1994 Mitsubishi Montero Engine Problems

1994 MITSUBISHI MONTERO BOLT SECURING CRANKSHAFT PULLEY CAME LOOSE RESULTING IN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. ACCIDENT AVERTED, THANK GOD. AS STATED IN OTHER COMPLAINTS, MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP AND MITSUBISHI AMERICA ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO REPAIR MY TRUCK BECAUSE MY VIN IS NOT A MATCH FOR THE RECALL ON THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM. MY GUESS IS THAT WHEN SOMEONE DOES HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS MALFUNCTION THEY'LL PAY DEARLY IN LAWSUIT LOSSES WHEN THEY COULD SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AND KEEP THEIR CONSUMERS SAFE! I WILL BEGIN A WRITING CAMPAIGN IN REGARD TO THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S CLEAR THAT MITSUBISHI DOESN'T CARE UNTIL SOMEONE DIES. NICE WAY TO RUN YOUR COMPANY. BY THE WAY, THERE ARE NO FIRES/DEATHS/DAMAGE OR POLICE REPORTS BECAUSE THUS FAR, EVERYONE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN LUCKY! *TR

NHTSA ID

10240787

Incident

Aug 30, 2008

Mileage

240,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY 1994 MITSUBISHI 3.0L MONTERO AT 55MPH ON A FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT HITTING ANY OTHER VEHICLES.WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MY DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY DETERMINED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT HAD BROKEN OFF INSIDE THE ENGINE. THEIR RECOMMENDATION WAS TO INSTALL A REBUILT ENGINE (IF THEY COULD FIND ONE) FOR $6200. THEY DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A SAFETY RECALL EXISTED FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

10104864

Incident

Dec 22, 2004

Mileage

159,000 mi

I SPENT $ 6000 LAST YEAR ON A NEW HALF BLOCK ENGINE. LAST MONTH MY MITSUBISHI MONTERO STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE DEALERS, AND THEY FOUND THAT THE PLENUM NEEDED TO GET CHECKED. THEY DID THAT, BUT NOW THEY FOUND THAT THE BUTTERFLY VALVES ON THE PLENUM BROKE OFF ( WHICH WERE PLASTIC) AND WENT IN TO THE ENGINE. THIS DAMAGED BOTH HEADS AND THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR A COST OF $ 4700. MY PROBLEM IS, MITSUBISHI KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM (WHICH IS APPARENT BECAUSE THEY HAVE MADE A REPLACEMENT PART TO FIX IT), BUT BECAUSE THE REPLACEMENT PLENUM IS SO EXPENSIVE THEY NEVER DID A RECALL TO FIX IT. *AK

NHTSA ID

10090686

Incident

Sep 9, 2004

I WAS DRIVING MY MITSUBISHI MONTERO 3.5L DOHC WHILE TRYING TO JOIN FREEWAY ON RAMP WHILE ACCELERATING TO REACH 60 MILES AN HOUR TO KEEP IN PACE WITH HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER STARTED TO DECLINE DESPITE ME STEPPING ON THE GAS. AT THE SAME TIME I LOST POWER STEERING AND I NEARLY DIED DUE TO A POSSIBLE HIGH SPEED ACCIDENT WHILE TRYING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION AND GET OFF THE ROAD AT ONCE. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR AT VERY LOW SPEED TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC, AND IT DIED RIGHT IN HIS FRONT YARD. UPON EXAMINING IT HE TOLD ME THE CRANK SHAFT BOLT BROKE AND THATS WHY I LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I ALSO CHECKED OUT IN THE INTERNET AT THIS SPECIFIC SITE: WWW.MITSUBISHISUCKS.COM/CARS/COMPLAINTS/USA/MODELS/MONTERO/1994.HTML. *AK I DISCOVERED THAT MITSUBISHI MONTERO RANGING FROM THE LATE 80S TO AS LATE AS 2002 ALL HAVE THIS COMMON DEFECT AND NOT ALL OF THEM ARE COVERED BY MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY DUE TO VIN OF THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE TO PUT IT TO MITSUBISHI THAT IF THEY CANNOT PUT SAFE CARS ON THE ROAD THEN THEY BETTER WIND UP AND LET TOYOTA RUN THE SHOW . IF YOU GO TO EVERY DEALER IT IS THE SAME SONG :WE CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM DO THEY THINK IM LYING IN THE FIRST PLACE? MY EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT ME AFTER GOING THROUGH 2 MONTEROS THAT THEY ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE CARS ON THE ROAD AND ANY OTHER DRIVER SHOULD WATCH OUT JUST INCASE ONE GOES NUTS AND LOSES STEERING CAPABILITY. I HAVE BEGUN KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM ESPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEED CRUISING. THIS IS THE LAST OF MONTERO THAT I WILL EVER BUY IN MY LIFE TIME SINCE I DONT WONNA DIE QUICK DUE TO STRUCTURAL FAILURES. MY FAMILY WHO ARE MONTERO FANS HAVE PUT THEM UP FOR SALE AND OVE ON TO OTHER BETTER MODELS AT LEAST WITH MINIMUM ENGINE FAILURES COZ THE COST OF PUTTING MY MONTERO BACK ON THE ROAD IS LIKE $5000 AND I BOUGHT IT AT $10,000. LOOKING AT THE MATH IT MAKES SENSE TO INVEST ON A NEW CAR FOR THAT AMOUNT. ARRRGH. DRIVE A MONTERO AT YOUR OWN RISK&FORE WARNED IS FOR ARMED !*AK

