1999 Mitsubishi Montero Sport

MY CAR HAS BROKEN DOWN 3 TIMES THIS YEAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAD IT REPAIRED TWICE, THEN FOUND OUT IT HAD AN OPEN RECALL FROM 2000. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER YESTERDAY, FELT THEY DISMISSED MY SITUATION AS I TOLD THEM THE CAR WAS DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL DESCRIBED AND I WAS CONCERNED IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I EXPLAINED IN DETAIL ABOUT THE 1ST TWO REPAIRS. MY CAR BROKE DOWN YESTERDAY, AFTER I LEFT THE DEALER, AND WAS ONCE AGAIN UNDRIVEABLE. IT IS RELATED TO THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT. I SENT THE DEALER A VERY DETAILED EMAIL ABOUT THIS FINAL SITUATION AND TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS FILING A COMPLAINT. NO RESPONSE FROM THEM. THE RECALL IS REGARDING A BOLT THAT SECURES A PULLEY. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE SYMPTOMS WERE THE SAME, THE CAR STARTS MAKING RATTLING NOISES THEN WILL NOT STEER, THEN IS UNDRIVEABLE. THESE ARE THE EXACT SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL AS "WORST CASE". I BOUGHT THE CAR 2 YEARS AGO FROM A DEALER BUT WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF AN OPEN RECALL, SO JUST RECENTLY DISCOVERED IT AFTER READING ONLINE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS DESCRIBING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS THIRD TIME THE CAR BROKE DOWN I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, STRAIGHT, MEANING NOT TURNING. THE OTHER TWO TIMES I WAS ALSO DRIVING, BUT DON'T REMEMBER IF I WAS TURNING OR NOT. I DO HAVE DOCUMENTATION FROM A PREVIOUS REPAIR AND MY VISIT TO THE DEALER YESTERDAY BUT DON'T KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD FROM MY PHONE AT THIS TIME. THE DATES THE CAR BROKE DOWN FROM THE SAME PROBLEM ARE FEB, 2016, JUNE, 2016 AND OCTOBER 6, 2016. I AM DESPERATE TO RESOLVE THIS SINCE I NO LONGER HAVE TRANSPORTATION. THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP, THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING SITUATION STARTING IN FEBRUARY 2016.

TIRES PURCHASE NEW, MAINTAINED WELL WITH APPROX 25K MILES OF WEAR. WITH NO NOTICE, HAD A TREAD SEPARATION ON FRONT RIGHT TIRE. TOOK TO DEALER AND IT WAS REPLACED WITH ONLY A PARTIAL CREDIT FOR WARRANTY. OTHER TIRES WERE INSPECTED AND TOLD IT WAS A FLUKE. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH LATER, WAS PULLING OFF FREEWAY AT ABOUT 50MPH AND LEFT REAR TIRE EXPLODED AND RIPPED FENDER OFF OF SUV. NO NOTICE OF WEAR PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. WITNESS DRIVER PULLED OVER AND TOLD ME THAT HIS WIFE NOTICED A HUGE BUBBLE IN THE TIRE RIGHT BEFORE THE TREAD FELL APART. TOOK TO DEALER AGAIN AND THEY SAID IN EFFECT, "SO SAD, TOO BAD" BUT I MUST BE UNLUCKY AND THE OTHER TWO TIRES STILL "LOOK" GOOD. TIRE REPLACED. NOW, SAME DAY THIRD TIRE IS LOOSING AIR-NO NAILS, GOOD SEAL, GOOD VALVE. I EXPECT IT TO BLOW UP SOON AS WELL. I CANNOT AFFORD TO PURCHASE ANYMORE TIRES. I HOPE THAT I AM ALIVE BY THE TIME I CAN AFFORD TO REPLACE THE REMAINING TWO TIRES. I AM ASTONISHED THAT THESE HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED OR THAT THE MFTR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FULL REPLACEMENT. THESE ARE NOT OVER TIME NOTICEABLE ISSUES, THEY ARE IMMEDIATE FAILURES AND LIFE THREATENING. *TR

TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT CAME ON TO INDICATE OVERHEAT OR POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAD TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE (SAFETY CONCERN) TO ALLOW TRANS TO COOL DOWN. I NOW DISCOVER MITSUBISHI HAS A TECH SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) ON THIS ISSUE FOR MY VEHICLE, REQUIRING INSTALLATION OF A LARGER CAPACITY TRANSMISSION PAN, FILTER AND SCREEN, AND A LONGER FILL TUBE AND MEASURING WAND. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT. WHEN THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE, SHE HEARD A TAPPING SOUND. SHE DROVE THE VEHICLE, APPROACHED A STOP LIGHT, AND HEARD THREE THUMPS FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE TO THE MECHANIC. HE DISCOVERED THAT THE A/C BELT WAS MISSING. WHEN THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE BELT, HE NOTICED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT WAS LOOSE AND WAS UNABLE TO BE TIGHTENED. HE ALSO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE NOISE SHE HEARD WAS THE A/C BELT DETACHING AND STRIKING THE ENGINE. DUE TO THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY'S FAILURE, THE A/C BELT DETACHED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 00V311001 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE). THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND FOUND THAT THE A/C BELT DETACHED ONCE AGAIN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 123,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

VEHICLE LOST USE OF POWER STEERING DURING A 90 DEGREE TURN AT A BUSY INTERSECTION AND I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF IT. I PROCEEDED TO PULL INTO PARKING LOT OF NEARBY CONVENIENCE STORE AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD. I NOTICED THAT THE V-BELT TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND OTHER COMPONENTS WAS TURNING RATHER SLUGGISHLY AND COULD HEAR A SQUEAKING/CHIRPING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER SWITCHING OFF THE A/C, I OBSERVED THAT THE V-BELT BEGAN TO TURN MORE FREELY BUT STILL SOMEWHAT SLOWER THAN NORMAL. I THEN DROVE THE VEHICLE AT SLOW SPEEDS (35-40 MPH) TO MY HOME APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES AWAY. THE NEXT MORNING, I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A NEARBY MECHANIC'S SHOP APPROXIMATELY 1.25 MILE AWAY TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE V-BELT HAD NOW JUMPED OFF THE PULLEYS BECAUSE THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT WAS NOT IN ALL THE WAY, CAUSING THE V-BELT TO BE MISALIGNED WITH THE OTHER PULLEYS. THAT SAME DAY, I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP (FAZELI MITSUBISHI - MESQUITE, TX) WHERE THE PREVIOUS 120K SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICE HAD BEEN PERFORMED. DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATES THAT THE PULLEY BOLT HAD BACKED-OUT DUE TO VIBRATION FROM THE PULLEY AND THAT THE INTERNAL THREADS OF THE CRANKSHAFT HAD BEEN DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR REQUIRING THE CRANKSHAFT TO BE REPLACED AT AN APPROXIMATE COST OF $3300 TO $3850 AND INVOLVING A TWO WEEK TIME-FRAME. THE DEALERSHIP CURRENTLY HAS THE VEHICLE AND ARE AWAITING MY DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO HAVE THE REPAIRS PERFORMED. I CONTACTED MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. WITH THIS INFORMATION AND REQUESTED TO HAVE A FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE CONTACT/CONSULT WITH THE DEALERSHIP'S TECHNICIAN. I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE THEIR WERE NO RECALLS INVOLVING MY VEHICLES AND SINCE IT IS WELL BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD, THEY COULD OFFER ME NO ASSISTANCE WHAT-SO-EVER. *NM