NHTSA Complaint #10083001 — 2000 MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT

MY COMPLAINT CONCERNS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #TSB-00-23-008, ISSUED NOVEMBER 2000. IN THE BULLETIN, MITSUBISHI MOTORS ADDRESSES THE NEED TO REPLACE THE A/T OIL PAN DUE TO OVERHEATING THAT IS CAUSED BY THE SHALLOWNESS OF THE PAN. JUST PRIOR TO THIS BULLETIN, IN OCTOBER 2000, PRODUCTION VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH A LARGER OIL DRAINAGE PAN TO ELIMINATE OVERHEATING CAUSE BY THE PRIOR PAN. AFTER HAVING MY 2000 MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT GIVEN THE 60,000 MILE SERVICING IN JUNE 2004, I WAS DRIVING OUT OF TOWN AND NOTICED (FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER) THAT THE A/T TEMPERATURE LIGHT WAS ON, SIGNALING THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS OVERHEATING. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (95 SOUTH - 38 MILES FROM RICHMOND, VA) AND IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED DARCARS MITSUBISHI IN SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, THE DEALERSHIP THAT HAD JUST SERVICED MY VEHICLE. MY SERVICE ADVISOR, BECKY SUBSEQUENTLY INFORMED ME OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED REGARDING THIS OVERHEAT PROBLEM. SINCE I WAS OUT OF THE AREA, I ALSO CONTACTED MITSUBISHI DEALERS IN BOTH RICHMOND AND FREDERICKSBURG, VA. BOTH SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL WANTED ME TO BRING IN THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE SERVICE BULLETIN ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF OVERHEATING DUE TO THE SHALLOW TRANSMISSION PAN. NONE, NOT EVEN THE DEALERSHIP THAT SERVICED MY CAR, HOWEVER, WERE WILLING TO PERFORM THE SERVICE FREE OF CHARGE SINCE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THE FREDERICKSBURG DEALERSHIP EVEN WANTED ME TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN TO BE SERVICED AGAIN SHOULD TRANSMISSION FLUID NEED TO BE CHANGED. THE FACT THAT ALL OF THE DEALERSHIPS ARE AWARE OF THIS MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND OBVIOUSLY PERFORM THE REPAIR WITH SOME DEGREE OF CONSISTENCY, SCREAMS THE NEED FOR THIS MATTER TO BE COVERED AS A RECALL. THE CONSUMER SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT MITSUBISHI ACKNOWLEDGES CAUSES POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE POWERTRAIN; THIS IS APPARENTLY A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND SHOULD BE COVERED AS SUCH.*AK