NHTSA Complaint #10152971 — 2002 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE

I JUST PURCHASED A 2002 ECLIPSE FROM A SMALL DEALER. BEFORE I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR, THEY PUT 2 BRAND NEW TIRES ON THE FRONT. THE NIGHT I PICKED UP THE CAR, I HAD TO TRAVEL ON A FEW HIGHWAYS TO GET HOME. AS I WAS GETTING BACK ON THE HIGHWAY, I TRAVELED OVER A ROUGH SPOT IN THE ROAD, BUT I ONLY FELT THE LEFT SIDE GOING OVER IT. A LITTLE WHILE WENT BY AND AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS PULLING TO ONE SIDE. I KNEW SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT BECAUSE I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBERED HOW STRAIGHT THE STEERING WAS WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR 25 MIN EARLIER. THE WHEEL STARTED VIBRATING AND I SLOWED UP, AND LOOKED FOR A SERVICE AREA , WHEN I PULLED OFF I LOOKED AT THE DRIVERS SIDE TIRE AND SAW IT WAS FLAT.... THEN I WENT TO CHECK THE OTHER FRONT AND IT WAS FLAT TOO!!!THESE WERE DEFINITELY BRAND NEW. I COULD UNDERSTAND THE LEFT TIRE GOING FLAT BECAUSE I WENT DOWN IN THE DIP, BUT NOT THE PASSENGER SIDE.. HOW COULD 2 BRAND NEW TIRES GO FLAT AT THE SAME TIME?? I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO SO I CALLED 911, A POLICE MAN CAME OUT AND HE HAD A TOW TRUCK COME OUT AND FILL UP THE TIRES. I THEN FOLLOWED HIM TO THEIR GARAGE. THE TIRES HELD THE AIR, BUT I WAS NOT CONVINCED THEY WOULD HOLD. SO THE DEALER TOWED THE CAR BACK TO THEIR SHOP THE NEXT MORNING AND THOROUGHLY CHECKED IT OVER. THEY DROVE 50 MILES ON THE HIGHWAY. THE TIRES WERE FINE... THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE FLAT TIRES. AND STILL DON'T! SO AFTER READING THE OTHER MITSUBISHI REPORTS WITH SIMILAR INCIDENTS AND EVEN BLOWOUTS I'M CONVINCED THAT THIS CAR HAS DEFECTIVE RIMS AND THAT THEY MUST BEND CAUSING THEM TO DEFLATE THE TIRES. TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, I AM PURCHASING AFTER MARKET RIMS TO BE SURE I AM SAFE! THE RIMS ARE STOCK RIMS MADE BY MITSUBISHI! DOESN'T MITSUBISHI CARE ABOUT SAFETY??? SOMEONE NEEDS TO RESEARCH THESE REPORTS, RECALL THESE RIMS OR REPLACE THEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!!!! *JB