2004 Mitsubishi Outlander

AFTER MOVING TO TEXAS THE VEHICLE INSPECTION STATION ALERTED ME TO THE SEVERELY DEGRADED HEADLIGHT LENS ON BOTH SIDES. I HAVE RESTORED THE SURFACE AND SEALED THE CRACKS NUMEROUS TIMES BUT THEY ARE IN NEED OF RESTORATION OR REPLACEMENT AGAIN. THE LENS ALONE IS NOT AVAILABLE AND THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY COSTS OVER $200.00 EACH. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN DECEMBER OF 2003 AT THE SAME TIME I BOUGHT MY FORD F150 AND PARKED BESIDE THE TRUCK EVERY DAY FOR MORE THAN NINE YEARS. THE LENS ON MY FORD IS STILL CRYSTAL CLEAR, NO CRACKS AND LOOKS TO BE NEW. THE LENS ON MY MITSUBISHI IS CLOUDY, CRACKED AND CAUSES MY HEADLIGHTS TO BE VERY DIM. IF NOT FOR THE POLYMER SEALER I AM SURE THERE WOULD BE WATER INTRUSION WHICH WOULD LEAD TO HEADLAMP FAILURE. *TR

FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY ON BOTH SIDES ARE GRAZED WITH SMALL CRACKS- THE PASSENGER SIDE HAS WATER IN IT AND DOESN'T EVAPORATE EVEN IN EXTREME HEAT. IT AFFECTS THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT FOR VISIBILITY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON THE 2004 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. IT WILL EVIDENTLY TAKE AN ACCIDENT WITH POSSIBLY SERIOUS INJURY FOR MITSIBISHI TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO TO HAVE THIS DEFECT CORRECTED AND NOT AT THE CAR OWNERS EXPENSE, SINCE IT IS AN OBVIOUS ADMITTED MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) THE HEADLAMP LENSES ON MY MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER 2004 HAVE STARTED TO YELLOW, CRACK, AND DEGRADE IN THE PAST 2 YEARS. IN RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET, THERE ARE MANY OTHER OUTLANDER OWNERS FOR THE 2003/2004 MODEL YEARS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE LENSES ARE UNSAFE AND REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF NIGHT ILLUMINATION THAT THE LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE. IN CONTACTING MY LOCAL DEALER THEY DECLINED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND REFERRED ME TO MITSUBISHI DIRECTLY. IN CONTACTING MITSUBISHI, THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT WITH A TSB ISSUED IN 12/04 BUT HAVE NOT CLASSIFIED IT AS A RECALL. THEY HAVE ALSO DECLINED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. IN ESCALATING IT WITHIN THE MITSUBISHI ORGANIZATION, CASE [XXX] WAS OPENED AND A CASE MANAGER CONTACTED A LOCAL DEALER ON BEHALF TO SEE IF THEY WOULD ADDRESS AND THEY AGAIN DECLINED. THE DEALERS WANT MORE THAN $1K IN PARTS AND LABOR TO REPLACE THE DEGRADING HEADLAMPS OR THEY WILL NOT DO SO AND MITSU STATES THEY HAVE NO OBLIGATIONS OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD. HEADLAMPS ARE A SAFETY FEATURE OF THE VEHICLE AND IT IS APPALLING THAT ALL ACKNOWLEDGE THE POOR MANUFACTURE OF THE HEADLAMPS (YELLOWING, CRACKING, HAZE), ETC. AND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD ON THIS MODEL FOR THE 2003/2004 YEARS BUT NO PARTY WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIXING. I HOPE NO ONE HAS DIED OR DIES AS A RESULT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT DUE TO THE REDUCED ILLUMINATION RESULTING FROM THE DEFECT/POOR MANUFACTURING. *TR

BOTH HEADLIGHTS ON OUR 2004 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER ARE CRACKED IN A SIMILAR PATTERN, BOTTOM OUTER CORNER TO UPPER INSIDE CORNER, THERE ARE 2 -3 CRACKS ON EACH HEADLIGHT. THIS WAS NOT DONE BY ROCKS, OR ANY COLLISION, CONSIDERING THEY ARE SO SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE ON BOTH HEADLIGHTS, IT MUST BE A DEFECT IN THE PLASTIC COVERINGS. WE HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THESE, SINCE THE ESTIMATE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM CONSISTS OF REPLACING THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT, COSTING ALMOST $600.00 PER HEADLIGHT. *JB