2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder

TIRE LOST INFLATION DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING, DUE TO A BENT WHEEL. I DID NOT REALIZE I HAD A BENT WHEEL, DUE TO NO MEMORY OF ANY SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT REGARDING THE TIRES AND WHEELS. I WAS SENT IN A VERY ROUGH RIDE AFTER TIRE BLEW OUT DUE TO THE UNDER-INFLATION. I WAS LEFT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF BINGHAMTON AND SYRACUSE NY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. MITSUBISHI DIAMOND CARE SERVICE REPLACED WITH DONUT/SPARE. BOUGHT NEW TIRES FOR MY TRIP BACK AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON HIGHWAY. POLICE ALSO HELPED LOCATE MY CAR FOR DIAMOND CARE TO SEND HELP.*AK

AFTER 39,000 MILES ON MY 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER, THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. SPECIFICALLY, THE CAR HAS TROUBLE SHIFTING INTO FIRST AND SECOND GEARS (WORST WHEN COLD), STUDDERS WHEN FIRST ACCELERATING, AND MAKES A CONTINUOUS RATTLING NOISE WHEN THE CLUTCH IS NOT ENGAGED. THESE PROBLEMS ARE APPARENTLY THE RESULT OF A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION INVOLVING THE CLUTCH PLATE/THROW-OUT-BEARINGS/SYNCHRONIZERS. I HAVE LEARNED OF HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, SAME SYMPTOMS, AND SAME CAUSE. MITSUBISHI SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT DONE SO.

I'VE OWNED MY 2001 ECLIPSE GT SPYDER FOR A YESR AND A HALF NOW AND I'VE BEEN HAVING ONGOING TROUBLE WITH THE RIMS BENDING. IN FACT WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR THERE WAS A BEND IN THE FRONT RIM THAT I MADE THE DEALER AWARE OF AND THEY SENT THE CAR OUT TO HAVE IT FIXED. I WISH I HAD TAKEN THAT AS AN OMEN AND STEERED CLEAR OF BUYING THE CAR. I'VE BEEN DRIVING THESE NEW ENGLAND ROADS AND HIGHWAYS FOR 15 YEARS NOW AND HAVE NEVER SEEN A RIM BEND SO EASY.

DAMAGED ALLOY WHEELS ON MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER (17 INCH, 6 SPOKE). I READ THE POSTINGS FROM LAST YEAR TONIGHT ON YOUR SITE AFTER I HAD MY SECOND EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PROBLEM. LAST WINTER I HIT A POTHOLE AND IT COMPLETELY SPLIT MY RIM. THE VEHICLE MAINTAINED STABILITY AND I WAS ABLE TO LIMP BACK HOME (ABOUT A HALF MILE) BUT THE RIM WAS CRACKED ALL THE WAY TO THE SPOKES FROM THE LIP. TONIGHT (SNOWSTORM IN VA/DC AREA) MY WIFE DROPPED ME OFF AT THE OFFICE AND WENT SHOPPING. ON HER WAY TO PICK ME UP THE TIRE SUDDENLY WENT FLAT. SHE WAS ABLE TO LIMP INTO A SERVICE STATION WHERE SHE NOTICED THE TIRE WOULD NOT HOLD AIR SO SHE HAD TO CHANGE THE TIRE IN SNOW/ICE/FREEZING TEMPERATURES. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THERE WERE THREE LARGE DENTS IN THE RIM AT THE LIP. THIS IS THE SECOND RIM I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE AND THEY ARE NOT CHEAP (ABOUT $350 EACH). I KNOW THEY SAID THE INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED, BUT IS THERE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A FLAW IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THIS WHEEL.*AK

SINCE I PURCHASED MY CAR BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2001, A 2001 MITSUBISHI SPYDER GT, I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY CLUTCH SLIPPING WHEN STARTING IN 1ST GEAR, WITH EXTREME STUTTERING AND SHUTTERING OF MY VEHICLE AND HAVE INFORMED MY DEALERSHIPS (WOBURN MITSUBISHI WOBURN, MA AND PETER FULLER-WATERTOWN MA) OF THE PROBLEMS IN WRITING. THEY ALL BLOW ME OFF TELLING ME THAT NOTHING COULD BE WRONG THIS EARLY ON, WITH SO FEW MILES ON THE CAR. WELL THE CAR IS STILL STUTTERING, EVEN HAS STALLED OUT, EVEN WHEN GIVING PLENTY OF GAS. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN OVER TRAIN TRACKS, IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION, ETC. I WOULD BE INVOLVED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT THREATENING MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER(S). BECAUSE I HAVE BROUGHT THIS UP TO THE ATTENTION OF MY DEALER BEFORE I EVEN HIT 10K, AND HAVE BROUGHT THIS UP AT EACH SUBSEQUENT MAJOR VEHICLE SERVICE TIME, AND I NOW HAVE 38K ON MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED WITH NO HELP. ITS LIKE THE DEALERSHIPS HAVEN'T EVEN CALLED THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT HOTLINE TO VERIFY THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS IS NEGLECT ON THE PART OF THE DEALERSHIPS AND ON THE PART OF MITSUBISHI TRAINED PROFESSIONALS, AND IF NO WARNING HAS BEEN PUT OUT THEN IT IS ALSO MITSUBISHI MOTORS ITSELF THAT SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY RELATED INJURIES. THE STUTTERING OF THE CAR HAPPENS TO THIS DAY, COLD WARM, IT DOESN'T MATTER. I'VE BEEN DRIVING A STICK SINCE I WAS 16, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS OCCUR ON ANY OTHER VEHICLES. *JB

SEALS AROUND THE CONVERTIBLE TOP LEAK WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN. WATER RUNS DOWN INTO THE DASHBOARD AND CAUSES INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS DASH LIGHTS TURNING ON AND OFF AND RADIO/STEREO/CD MALFUNCTION. THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED ONCE BY THE DEALER AND THE RADIO/CD UNIT REPLACED ANOTHER TIME BECAUSE OF LEAK PROBLEMS. NOW THE PROBLEM HAS RETURNED WITH WATER ON THE DASH AND FLOORBOARDS AND THE RADIO HAS AGAIN MALFUNCTIONED. *NLM

FRONT RIGHT ALUMINUM WHEEL RIM IS DENTED BADLY IN TWO PLACES AS A RESULT OF NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS SUCH AS MINOR POTHOLES OR OTHER ROAD CONDITIONS SUCH AS ROUGH RAILROAD CROSSINGS. I AM VERY VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS CAR (50 YRS OLD) AND HAVE NEVER ABUSED IT BUT THE WHEELS SEEM TO BOTTOM OUT OR DEFLATE EASILY AND DENT THE RIMS UNDER CONDITIONS THAT WOULD NEVER AFFECT ANOTHER CAR OTHER THAN THIS ONE. I FEEL UNSAFE DRIVING THE CAR NOW WITH THE DAMAGED RIMS. NOT SURE WHETHER THE WARRANTY WILL COVER THE RIM REPLACEMENT. *NLM