NHTSA Complaint #10370304 — 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION

MY 2006 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION 9 STARTED TO MAKE ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISES AUDIBLE WITHIN THE CAB. THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY AND IS MORE THAN WELL KEPT... THE NOISE COMES FROM WITHIN THE TIMING BELT COVER AND SOUNDS MUCH LIKE A WASHING MACHINE. THIS NOISE IS ALSO WELL DOCUMENTED AMONG EVO 9 OWNERS. HERE IS A LINK TO THE THREAD. HTTP://FORUMS.EVOLUTIONM.NET/EVO-ENGINE-TURBO-DRIVETRAIN/262773-IX-ENGINE-IDLE-NOISE-BELT-VIDEO.HTML IT APPEARS THAT THE TIMING WHEEL RUBS ON THE TIMING BELT AND CAUSES THIS NOISE. THE CURRENT FIX IS TO REPLACE YOUR TIMING BELT, CRANKSHAFT BLADE(TIMING WHEEL), AND TIMING BELT TENSIONER REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR TIMING BELT SERVICE INTERVALS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OWNER. IF THE TIMING BELT WERE TO FAIL FROM HEAT GENERATED DUE TO FRICTION (RUBBING) THE ENGINE WOULD BE DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR (INTERFERENCE ENGINE) NOT TO MENTION THE VEHICLE WOULD BE STRANDED... AND THE FAILURE MODE HAS A VERY HIGH CHANGE OF CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. A SIMPLE FMEA WOULD SHOW THIS TO BE A GLARING ISSUE. TO SPEAK TO HOW OFTEN THIS OCCURS...THE SOUND IS PRESENT ANY TIME THE ENGINE IS IDLING, HOWEVER BELT FAILURE FROM THIS ISSUE COULD HAPPEN AT ANY SPEED DURING ANY DRIVING CONDITIONS/MANEUVERS. THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP IS ANYTHING BUT HELPFUL, AND MITSUBISHI HAS NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING WITH SOLUTIONS OR FIXES. *TR