NHTSA Complaint #10155850 — 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER

I OWN A 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER. I PURCHASED FROM CARMAX IN 2005 AND WAS ASSURED THAT IT WAS FREE OF PROBLEMS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH SHOWED THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN WELL CARED FOR AND HAD NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. WHILE SITTING IN TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE IN LATE FEBRUARY 2006 THE STEERING COLUMN INEXPLICABLY COLLAPSED INTO MY LAP. THE CAR WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL, AND I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS IN GRIDLOCK, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. SO, SINCE MY WARRANTY WITH CARMAX HAD LAPSED, I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC (WHO IS EXTREMELY COMPETENT AND REPUTABLE). HE LOOKED AT THE IT AND HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE STEEL BRACKETS HOLDING THE COLUMN IN PLACE HAD BEEN RIPPED THROUGH, AND THE ONLY THING CAPABLE OF DOING THIS WAS A HEAD ON COLLISION. I HAD HIM REPAIR THE COLUMN, AS I NEEDED MY CAR. HE FIXED ALL THE NECESSARY PROBLEMS AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEEDED REPAIRING. THEN IN APRIL 2006, I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND AGAIN THE COLUMN COLLAPSED. IT WAS IN A WORSE STATE THAN DURING THE PREVIOUS FAILURE. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC TO BE RE-EXAMINED. HE WAS ABLE TO FIND NOTHING RELATED TO HIS PREVIOUS REPAIR THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS SECOND FAILURE. THE STEEL RIVETS AND BOLTS SUPPORTING THE COLUMN (WHICH HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED DURING THE PREVIOUS REPAIR AND WERE THEREFORE UNDISTURBED), HAD COMPLETELY RIPPED AWAY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A MITSUBISHI DEALER AND THEIR SERVICE TEAM COULD COME UP WITH NO EXPLANATION FOR WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS FAILURE OTHER THAN A POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE COLUMN. I WAS ASSURED THAT THIS WAS NOT DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I CONTACTED MITSUBISHI REGARDING WHAT COULD BE DONE, BUT THEY CLAIMED TO BE UNABLE TO HELP ME AS THE CAR WAS BEYOND THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, DUE TO THE NUMBER OF MILES ON IT I AM ONLY FORTUNATE IN THAT THESE FAILURES DID NOT OCCUR WHILE I WAS IN MOTION, OR THE SUDDEN LOSS OF CONTROL WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH I COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY INJURED. *JB