NHTSA Complaint #10368119 — 2006 MITSUBISHI GALANT

2006 MITSUBISHI GALANT BOTH KEYS USED TO START MY VEHICLE HAVE SHATTERED INTO SEVERAL PIECES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST KEY BROKE AROUND JULY 14 2007 AND THE SECOND KEY BREAKING MORE RECENT ON 25 NOVEMBER2010. WHEN THE KEYS BREAK THEY GO INTO SEVERAL SMALLER PIECES AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ALL THE PARTS AND PIECES CREATING A CHOKING HAZARD FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ANIMALS. IF NEEDED I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES. WHEN THIS SECOND KEY BROKE INTO 7 PIECES I WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE ALL PIECES. APPROXIMATELY 24-48 HOURS LATER I OBSERVED, BY WAY OF PASSING THE PLASTIC PIECE, THAT MY YOUNG PUPPY HAD LOCATED THE PIECE AND SWALLOWED THE PLASTIC. I FEAR THAT IF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MY CHILD THAT FOUND THE PIECE THAT I WOULD HAVE A LARGER PROBLEM TO TAKE CARE OF. I CONTACTED MITSUBISHI ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY STATED THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT STILL UNDER WARRANTY THAT THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME AND THAT I NEEDED TO PURCHASE A NEW KEY THAT WAS MADE OF BETTER MATERIAL. THE COST TO REPLACE ONE KEY IS $200. MITSUBISHI ADVISED THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, EVEN IF IT DID CAUSE A CHOKING HAZARD, SINCE MY VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT IF MY CHILD OR PUPPY CHOKED ON THE PIECE THAT I SHOULD HAVE WATCHED THEM BETTER THAN WHAT I DID. *TR