NHTSA ID

10074815

Incident

May 25, 2004

Mileage

155,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING ALONG, WHEN MY AIRCONDITIONING AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT. BELIEVING IT WAS A BELT, I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD TO FIND OUT THAT MY CRANKSHAFT BOLT HAD BROKEN CAUSING MY KEYWAY AND HARMONIC BALANCER TO FALL OFF. I CALLED THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER TO LOCATE THE PARTS, AND THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT WAS DEFECTIVE AND A NHTSA RECALL WAS IN PLACE ON IT. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT THE BOLT WOULD BE REPLACED AS WELL AS ANY SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE BREAKING OF THE BOLT. THE DEALER HAS NOW CALLED ME BACK, AND SAID THAT THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE REMOVING THE BROKEN BOLT FROM THE CRANKSHAFT AND HAD ALREADY SPENT TO MUCH TIME AND MONEY, AND SO THEREFORE WOULD NOT CONTINUE ANY WORK. IF I WANTED THE VEHICLE FIXED, IT WOULD BE ON MY DIME, THEY WERE NOT GOING TO HONOR THE SAFETY RECALL. NO WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON THE VEHICLE SINCE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10068349

Incident

Apr 18, 2004

Mileage

211,000 mi

THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT BROKE ON THE 94 MONTERO SR AND I LOST POWER STEERING ASSIST. THUS, THE CAR WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER AND A LIFE THREATENING CONDITION WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE RECALL SR-01-002 DOES NOT COVER THIS MODEL ENGINE EVEN THOUGH THE PART USED IS THE SAME THROUGHOUT THOSE YEARS.*AK

NHTSA ID

10050613

Incident

Dec 1, 2003

Mileage

104,000 mi

THE HARMONIC BALANCER HAS CAME APART TWICE. THE MECHANIC THAT I WAS HAS STATED THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT COMING LOOSE. THIS PARTICULAR BOLT HAS BEEN RECALLED ON THE 3.5 L MONTERO ENGINES, BUT NOT THE 3.5 L ENGINES. *AK

NHTSA ID

766794

Incident

May 1, 2001

ENGINE IS PROBABLY IN NEED OF NEW HEAD OR BLOCK. WAS THERE A RECALL ON THESE ENGINES?*AK

NHTSA ID

747715

POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED WHILE MY WIFE WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. A MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY FELL OFF. THERE IS A RECALL (CAMPAIGN ID # 00V311001) BUT MITSUBISHI STATES THAT MY MONTERO IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALL STATES.*AK

NHTSA ID

745374

Incident

May 11, 2001

VEHICLE HAD BEEN HAVING SAME PROBLEM A S STATED IN RECALL 00 V 311 001 CONCERNING CRANKSHAFT/PULLEY BOLT.*AK

NHTSA ID

887173

Incident

Apr 30, 2001

DEALER SAID THATPOSSIBLE CAUSE OF ENGINE FAILURE IS LOOSE WRIST PIN IN CRANKSHAFT ASSEMBLY AND THAT MITSUBISHI CORP. DOES NOT HAVE RECALL ON THIS AND NOT CONSIDERED AS FACTORY DEFECT. NEED NEW ENGINE BUT MITSUBISHI MADE THIS TYPE ONLY FOR 3 YEARS AND NONE AVAILABLE EVEN FOR USED OR REMANUFACTURED ENGINE. ACCORDING TO 2 USED/REMANUFACTURED ENGINE DEALERS (1 FROM MIDWEST AND 1 FROM BALTIMORE), FINDING A USED ENGINE IS VERY HARD BECAUSE SO MANY OWNERS WITH SAME PROBLEM ARE LOOKING FOR ONE. THE 3.5 LTR. DOUBLE OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE IS A PROBLEM ENGINE THAT IS WHY MITSUBISHI STOPPED PRODUCING IT AFTER ONLY 3 YEARS BECAUSE OF THE HEADACHES ON IT. IT HAS ALREADY BEEN A MONTH AND STILL NO ENGINE AVAILABLE EITHER USED OR REMANUFACTURED WITHIN THE US. ACCORDING TO AN ENGINE DEALER, THERE ARE 3 OF US WAITING FOR AN ENGINE IN MARYLAND. MITSUBISHI SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR DEFECTIVE DESIGN. THE MITSUBISHI DEALER ESTIMATE ON REPAIR COST IS $6,000 (INITIAL ESTIMATE) AND COULD NOT REALLY TELL A CLOSER ESTIMATE UNTIL ENGINE IS OPENED.

NHTSA ID

743608

Incident

Mar 5, 2001

ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THE MITSUBISHI NO LONGER MAKES THIS TYPE OF ENGINE, AND THAT THE DAMAGE IS TOO BAD FOR IT TO BE REBUILT. THE SVU HAS BEEN AT THIS SERVICE DEPT. FOR OVER A MONTH. CALLS TO MITSUBISHI HQ HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCTIVE, AND THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CUSTOMER FRIENDLY. SINCE THE SVU HAS BEEN OUT OF COMMISSION, WE HAVE HEARD OF ATLEAST THREE OTHER SIMILAR MAKE/MODELS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM WONDERING IF THERE MAY BE AN INHERENT FAULT IN THIS ENGINE, AND PERHAPS, IT IS A MITSUBISHI COVER-UP. WHY DID THEY STOP MAKING THIS MODEL ENGINE? DID THEY DISCOVER A FAULT ? TRULY, I AM AT MY WITS END, AND WAS GIVEN YOUR NUMBER BY THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION IN DE. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HELP, OR AT LTHE VERY LEAST, KEEP A RECORD OF THIS MAKE/MODELS ENGINE DEFECT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. CANDY YANCHULIS

NHTSA ID

730216

Incident

Jul 31, 2000

ENGINE HAS SEIZED UP AND DEALER HAS INDICATED THAT WE NEED A NEW ENGINE ON A FIVE YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

715164

Incident

Nov 6, 1999