1997 Mitsubishi Montero Problems

1997 MITSUBISH MONTERO 3.5 LITER AUTOMATIC- CRANK SHAFT BOLT HAS COME OUT ON 5 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND HAS COST OVER $3000 TO HAVE IT REPLACED. THE INSIDE OF THE CRANKSHAFT WHERE THE BOLT GOES IS COMPLETELY STRIPPED TO THE POINT I NOW HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE AS THIS APPEARS TO BE AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH ALL YEARS OF MONTEROS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS AND MITSUBISHI SHOULD COVER THE COST FOR THERE NEGLIGENCE. *TR

CRANKSHAFT PULLEY PIN/BOLT GETS SHEARED OFF. DASH LIGHTS COME ON AND VEHICLE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING AS THE PUMP IS NOT TURNING BECAUSE THE PROBLEM AFFECT THE ENTIRE PULLEY SYSTEM. IT ALSO AFFECTS THE TIMING GEAR/BELT/HARMONIC BALANCER. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME IN AS MANY YEARS THIS HAS HAPPENED. THIS IS THE 2ND MECHANIC WHO HAS TOLD ME THAT IT'S AN ENGINE DEFECT BECAUSE THE PIN/BOLT IS TOO SHORT. THERE IS NO WARNING BEFORE IT HAPPENS. IT OCCURS UNDER NORMAL CITY DRIVING CONDITIONS AT LOW OR NO SPEED. *TR

1. BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS STAYED ON FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. CAR WAS CHECKED OUT AND ESTIMATED CHARGES FOR REPAIRS TO FRONT BRAKE, INCLUDING NEW ROTOR, WOULD BE $1000. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE RECALL FOR 1997 MONTEROS IN REGARD TO BRAKE LINES. *AK 2. SERVICE ENGINE SOON COMES ON AT RANDOM AND ONLY GOES OFF WHEN THE BATTERY IS UNHOOKED AND REHOOKED OR REPLACED.

BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO FLOOR. REGULAR BRAKES WOULD FAIL TO WORK WHENEVER PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. TOOK TO MECHANIC, AND HAD MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED, AND BRAKES BLED. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK

ON 5/31/14, MY 1997 MITSUBISHI MONTERO WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. WHEN I WENT TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A LARGE BURN IN THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT. AFTER CALLING MITSUBISHI, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME SINCE IT WAS STILL SMOLDERING AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THEY BELIEVED IT TO BE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. AFTER MANY FOLLOW-UP CALLS TO MITSUBISHI, THEY BELIEVE IT WAS CAUSED BY WEAR AND TEAR SINCE THE CAR WAS 17 YEARS OLD. ALL OF THE COST TO FIX THE ISSUE WAS ON ME AS THE OWNER. *TR

1. BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS STAYED ON FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. CAR WAS CHECKED OUT AND ESTIMATED CHARGES FOR REPAIRS TO FRONT BRAKE, INCLUDING NEW ROTOR, WOULD BE $1000. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE RECALL FOR 1997 MONTEROS IN REGARD TO BRAKE LINES. *AK 2. SERVICE ENGINE SOON COMES ON AT RANDOM AND ONLY GOES OFF WHEN THE BATTERY IS UNHOOKED AND REHOOKED OR REPLACED.

REAR AXLE LEAF SPRING BROKE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 45MPH OR FASTER THE FRONT END BEGINS TO VIBRATE VERY HARD. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH HIT AN ELK, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK

VEHICLE LOST CONTROL IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION AREA WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN VEHICLE COLLISION, NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS DURING IMPACT. MJS (ATTORNEY FOR CONSUMER).

FAILURE CAUSED ERRATIC OPERATION OF POWER DOOR LOCKS, ALARM AND ALL OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. OF SPECIAL CONCERN WAS THE RAPID FAILURE OF DOOR LOCKING COMPONENTS.

VEHICLE WAS IN 40 MPH CAR COLLISION, CRASHED INTO A TREE, AND ROOF COLLAPSED. ONTO CONSUMER'S HUSBAND. HAS NOT CONTACTED DEALER YET. *AK

NO SUMMARY

WINDOW SEAL MALFUNCTIONED.

STARTED CAR, NOTICED 3 RANDOM LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THEN POWER STEERING WAS INTERMITTENT. THEN A/C WENT OUT AND WOULD NOT COOL DOWN. THEN POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY. CAR WAS DRIVEN TO REPAIR SHOP NEARBY, SINCE NO LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER. MECHANIC FOUND CRANKSHAFT BOLT BROKEN THAT LED TO POWER STEERING AND A/C PULLEY NOT WORKING. INCIDENT LED TO NEAR LOSS OF CONTROL DURING TURNING , AS POWER STEERING WOULD "KICK" IN AT TIMES DURING CORNERING AND LEAD TO OVERSTEER. HAD TO CHANGE CRANKSHAFT BOLT, HARMONIC BALANCER, TIMING BELT GEAR, AND SOMETHING ELSE. *TR

THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 17 TIMES WITHIN A YEAR. IT WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW. THE MAJOR PROBLEMS WE HAVE WITH IT ARE THE WHEEN BEARING, AIRCONDITIONING AND THE ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN WITH NO WARNING. WHEN WE TAKE IT IN EITHER THEY SAY THEY CANT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WITH THE WHEEL BEARING, THEY FIXED IT THE FIRST TIME. IT STARTED TO LEAK AGAIN AND THEY SAID THAT IT WASNT THE WHEEL BEARING.

