2002 Mitsubishi Lancer

IN OCTOBER OF 2003, A TECHNICAL BULLETIN WAS ISSUED ON MY CAR. THE BULLETIN READS: 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER 02 - BLOWER [PART 138110] TSB NO: 0355008 NHTSA ID: , OCTOBER 01, 2003 : REPLACEMENT: SUMMARY: DEBRIS (SUCH AS LEAVES, ETC) ENTERING THE FRONT COWL AREA MAY CLOG THE EVAPORATOR HOUSING DRAIN TUBE. IF THIS OCCURS, THE EVAPORATOR HOUSING MAY FILL UP WITH CONDENSATION AND OVERFLOW INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, AND INTO THE BLOWER MOT...IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2005, I PAID MY LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER $310.50 TO REPLACE MY BLOWER MOTOR BECAUSE DEBRIS HAD CLOGGED THE MOTOR CAUSING IT TO SHORT OUT AND RESULTING IN LEAVING MY PASSENGER FLOOR BOARD UNDER AN INCH OF WATER. MY CAR NOW, IS OUT OF WARRANTY. HOWEVER, IF I HAD KNOWN THERE WAS A PROBLEM, I COULD HAVE BOUGHT A FILTER TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM. MY QUESTION IS: AT WHAT POINT DOES NHTSA MAKE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS INTO RECALLS? IT IS ABSOLUTELY ABSURD WHEN MY DEALER INFORMS ME THAT TSB'S ARE ONLY FIXED IF A CUSTOMER COMPLAINS ABOUT THE CAR. IT'S JUST PLAIN WRONG FOR MITSUBISHI TO KNOW THERE IS SOMETHING POTENTIALLY WRONG WITH YOUR CAR AND NOT INFORM YOU OF IT. FOR INSTANCE THERE IS ANOTHER BULLETIN ON THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB IN MY CAR. NOW, I READ THESE TSB'S AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT MITSUBISHI WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WHEN MY CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I HAD TO REPLACE THE CV BOOT, THE VALVE COVERS AND SEALS, AND WHEN I GOT THE BLOWER MOTOR REPLACED I HAD TO REPLACE THE THERMOSTAT AND REDO MY COOLANT. I'M ALSO CURRENTLY HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL. EVERY TIME I CRANK MY CAR UP, MY CRUISE CONTROL IS ALREADY ON. I TURN THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF, AND TURN MY CAR BACK ON, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL IS ON AGAIN. I WAS TWO DAYS BEFORE PAYING $600 FOR THE TORQUE CONVERTER TO BE REPLACED, AND FINALLY A RECALL WAS ISSUED, THANK GOD! HOW MANY THINGS HAVE TO GO WRONG WITH MY CAR FOR IT TO BE DEEMED A LEMON AND MADE TO BE SENT BACK? LORD, SOMEBODY PLEASE REPLY BACK TO ME AND TELL ME WHAT TO DO!?! *NM

I WENT INTO A DITCH (WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD) PASSENGER DOOR HIT A POLE, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND PASSENGER FRACTURED HER COLLAR BONE. THIS HAPPENED IN 2005. ALSO THE BLOW MOTOR HAS RUSTED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, I FOUND OUT THROUGH THE INTERNET THAT WATER FLOWS INTO THE MOTOR THROUGH THE WIPERS. IT COST OVER $400. TO REPLACE THE MOTOR. *JB

