2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Complaints

SITTING IN GARAGE OVER WINTER, CAR DEVELOPED LEAK/CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK THAT ALLOWED FUMES FROM TANK TO FILL GARAGE. CAR NOT BEING DRIVEN AT THE TIME. FUEL DID NOT LEAK ONTO FLOOR OF GARAGE. RECALLS HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN DONE ON FUEL SYSTEM FOR THIS MODEL. APPARENTLY CRACKS IN THE FUEL TANK OF THIS MODEL ARE A COMMON OCCURRENCE. DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD ESPECIALLY IF CAR IS OR WOULD BE AROUND OR NEAR TO ANY SPARK SOURCE OR OPEN FLAME. I AM CURRENTLY TRYING TO GET CAR REPAIRED AT MY OWN COST. *JS

WHILE DRIVING FROM THE HIGHWAY ON AN OFF RAMP AT 50 MPH, ENGINE (RPM) STARTED BOGGING DOWN, THEN BOTH FRONT TIRES LOCKED UP TO A SCREECHING HALT. I ALMOST SLIDE OFF THE RAMP AND ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK BEHIND ME. FRONT TIRES WERE LOCKED UP, WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE ROAD AND WOULD NOT COME OUT OF GEAR. HAD IT TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS QUOTED $3,000 JUST TO PULL THE TRANSMISSION FOR DIAGNOSTICS. WAS TOLD TRANSMISSION FAILED AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE WORTH THE MONEY TO FIX BECAUSE FRONT STRUT TOWERS BOTH WERE RUSTED. HAD VEHICLE TOWED HOME AND I WILL TRY TO PERFORM THE REPAIR MYSELF. *TR

THE FUEL FILLER NECK RUSTS SEVERELY AROUND THE PASSENGER REAR TIRE CAUSING LARGE AMOUNTS OF FUEL TO LEAK ON THE GROUND AND GASOLINE VAPORS TO ESCAPE. THE FILLER NECK ASSEMBLY IS CONSTRUCTED OUT OF METAL AND INCLUDES A LARGE TUBE/PIPE FOR THE FUEL TO ENTER THE GAS TANK, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER SMALLER METAL PIPES. THE FILLER NECK ASSEMBLY EXTENDS FROM THE FILLER DOOR, WHICH IS SITUATED IN THE REAR PASSENGER QUARTER PANEL, DOWN AND ACROSS TO THE FUEL TANK WHICH IS SITUATED IN THE UNDERCARRIAGE. THERE IS A PARTICULAR POINT WHERE THE PIPES IN THE ASSEMBLY MAKE AN APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREE BEND, MOVING FROM A DOWNWARD ANGLE TO AN ANGLE THAT IS MORE PARALLEL WITH THE GROUND. AT THIS BEND OR ELBOW, THE MANUFACTURER PLACED A THICK METAL SHIELD, PRESUMABLY TO PROTECT A WEAK POINT. THE SHIELD BOLTS TO THE BODY OF THE CAR IN FOUR PLACES AND CUPS THE FUEL PIPES IN A SEMI-CIRCLE AROUND THE BEND LEAVING AN APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF INCH GAP BETWEEN THE PIPES AND THE SHIELD. THIS SHIELD AND PIPE ASSEMBLY...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS HESITANT TO START AND EXHIBITED AN OVERPOWERING GASOLINE ODOR. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE STARTED, IT WOULD SPUTTER AND STALL SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 127,000.

ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 3, 2011 I WAS INVOLVED IN A WRECK, SLAMMING INTO A CHEVROLET COBALT WHICH WAS LATER CITED FOR FAILURE TO YIELD. I WAS DRIVING A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT CONVERTIBLE AT THE POSTED SPEED OF 45 MPH. I SLID APPROXIMATELY 8 FEET BEFORE HITTING THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR OF THE COBALT. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH, OR EVEN AFTERWARD FOR THAT MATTER. THE FRAME IN THE FRONT IS BENT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN ITS PREVIOUS ARRANGEMENT, AND IS BEING FOUND AS A TOTAL LOSS. I PLAN ON PURSUING LEGAL ACTION BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY MAKING OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR