NHTSA Complaint #10291287 — 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION

I FIRST NOTICED THAT MY 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION RS STARTED TO MAKE A GRINDING/SCRAPPING NOISE THAT SEEMED TO BE GENERATING FROM THE TIMING BELT AREA. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 18,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT SEEMED TO BE A NOISE THAT WAS PRESENT AT IDLE AND UPON COLD START UPS. I STARTED TO RESEARCH THIS ON VARIOUS FORUMS AND INTERNET, ONLY TO FIND THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH A CLEAR SOLUTION. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW DEALERSHIPS WHO HAVE SEEMED TO HAVE RESOLVED THIS ISSUE BUT EACH FIX SEEMED TO VARY WITHIN THE TIMING BELT AREA. THE TIMING BELT, SENSOR BLADE, TENSIONER, TENSIONER PULLEYS, ETC. HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE THIS ISSUE. I DROVE MY CAR 3.5 HRS TO AN OUTSTANDING MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP WHICH COULD NOT DIAGNOSIS MY PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THAT THE DRIVE MADE WHATEVER IT WAS GO AWAY FOR THE MOMENT. THIS SCARES ME! THIS CAR IS MY DAILY DRIVER AND ABOUT 90% OF THE TIMES MY KIDS ARE IN THIS CAR WITH ME. IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE IF MY ENGINE BREAKS DOWN ON ME WHILE DRIVING AROUND WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR. THIS CAN BE A DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I URGE MITSUBISHI TO STRONGLY CONSIDER A RECALL FOR THIS. WITH SUCH AN AMAZING CAR I WOULD HOPE MITSUBISHI WOULD STANDBY IT AND DO THE RIGHT THING! *TR