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Mitsubishi - Timing Belt Failure

Mitsubishi • Airbag • Paint • Timing belt • Transmission • Miscellaneous

Lisa of Palm Beach Gardens FL (10/02/03):
I am the owner of a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GST. October 26, 2002 the timing belt broke on my car and bent the heads causing major engine damage. This happened before the recommended maintenance mileage of 60,000, noted in my driver’s manual. I called the company to inquire about a warranty and was told there was none. I wrote a letter in February again asking about a warranty and got no response.

My car has been to three different auto mechanics over the last ten months and now is sitting at a Mitsubishi dealership. The engine has had a complete rebuild done, yet when the car is put back together it throws the belt again and the mechanics can’t figure out why. I have paid over $5,000.00 to fix this car and $3,000.00 in rental car fees, not to mention almost $600.00 a month for car payments and insurance on a car I haven’t been able to drive.

The dealership quoted me $5,800. This would put the grand total at $13,800.00, more than the car is actually worth. I can’t afford to come out of pocket more money to fix this vehicle. I contacted Mitsubishi again by letter. Their legal department informed me that there was a powertrain warranty up until 60,000 miles. Had I known that it would have gone straight to a dealership and been fixed. Mitsubishi Motors will not assist me in any way because the car didn't go right to a dealership, even though the timing belt broke before scheduled maintenance.

I believe Mitsubishi is wrong on many counts. First, the timing belt breaking before scheduled maintenance and destroying the engine is absurd in a $25,000 car. Second, after repeated attempts to find out about a warranty I was either ignored or given false information. Third, by denying any liability and stating word for word "that they can't justify helping me because the car didn't go to the delaership and that they had never heard of a problem like this before".

Every mechanic I have talked to has said that this is a very common problem with Mitsubishi cars. On a smaller note, both door handles have broken off this car (I think Tonka is made better) and the car leaks when it rains. You might expect something like this from a $9,000 Hyundai, not a $25,000 car.

Malesa of Louisville KY (3/3/03):
The problem first started several years ago when I purchased my car brand new, and had my car serviced for a new transmission with continued issues every month since then. I continued to hear a squeaking sound and I had over $600 worth of work done on my car (timing belt, replaced cracked oil pan, ect). They could not tell me what the problem was. I still continued to notice the continued squeaking sounds. I would bring my car in and they would tell me it was nothing, then one day I was told that the pulley under the motor was cracked. I was later told that the pulley is underneath the motor where they were repairing the prior problem of the timing belt.

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