2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A DEFECT OF THE RIMS ON MY MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT 2000. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR [4] YEARS (ORIGINAL OWNER). I HAVE REPLACED [3] RIMS AND I AM NOW ABOUT TO REPLACE A 4TH. THE RIMS BEND EASILY WHILE DRIVING. ON ALL INSTANCES THE RIMS HAVE BENT IN THE COURSE OF NORMAL CITY DRIVING. JUST RECENTLY, (LAST WEEK) I NOTICED THAT THE RIM ON THE FRONT PASSENGERS SIDE, AS IN THE OTHER INCIDENTS) IS BENT. I DO NOT RECALL HITTING ANYTHING OR DOING ANYTHING UNUSUAL THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE RIM TO BEND. ON THE FIRST THREE OCCASIONS WHEN I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE I COMPLAINED THAT THERE HAD TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE RIMS. I NEVER RECEIVED I SATISFACTORY ANSWER. I EVEN REQUESTED THAT THEY CHANGE THE RIMS, BECAUSE I ONLY HAD THE CAR ONE WEEK WHEN THE FIRST RIM WAS BENT. I BELIEVE THEY ARE HAZARDOUS!*JB

1. NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS INVOLVING SMALL POTHOLES OVER WHICH OTHER CARS RECEIVED NO DAMAGE 2. THE ALLOY WHEELS OF MY CAR DENT VERY EASILY RESULTING IN NUMEROUS NICKS AND SMALL DENTS. TWO SMALL POTHOLES HAVE LEFT MY WHEELS WITH LARGE DENTS REQUIRING WHEEL REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT. 3. I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR IN THE SHOP FOR A FEW DAYS AND HAVE THE WHEEL SENT AWAY TO BE REPAIRED. I AM ALSO CURRENTLY DRIVING ON A SIGNIFICANTLY BENT RIM THAT WILL NEED TO BE REPAIRED SOON. *JB

SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING HOME ON THE MORNING OF 8/1/04 I BECAME AWARE THAT MY FRONT LEFT TIRE WAS FLAT. AFTER REPLACING THE WHEEL WITH ITS SPARE I WENT TO THE TIRE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE TIRES SO THAT THEY COULD REPAIR THE LEAK. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A BENT WHEEL RIM. TWO OF MY WHEEL RIMS WERE BENT. I WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT UNTIL THAT DAY NEITHER RIM WAS BAD ENOUGH TO CAUSE AN AIR LEAK. ONE OF THE RIMS HAD BECOME BENT SINCE SOON AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARCH OF 2000. THESE ARE THE '10 SPOKE' 17" ALUMINUM ALLOY RIMS THAT COME WITH THE 2000 ECLIPSE GT. AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO SINGLE EVENT CAUSED THE VARIOUS BENDS TO OCCUR. OVER A PERIOD OF MANY MONTHS I BELIEVE THE BENDS BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE UNTIL THIS FAILURE OCCURED. AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT THAT OCCURED ON 8/1/04, I PURCHASED TWO RIMS TO REPLACE THE TWO BENT RIMS. I HAVE KEPT THE OLD BENT RIMS IN STORAGE.*AK

2000 MITSBUBISHI ECLIPSE. FACTORY RIMS BENT REPEATEDLY AND FOR NO OBVIOUS APPARENT REASON CAUSING TIRES TO RAPIDLY DEPRESSURIZE. THIS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO MULTIPLE RIMS. MOST NOTABLE OCCURENCE WAS ON INTERSTATE 95 WHEN TIRE DEPRESSURIZED AND CAME OFF RIM - HIGHLY DANGEROUS AS I WAS TRAVELLING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. FORCED TO REPAIR RIM AND REPLACE TIRE.*AK

DRIVING MY 2000 MITSUBUSHI ECLIPSE GT WITH STOCK 17" RIMS AND TIRES, I HIT A RELATIVELY MILD POTHOLE WHICH BENT THE RIM. THE RIM WAS SO BADLY DAMAGED THAT IT REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AT MY EXPENSE. THE POTHOLE WAS LOCATED IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA ON THE NORTHBOUND I5 ONRAMP FROM CAMINO LAS RAMBLAS. I HAVE A PICTURE OF THE RIM IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT.*AK

THE RIMS ON MY 2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE WERE STARTING TO BEND. PARTICULARLY THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE RIM WHICH ON ONE SIDE BECAME ALMOST FLAT IN ONE AREA. AFTER ONE OCCASION OF DRIVING MY VEHICLE I NOTICE THAT I HAD A SLIGHT BUMP IN THE TIRE OF THAT RIM. IT WAS LARGE ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE TIRE TO PEEL OFF FROM THE RIM. MY FATHER AND I THEN REMOVED THE WHEEL AND LET SOME AIR OUT OF THE TIRE TO TRY AND PUSH INTO PLACE. HOWEVER THAT WASNT WORKING SO WE GOT OUT A HAMMER AND FORCABLY BENT THE RIM BACK INTO PLACE. THE TIRE WAS STILL BULGING SO THE NEXT DAY WE TOOK IT TO A TIRE SHOP AND AN EMPLOYEE IDENTIFIED IT AS AN IMPACT BLUGE IN THE TIRE. HE SAID IT OCCURS WHEN EVER THE TIRE IS SUBJECT TO LARGE POTHOLES AND OTHER THINGS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE TIRE TO BE HIT HARD. I TOLD ME HOW I NEVER HIT A POTHOLE LARGE ENOUGH FOR ME TO NOTICE ON MY TRIP THAT HAD CAUSED THE POTHOLE. HE SAID THAT OF COURSE ANY POTHOLES DAMAGE WOULD BE INTENSIFIED BY POOR RIM PROTECTION WHICH OF COURSE I HAD SINCE THE BULGE OCCUR RITE ABOVE WHERE THE BEND IN THE RIM HAD FORMED. SO I HAD TO HAVE THE TIRE REPLACED WHICH COST ME AROUND $125. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE HIT A POT HOLE AND THE REAR AND PASSENGER SIDE RIMS BENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE MECHANIC CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. *AK THE TIRE BLEW OUT ON TWO OCCASIONS. ONCE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THREE BENT RIMS. (THE ALLUMINUM WHEELS WERE SOFT) *SC *JB