1999 Mitsubishi Mirage

HOOD AND HOOD SKELETON HAVE BECOME SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER. GLUE HOLDING THE TWO PARTS TOGETHER DID NOT HOLD. THIS HAS HAPPENED A WHILE AGO, BUT FOUND THIS WEBSITE TODAY. NOT SURE OF EXACT DATE OF OCCURRENCE SINCE PROBLEM IS NOT VISIBLE UNTIL HOOD IS RAISED, AND IT IS NOT SOMETHING SOMEONE PAYS ATTENTION TO. IT IS AN UNEXPECTED PROBLEM THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE OVER TIME. LOOKING FOR OTHERS WITH SAME DEFECT. DRUNKENALIEN@HOTMAIL.COM. *NM

I OWN A 1999 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE DE, WHICH I PURCHASED 3/8/02; IT HAS A 1.5 LITER ENGINE AND AN AUTOMATIC 4 SPEED TRANSMISSION. WITHIN DAYS, I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ABNORMALLY FROM THE 1ST TO THE 2ND GEARS WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. THIS ABNORMALITY CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A HESITATION OR SLIPPING AT SOME TIMES, OR A POPPING, LIKE GUNFIRE, AT OTHERS. AGAIN, THIS SHIFTING SENSATION IS MORE NOTICEABLE WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. I NOTIFIED THE DEALER FROM WHICH THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED OF THIS PROBLEM ON 3/19/02. THEY TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND INDICATED ON THE REPAIR SLIP THAT THEY WERE UNSURE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT A PROBLEM EXISTED. ON APRIL 5, 2002, I DISCUSSED THIS MATTER AGAIN WITH ROME FORD, WHERE THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED. IN AN ATTEMPT TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION, THEY SENT THE VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER, PAOLOZZI MITSUBISHI IN MARCY, NY, FOR AN EVALUATION. THE EVALUATION RESULTED IN THE STATEMENT TO ROME FORD THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. ON 2/27/03, I ENCOUNTERED YET ANOTHER UNRELATED PROBLEM WITH THE FAN BELT LOOSENING AND GETTING CHEWED UP BY THE PULLEYS, FOR WHICH I BROUGHT THE CAR DIRECTLY TO PAOLOZZI; FOR THIS, THEY CHARGED ME $119.48 FOR CHECKING THE BELTS AND PULLEYS, AND FOUND THE POWER STEERING PUMP PULLEY MISALIGNED. THEY REMOVED THE PUMP AND BRACKET, REMOUNTED IT AND INSTALLED A NEW BELT. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED FOR THIS SERVICE, AS THIS PROBLEM IS OUTLINED ON A WEB SITE AS RECALL #00V311001. I MENTIONED THE FAN BELT PROBLEM BECAUSE ON THAT SAME DATE, I AGAIN COMPLAINED ABOUT HOW THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. I WAS CHARGED $18.00 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS, FOR WHICH PAOLOZZI STATED ON THE INVOICE THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING IS CONSISTENT WITH SPECIFICATIONS AND THAT NO PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WERE EVIDENT. TO DATE, THE PROBLEM PERSISTS, AND I AM NEARING THE END OF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY, AS I NOW HAVE ABOUT 57,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND THE WARRANTY ENDS AT 60,000 MILES. *LA

PURCHASED 1999 MIRAGE FROM THOMPSON FORD AND WAS NOT NOTIFIED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON A RECALL. AUTOMOBILE WAS PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER 2000. SUBSEQUENTLY , PULLEY BOLT COMPLETELY BROKE AND THE ENTIRE PULLEY AND BELT FELL OUT. THIS WAS THE FIRST INCIDENT, EXACT DAYS UNKNOWN, HOWEVER MONTH AND YEAR ARE ACCURATE. IN APRIL 2003, VEHICLE STOPPED. WAS INFORMED BY THOMPSON FORD THAT THE VEHICLE WSA NOT UNDER WARRANTY ONLY TO FIND OUT APPROXIMATELY 10 DAYS LATER THAT IT WAS. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THOMPSON FORD AFTER ANOTHER MECHANIC HAD SERVICED THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THOMPSON FORD REPLACED THE PISTON AND THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS SENT TO A AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED A VALVE AND SENSOR, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE STILL DOES NOT RUN. FAILURE OF THOMPSON FORD TO NOTIFY ME OF THE RECALL UPON PURCHASE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR DEATH AS AT THE TIME I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE I WAS COMMUTING. I BECAME AWARE OF THE RECALL IN 2002 FOLLOWING THE PULLEY BOLT BREAKING AND COSTING CONSIDERABLE MONIES FOR REPAIRS.*AK

REAR WHEELS WERE TILTED AT THE TOP SO THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE STRUTS AND SPRINGS WITH USED PARTS. THIS DIDN'T RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER WHO PERFORMED A FRONT END REPAIR, ALIGNMENT, AND TIRES. THE SECOND DEALER STATED THE LEFT AND RIGHT TIRES WERE WORN BADLY ON THE INSIDE AND THE VEHICLE NEEDED A REAR END ALIGNMENT. CONSUMER HAS THE OLD PARTS. *PH *JB