NHTSA Complaint #10203502 — 2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER

I BOUGHT THE 2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES A FEW WEEKS AGO. EVERY TIME I BACK OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY THE FRONT END OF THE CAR 'BOTTOMS OUT" AND SCRAPES ALONG THE PAVEMENT. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO MARK MITSUBISHI. THEY CHECKED OUT MY CAR AND ALTHOUGH THEY ADMITTED THAT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS SCRAPED UP THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID EVERYTHING "SPEC'D" OUT JUST LIKE THE OTHER NEW CARS ON THE LOT. I ASKED IF THE MORE EXPENSIVE VERSIONS OF THE 2008 LANCER HAD A ?BEEFED UP? SUSPENSION AND WAS TOLD; ? NO ALL 2008 LANCER?S HAD THE SAME SUSPENSION.? I HAVE SINCE LEARNED, FROM A REVIEW OF THE CAR ON AUTO MALL USA THAT THE GTS MODEL HAS ?FIRMER COIL SPRINGS, SHOCK ABSORBERS AND BUSHINGS AND LARGER STABILIZER BARS THAN THE DE AND ES MODELS.? I TOOK THE SERVICE MANAGER, NATHAN BOISVERT, FOR A TEST DRIVE AND BACKING OUT OF ANY NEARBY DRIVEWAY, EVEN AT 1 MILE PER HOUR THE CAR "BOTTOMED OUT" AS THE FRONT TIRES ROLLED OVER THE VERY SMALL GUTTER THAT IS COMMON IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN ARIZONA. HE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THE DEALER COULD DO OTHER THAN REPORT THIS TO MITSUBISHI SINCE THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY "TECH BULLETINS" ON THIS ISSUE. RATHER THAN ADMIT THIS WAS A DESIGN DEFECT HE TOLD ME THIS WAS A "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THE CAR. HE SUGGESTED I TURN THE WHEEL AND BACK OUT AT A 45% ANGLE SO ONLY ONE WHEEL AT A TIME WOULD GO OVER THE GUTTER AND THEREBY AVOID "BOTTOMING OUT." I CALLED MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AND OPENED A CASE [# 1-221800146]. THEY CALLED ME BACK A DAY LATER AND TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR AND THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING. IN THE MEANTIME I CHECKED WITH NATHAN AND HE TOOK ANOTHER NEW 2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER FROM THE LOT AND IT DOES THE SAME THING. ALL I WANTED WAS TO HAVE IT FIXED. FROM MY VIEWPOINT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE SUSPENSION IS NOT STIFF ENOUGH. I WOULD THINK THAT MITSUBISHI WOULD WANT TO GET IN FRONT OF THIS AND FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT BECOMES A MAJOR RECALL BUT APPARENTLY THEY HAVE THERE HEADS IN THE SAND. *JB