NHTSA Complaint #10397085 — 2006 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE

TODAY, APRIL 21, 2011, I PUT MY KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AND MY KEY BROKE. THE METAL PART OF THE KEY HAD BROKEN OUT OF THE PLASTIC END. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. UPON INSPECTING BOTH SETS OF KEYS, I NOTICED THAT BOTH KEYS HAVE A CRACK IN THE PLASTIC STARTING FROM THE POSTERIOR LEFT CORNER BASE OF THE METAL END EXTENDING MID WAY INTO THE POSTERIOR PLASTIC PART. BOTH KEYS HAVE THE EXACT TYPE OF CRACK LOCATED IN THE SAME AREA CONSISTING OF THE SAME WIDTH AND PATTERN. NATURALLY, THE CRACK IN THE BROKEN KEY IS ALITTLE LONGER THEN THE OTHER KEY. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW CONSIDERING THAT BOTH KEYS CONSIST OF THE SAME TYPE OF CRACKS. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE KEYS AND I ALSO STILL HAVE THE DEFECTIVE KEY PARTS IN MY POSSESSION. I WENT TO A MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP IN SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA LATER THIS EVENING TO REPAIR ONE OF THE KEYS. *TR