ON 5/31/14, MY 1997 MITSUBISHI MONTERO WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. WHEN I WENT TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A LARGE BURN IN THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT. AFTER CALLING MITSUBISHI, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME SINCE IT WAS STILL SMOLDERING AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THEY BELIEVED IT TO BE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. AFTER MANY FOLLOW-UP CALLS TO MITSUBISHI, THEY BELIEVE IT WAS CAUSED BY WEAR AND TEAR SINCE THE CAR WAS 17 YEARS OLD. ALL OF THE COST TO FIX THE ISSUE WAS ON ME AS THE OWNER. *TR

1 - THIS JUST STARTED HAPPENING, NO ACCIDENT OR MISUSE. 2 - VEHICLE WILL NOT START AT TIMES AND MUST KEEP TURNING IGNITION, EVENTUALLY IT STATS. (CHANGED BATTERY, TERMINALS, WIRES, ETC, WITH NO AFFECT) ALARM GOES OFF SPORADICALLY OR SETS ON IT'S OWN. DOOR LOCKS UNLOCK, THEN IMMEDIATELY LOCK BACK. WINDOWS ARE NOT GOING UP CORRECTLY AND ARE TILTING SLIGHTLY CAUSING A SMALL AIR LEAK ON BOTH FRONT WINDOWS. ALL PROBLEMS ARE ANNOYING BUT I CAN STILL GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B. THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY.*AK

SEAT BELT ANCHOR AND ATTACHMENT BOLT SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

I BELIEVE THERE TO BE A DEFECT IN THE POSITIONING OF THE SEAT BELT MOUNTS IN THE SECOND ROW SEATS (SEATS DIRECTLY BEHIND DRIVER'S SEATS). THE MOUNTS ARE PLACED TOO HIGH ON THE FRAME TO ALLOW PROPER INSTALLATION OF CHILD CAR SEATS LIKE THE EVENFLOW ON MY WAY BASE AND THE GERRY BRAND BOOSTER SEAT. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN A SNUG TIE DOWN TO PREVENT LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE CHILD SEATS. *AK

CRANKSHAFT BOLT IS LOOSENING ON VEHICLE CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING.*MR CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WASN'T RECOGNIZED TO BE WITHIN THE RECALL. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE DEFECT AND HAD TO PAY $1355.56 FOR REPAIRS AND $130.00 FOR TOWING. CONSUMER FEELS MITSUBISHI SHOULD COVER COSTS OF REPAIRS AND TOWING DUE TO THE RECALL THAT WAS CREATED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM. *PH

STEERING COLUMN KNOCKS AND RATTLES WHILE DRIVING UNDER 30 MPH. DEALER WILL NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. TAKEN IN 12 TIMES. *AK

THIS CAR WAS IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT & SOLD TO ME WITHOUT A MV-103 FORM OR TITLE STATING THAT THIS A REBUILT SALVAGE. NO SAFTCY DEFECT MENTIONE DIN SUMMARY. *AK

ENTIRE FAN AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. SHEARED OFF WHILE I WAS TRAVELING IN INTER CITY TRAFFIC, IF THIS FAILURE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY THIS ASSEMBLY COULD HAVE DAMAGED EITHER THE STEERING, FUEL OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE LOCAL DEALER AND FACTORY REPRESENTATIVES HAVE REVIEWED AND COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS JUST A FAILURE DUE TO MILEAGE. IF THIS IS THE CASE THERE POTENTIALLY ARE MANY VEHICLES OF THIS TYPE THAT MAY EXPERIENCE THE SAME FAILURE. *AK

PROBLEM WITH FRONT AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP. THEY DID NOTHING TO FIX, JUST RESET CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. 3 WEEKS LATER CAR WAS IN A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT. DRIVER STEERED SLIGHTLY TO AVOID COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS MAKING AN ILLEGAL LANE CHANGE AND MONTERO WENT OUT OF CONTROL. NEITHER STEERING NOR BRAKING COULD STOP OR AFFECT WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

THIS CAR WAS IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT & SOLD TO ME WITHOUT A MV-103 FORM OR TITLE STATING THAT THIS A REBUILT SALVAGE. NO SAFTCY DEFECT MENTIONE DIN SUMMARY. *AK

FAILURE CAUSED ERRATIC OPERATION OF POWER DOOR LOCKS, ALARM AND ALL OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. OF SPECIAL CONCERN WAS THE RAPID FAILURE OF DOOR LOCKING COMPONENTS.

ACCELERATOR FAILARE/BRAKE FAILARE.

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND IDLING. I WAS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT WHEN A FIRE BROKE OUT AND THE FLAMES CAUSED ME SEVERE BURNS TO MY BODY. I WAS NEARLY ASPHYXIATED. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

DESPITE REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO BALANCE THESE TIRES - THEY CONSISTENTLY RETURN TO THEIR ORIGINAL STATE AND CAUSE VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 265-70-15 )