NHTSA Complaint #10039471 — 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE

THE FIRST WEEK OF BUYING THE CAR I NOTICED A LITTLE SCRATCH BY THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE. THEN I STARTED HEARING LITTLE SQUEAKING NOISES WHEN I WAS REVERSING COMING FROM THE SAME LEFT TIRE. THEN I NOTICED THE RIM WAS BENT I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID I WAS HITTING CURBS & ROAD HAZARD. MONTHS LATER THE SCRATCH AT THE BOTTOM BY THE FOG LIGHTS WAS GETTING BIGGER AND DEEP THE TIRE KEPT LOSING AIR AND THOSE SPRINGING SOUND NOISES I STILL HEARD. MAKE THE LONG STORY SHORT IT IS 2 YEARS LATER THE DEEP GASHES FROM THE LEFT FRONT TIRE IS NOW ALL THE WAYAROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE FOG LIGHTS ALMOST REACHING THE MIDDE.I WENT THRU 2 TIRES NO BLOW OUTS THANK GOD 3 RIMS AND ONE WAS A REPLACEMENT THE TIRE KEEPS LEAKING AIR THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR ITS ALL THE LEFT FRONT. I SPOKE TO THE MANUFACTUER OF MITSHUBSHI THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS THEY SAID ITS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE .DON'T BLOWOUTS HAPPEN DUE TO BENT RIMS? THEY NOTICED ITS ONLY HAPPENING IN CERTAIN STATES THAT CERTAIN STATES ROAD CONDITIONS ARE BAD. ALL STATES HAVE POTHOLES BUT WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING 15 MPH, HIT A POTHOLE ,& YOUR RIM BENDS CAUSING YOUR TIRE TO LEAK AIR SOMETHING WRONG. THESE RIMS ARE CONSTANTLY BENDING BUT ON MY CAR IT S ONLY THE LEFT SIDE. ITS UNSAFE, BECAUSE WHEN I HIT A POTLHOLE IT MAKES A LOUD BANGING NOISE EVEN MY BRAKE PEDAL SHAKES. IF I KNEW ALL THESE COMPLAINTS I WOULD OF NEVER BOUGHT THIS CAR NOW I KNOW ITS NOT ME BUT THE WAY THESE CHEAP SOFT WHEELS WERE MADE SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS ITS UNSAFE AND THE WHOLE CAR SHAKES AND STEERS TO THE LEFT AFTER HITTING A POTHOLE. I DONT USE MY CAR ALOT MOSTLY BACK AND FORTH TO WORK ON A HIGHWAY 15 MILES ONE WAY. I AM TIRED OF PURCHASING RIMS AT $300.00 I PAY ENOUGH FOR THIS CAR AND FOR THE MONEY I PAY I SHOULD HAVE DECENT RIMS THAT CAN STAND DRIVING OVER A 15-30 MILE AN HOUR POTHOLE. I HAD CARS BEFORE THIS NEVER HAD A DENTED RIM .SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS THERE ARE EVEN COMPLAINTS ON JDPOWER'S WEBSITE.