2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES . HAVE HAD FOUR (4) ACCIDENTS WITH THIS VEHICLE FROM DATE OF PURCHASE TO PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 13 MONTHS IN 2/2004 THE AUTOMOBILE STARTED STALLING, AND DURING THE STALL IT WOULD ACCELERATE, AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FUNCTION DURING THIS. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION MADE REVVING SOUNDS PERIODICALLY.I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE MITSUBISHI DEALER ?BELLSOUTH MITSUBISHI? IN SAYREVILLE NJIN FEB 04? AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THE SERVICE DEPT.THE PUT THE CAR ON A MACHINE FOR TESTS AND NO ERRORS WERE FOUND. I THEN NOTIFIED THE SALES PERSON THAT SOLD ME THE CAR THEY REQUESTED ME TO LEAVE IT FOR 4 HOURS TO RUN TESTS ETC? THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. 12/17/04 WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED AT A STOP SIGN AND ACCELERATED INTO THE TRUCK AHEAD OF ME CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE FRONT ,THE BUMPER, AND HOOD OF MY CAR. SINCE THEN THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION IS MAKING MORE LOUD REVVING SOUNDS SINCE THAT INCIDENT. IT SEEMS TO BE WORSENING.ON 12/30/04 AT A STOP LIGHT THE CAR ACCELERATED WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKETHE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK?THE MOTOR REVVED UP VERY LOUDLY AND THE CAR SHOOK FOR ABOUT 30SECONDS TO A MINUTE THEN WENT BACK TO ?NORMAL? I CALLED THE BELL MITSUBISHI IN RAHWAYNJ.IMMEDIATELY AND THEY ROAD TESTED THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.12/31/04 I TOOK THE CAR BACK INTO BELLSOUTHMITSUBISHI IN SAYREVILLE,NJTHEY PUT THE CAR ON A MACHINE ?SORRY THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED?THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS A MUCH EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE CAUSING 2 SEPARATE ACCIDENTS THE CAR ACCELERATES SUDDENLY, TAKES LONG TO SLOW DOWN TO A STOP IN 2/04 DURING A SNOW STORM I WAS DRIVING APPX 25MPH THE BRAKES TOOK TO LONG TO APPLY AND I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR .IN THE RAIN THE CAR FAILED TO STOP AGAIN WHEN BRAKES WHERE APPLIED AND STARTED TO SKID INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I TRIED TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AWAY TO AVOID COLLISION THE STEERING WAS NOT RESPONSIVE THERFORE RESULTING IN COLLISION. AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY IN ANY ACCIDENT. *AK

JUNE 17, 2003 TO: PERUZZI MITSUBISHI ATTENTION: [XXX] 165 LINCOLN HWY FAIRLESS HILLS, PA 19030 DEAR [XXX], WE PURCHASED A MITSUBISHI LANCER IN SEPTEMBER 2002 FROM PERUZZI MITSUBISHI, LOCATED AT 165 LINCOLN HWY, FAIRLESS HILLS, PA 19030. AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE THE VEHICLE HAD 2,074 MILES ON IT. WHEN I ASKED, THE SALESMAN TOLD US THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BRAND NEW AND THE MILES WERE FROM USING THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP AS A DEMONSTRATION CAR. SINCE THEN THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER THREE SEPARATE TIMES FOR SERVICE. IT WAS DRIVEN IN ON ONE OCCASION AND TOWED IN TWICE. THE DATES OF SERVICE ARE AS FOLLOWS 02/25/03, 06/09/03 AND 06/17/03. THE PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME, THE CAR STALLS OUT, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND IT WILL NOT START AGAIN. THIS VEHICLE HAS STALLED SEVERAL TIMES IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING MY FIANCE TO FEAR DRIVING IT. ALSO, BETWEEN OIL CHANGES (EVERY 3,000 MILES) THE CAR LOOSES BETWEEN ONE AND ONE HALF QUARTS OF OIL. WHEN I ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CHECK THIS PROBLEM I WAS TOLD, ALL THREE TIMES, THAT THIS IS NORMAL OIL LOSS. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THEY HAVE STILL NOT CHECKED FOR OIL LEAKS. ON 6/18/2003, AFTER BEING TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, I DECIDED TO CHECK INTO THE VEHICLE'S HISTORY. I USED CARFAX.COM AND FOUND SOME VERY DISTURBING NEWS. MY VEHICLE HAS HAD AT LEAST THREE PREVIOUS OWNERS AND IS NOT THE BRAND NEW CAR I WAS LEAD TO BELIEVE. IT STARTED OUT IN PLEASANTVILLE NJ, AND THEN IT WAS REGISTERED IN ARIZONA, WHERE IT WAS SOLD AT AUCTION WITH 1,902 MILES ON IT AND FINALLY ENDED UP AT PERUZZI MITSUBISHI, WHERE WE PURCHASED IT. I FEEL THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS SOLD TO US UNDER FALSE PRETENSES, AND THAT PERUZZI MITSUBISHI IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EITHER REPLACING THE VEHICLE WITH A BRAND NEW ONE OR GIVING US OUR MONEY BACK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN RESOLVING THIS MATTER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR