||
| 03/12/2001 | |||
| Vehicle is overheating. dealership says that oil gasket and water pump are leaking, and need to be replaced. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 01/01/1997 | ||
| The temp gauge goes up and with the air cond on | |||
| 07/26/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| 1 and 1/2 years after i bought my brand new car, the check engine light went on. i was told that my water pump and gasket needed to be replaced. one week later i experienced a problem with the power steering, i was told the power steering pully, bracket and belt had gone and would need to be replaced. since then i have had the brake pads and the roters resurfaced more times then i care to remember. on july 26, 1999, i had noticed a problem with my transmission. i immediately brought it to the dealership, they told me that the trans was operating to manufacture's specs. on november 3, 1999 the dearlership advises me i need a new trans. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/20/1997 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| About a week after purchasing the car, it sat for 3 days while i was away on navy business. when i returned, i had to sit in heavy traffic. i noticed the engine temp gauge was full hot. i finally got to a road to let the engine breath, and the gauge didn't go down. i took the car to kelly mitsubishi the next day and told them what happen. i also told them that the heater didn't put out hot air. they replaced the thermostat and everything was fine. no problems since then. | |||
| At high velocity rock went through the air opening, hit the radiator,broke it, causing fluid to leak and making the vehicle to stall out.there was no warning of this defect. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/30/2004 | 158065 | 8 | 04/09/2002 |
| I have owned my care for 3 years. in that time i have had a leaking sunroof, broken passenger rear view mirror, broken passenger window wont roll up, numerous tire changes, bad vibration, horrible noises when turning wheel, have replaced 2 transmissions, both tie rod ends, 1 lower ball joint and control arm suspension barmore info on this below, alternator, both headlights, 4 differant seats of breaks, 2 seats constintly running low on oil, replaced the fuel filter, seat belts don't stop, battery cables keep caroding, replace spark plugs atleast 3 to 4 times a year, vibrates when going down road. those are just the things off the top of my head that i have done to this car. now to the accident. after i got off work i was on my way home when i decided to go to my friends so while driving to her house i hear a loud pop and the next thing i know my car is controling itself and i can't steer it. this was all do to my lower ball joint shattering and my wheel almost completly detaching from my car. now the other side is starting to make that horrible noise. the control arm swung on the bottum of my car after it broke during this and tore out my oil filter, oil pan, and oxygen senseor. have yet to recieve any information from mitsubishi.*ak | |||
| 03/14/2004 | 83000 | 1 | 10/20/2003 |
| October 20, 2003 i purchased a 1997 eclipse gst from city limit auto in johnston, ri. march 14, 2004 i was driving home when a small click formed in 1st and 2nd gear after reaching 3,500 rpms. with-in minutes the click developed into what sounded like a small hole in the exhaust, probably the cat. not wanting to risk it i pulled off the next exit to bring the car to my friend's house and have it towed. a street away from his house (doing 10mph in 1st gear), the noise grew into a loud constant electrical buzzing or clicking noise, no high oil presue on the dash light or gauge and no overheating according to gauge, with-in 5 seconds the oil pan blew, white billows of smoke puffed out and the engine seized. i tried to turn the car over, but all it did was clink, and when i got out i found a large oil puddle under my car. i went back to the dealer, but he refuses to fix it. i don't know the exact reason the engine blew, for lack of money, but after reading some websites i have concluded it was either the fuel pump, oil pump, or crankwalk. e-mail venomofvpstreet@aol.com with any info. for full story go to http://www.vpstreet.org/index.php?page=city thank you.*ak | |||
| 01/02/2003 | 89875 | ||
| Smoke coming from under front tire. after inspection by mitsubishi dealership in lancaster, pa, it was discovered that head gasket is leaking oil. | |||
| 11/01/2002 | |||
| The consumer vehicle is leaking oil coming from a blown head gasket. please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts | |||
| 12/31/2001 | 12/01/2096 | ||
| Crankshaft walking is a manufacturer defect in the engine. please look up crankwalk in search engine. *ak | |||
| When starting there is a constant oil leak under vehicle. also, a loud knocking noise, mechanic stated there was a malfunction within engine head gasket. *ak | |||
| 01/06/2002 | |||
| Driver noticed smoke coming from under vehicle. driver stopped vehicle/ put vehicle in park/ looked under car and saw oil was leaking. when pressing gas consumer could see a flame of fire. took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that vehicle needed a head gasket. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 2 | 11/01/1996 | |
| Engine crankshaft failed. *yh | |||
| 06/15/2001 | 2 | 11/01/1996 | |
| Lower pully fell apart at 68500 miles. replaced new pully, two weeks later, new part fell apart on the highway running at 50 mph. mechanics re mounted lower pully the second time in two weeks.*ak | |||
| 03/12/2001 | |||
| Vehicle is overheating. dealership says that oil gasket and water pump are leaking, and need to be replaced. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak | |||
| Consumer state noticed smoke from tail pipe. *ak | |||
| While traveling notice smoke from tail pipe. also oil leak. dealer has been notified. please provide further inofrmation.*ak | |||
| 07/06/2000 | 1 | 09/16/1998 | |
| While driving flywheel broke, causing a loss of control. dealer has been contacted.*ak | |||
| 07/26/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| 1 and 1/2 years after i bought my brand new car, the check engine light went on. i was told that my water pump and gasket needed to be replaced. one week later i experienced a problem with the power steering, i was told the power steering pully, bracket and belt had gone and would need to be replaced. since then i have had the brake pads and the roters resurfaced more times then i care to remember. on july 26, 1999, i had noticed a problem with my transmission. i immediately brought it to the dealership, they told me that the trans was operating to manufacture's specs. on november 3, 1999 the dearlership advises me i need a new trans. | |||
| 05/29/1998 | 1 | 06/01/1997 | |
| Timing belt snapped and totally destroyed the engine. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 08/01/2097 | |||
| Engine fails. happens every 3 or 4 months at various speeds. engine light comes on and engine quits. wait 3 or 4 minutes and car starts normally and will run fine for a few months. i think this could could create a potentially dangerous situation. mr | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehcile stalls when driving or changing gears, and looses all power steering, when power steering was lost consumer ran into a curb.*jb | |||
| 2 | |||
| The consumer experienced two engine failures within six months. the consumer was told that the problem was in the thrust bearing which holds the camshaft in the engine. this bearing has a tendency to fail causing the engine to stop running, the engine has stalled while driving. *yh | |||
| 2 | |||
| The vehicle experienced two engine failures within 6 months, the engine simply stopped functioning without warning, the consumer was told that the thrust bearing failed causing the engine to fail. nlm | |||
| 2 | |||
| The consumer experienced two engine failures within six months. the consumer was told that the problem was in the thrust bearing which holds the camshaft in the engine. this bearing has a tendency to fail causing the engine to stop running, the engine has stalled while driving. *yh | |||
| 01/06/2002 | |||
| Driver noticed smoke coming from under vehicle. driver stopped vehicle/ put vehicle in park/ looked under car and saw oil was leaking. when pressing gas consumer could see a flame of fire. took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that vehicle needed a head gasket. *ak | |||
| 2 | |||
| The vehicle experienced two engine failures within 6 months, the engine simply stopped functioning without warning, the consumer was told that the thrust bearing failed causing the engine to fail. nlm the first occasion was when consumer was driving at highway speeds, the second occasion occurred while accelerating from a stop through an intersection. *slc | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehcile stalls when driving or changing gears, and looses all power steering, when power steering was lost consumer ran into a curb.*jb | |||
| 09/03/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1999 | |
| These cars are not worth the money used to make them!!!!. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| Vehicle will stall while driving regardless of speed and without warning. dealer has replaced fuelpump/ ignition switch and computer, but defect still occurs.*ak | |||
| 1 | 05/01/1997 | ||
| This is a very common problem in 1995 to 1998 eclipses and talons. thrust bearing wears out. replacing the thrust bearing doesn't help! you have to replace the entire engine.*ak | |||
| 09/02/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Well, its one of the defaults that mitsubishi is hiding. its a failure in the crank bearing which causes the clutch not to work properly and a very annoying taping sound when the clutch is pressed. the main dangerous problem is that you cannot shift properly while driving making it unsafe and frustrating. i took my car to the dealer and they said i need to replace the whole engine(shortblock) and it will be under my cost around $3500. the workers there addmitted to me that its a default that they dont have a recall on. i bought the car under the intention that mitsubishi makes very reliable products. unfortunatly i was very mistaken especially after the few incidents on the news. please help me because i am losing a lot of money with this problem. thank you. | |||
| 08/16/2000 | 1 | 03/01/2000 | |
| There was no indication prior to the engine blowing that there was a problem. the mechanic said there was plenty of oil in it. only a used engine with 63,000 miles on it could be located to repair the car at a cost of $3474.17. mitsibushi was called and their only response was there were no recalls involving this particular car. a letter was mailed to them with the auto shop bill on august 30, 2000. there has been no response from them. | |||
| 06/12/2000 | 30 | 05/01/1997 | |
| Vechile repeatedly fails to start. it has the sensation that it's not getting any fuel. on two separate occasions, the vehicle has died while driving around 25/35mph, again feeling as if it had ran out of gas. on both occasions i had over half a tank of gas. i have taken the car to the dealer 3 times, once it was towed, and they kept it for two or three days saying they cannot find anything wrong. *ak | |||
| 10/28/1999 | 08/01/1997 | ||
| The car is missing and makes a knocking sound, hard vibration when idle and car jerks, does not seem to shift up to next gear, engine light comes on. have taken care into dealership for repair for same problem at least 7 times. dealership claims they cannot duplicate the problems i report to them. windows are loose, rattle, and leak. i have had them tightened several times. i sent a letter to dave mckenzie (vp of service and engineering at mitsubishi) in 10/98. i have not received a response. | |||
| 05/05/1999 | 0 | ||
| While driving about 30 mph consumer stopped at a red light. then tried to move, but vehicle won't move even when he stepped on gas pedal.this problem had happend on the freeway before. *ak | |||
| 03/10/1997 | |||
| While driving on highway going 60 mph the vehicle completelty shut down. the rmp's kept going from 3 to 0 and then the vehicle shut down. vehicle started back up again, this happened three more times, vehicle had to be towed. dealer cannot find problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 03/01/2001 | |||
| There is a screeching noise in one of belts inside engine. contacted dealer, and dealer has replaced all belts, but problem still occurs.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 08/07/2002 | 3 | 02/01/2002 | |
| Evaporative emission control system leak. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 07/01/2000 | |||
| Engine check light was coming on and vehicle was losing gas. check valve had gone bad and needed to be replaced. also, dealer said that if in an accident it would't rollover, it could catch on fire. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 02/16/1997 | |||
| While vehicle was parked the car caught on fire due to tail pipe overheating/ melting the body and the trunk of the vehicle. *ak | |||