NHTSA Complaint #10508705 — 2012 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER

WHILE IN MOTION, AN ANCHORING SCREW HOLD THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR TO THE ROOF PANEL FELL OUT INTO MY LAP. AS THE PASSENGER AT THE TIE, I CHECKED THE VISOR, NOTICING THE SCREW FELL FROM ABOVE AND NOTICED THE SECOND OF THE TWO ANCHORING SCREWS WAS NEAR FALLING OUT, ALSO. PREVIOUSLY, A SIMILAR SCREW HAD BEEN FOUND ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR AREA, BUT THE LOCATION IT CAME FROM WAS NOT APPARENT AS THE VISOR MOUNT FROM WHICH IT FELL WAS HIDDEN BY THE POSITION OF THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR. CHECKING THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR, I NOTICED THE SECOND AND LAST ANCHOR SCREW WAS ALSO VERY LOOSE AND MOSTLY OUT OF THE TIGHTENING POSITION IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN. I ENVISION THAT IN A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE AN AVERAGE DRIVER DID NOT NOTICE THE ANCHOR SCREWS WERE LOOSE FROM THE VISOR MOUNT OVERHEAD, THE VISOR COULD FALL ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL OF THE VEHICLE POSSIBLY CAUSING INABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE OR SURPRISING THE DRIVE ENOUGH TO CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THE TORQUE ON THE SCREWS WAS INCORRECT TO KEEP THEM SECURED, OR THE THREAD OF THE SCREW IS NOT CORRECT TO HOLD THEM TIGHT INTO THE VISOR MOUNTS, ALLOWING VIBRATIONS DURING NORMAL DRIVING USE TO ALLOW THE SCREWS TO BECOME LOOSE AND EVENTUALLY FALL OUT OF THE VISOR MOUNT BRACKET ALTOGETHER. I RESEATED THE SCREWS USING A SILICONE BASED GASKET SEALER TO PREVENT THE SCREWS FROM VIBRATING OUT OF THE BRACKET MOUNTS. HOWEVER, I CAN ENVISION THE SITUATION TO BE ONE THAT COULD CONTRIBUTE TO A CRASH. *TR