1997 Mitsubishi Montero Complaints

STARTED CAR, NOTICED 3 RANDOM LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THEN POWER STEERING WAS INTERMITTENT. THEN A/C WENT OUT AND WOULD NOT COOL DOWN. THEN POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY. CAR WAS DRIVEN TO REPAIR SHOP NEARBY, SINCE NO LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER. MECHANIC FOUND CRANKSHAFT BOLT BROKEN THAT LED TO POWER STEERING AND A/C PULLEY NOT WORKING. INCIDENT LED TO NEAR LOSS OF CONTROL DURING TURNING , AS POWER STEERING WOULD "KICK" IN AT TIMES DURING CORNERING AND LEAD TO OVERSTEER. HAD TO CHANGE CRANKSHAFT BOLT, HARMONIC BALANCER, TIMING BELT GEAR, AND SOMETHING ELSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BOLT IN THE VEHICLE'S CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BACKED OUT. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE PULLEY TO BECOME LOOSE AND SHEER THE PIN ON THE END OF THE CRANKSHAFT. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING, BRAKES, AND ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 109,000.

MY 1997 MITSUBISHI HAS AN OPEN RECALL TO REMEDY SUSPENSION FRONT:CONTROL ARM: LOWER BALL JOINT DEFECT. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED IN 2006. ON 5/21/07, I WAS TOLD BY SEARS AUTO, A PROBLEM EXISTED WITH THE SUSPENSION:LOWER BALLJOINT. I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL, FOR THE EXACT PROBLEM THIS CAR HAS. I CONTACTED MITSUBISHI CUSTOER SERVICE ON 5/22/07. THEY WILL NOT TELL ME IF THE DEFECT WAS CORRECTED, THEY WILL ONLY SAY THE CAR WAS SERVICED, WHICH COULD MEAN ANYTHING. THEY WILL NOT OFFER ME ANY REMEDY. I WANT THE DEFECT CORRECT BY MITSUBISHI. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY AND BOLT BECAME DISCONNECTED. THIS OCCURRED TWICE.

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE CRANK SHAFT PULLEY BOLT BROKE ON 10-24-05. SHE HAD RECALL 00V311000 REPAIR WORK DONE IN OCTOBER -2002. THE CONTACT WANTED TO FILE A COMPLAINT BECAUSE SHE WAS STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CRANK SHAFT. SHE FELT THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED PROPERLY THE FIRST TIME. SHE SPOKE TO THE DEALER AND TO MITSUBISHI. MITSUBISHI TOLD HER TO CONTACT THE DEALER AND IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE COVERED. SHE CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND HE TOLD HER THAT AT THE TIME OF THE RECALL THEY TIGHTENED THE BOLT, AS STATED IN THE RECALL. SHE THOUGH THE RECALL NOTICE SHOULD HAVE STATED THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE ACTUALLY CHANGED THE BOLT.*AK