NHTSA Complaint #10515900 — 2009 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER

IN DEC 2012 THE TIRE SENSOR INDICATOR SHOWED ONE OF THE TIRES WAS IN NEED OF AIR. I WENT TO FILL IT AND THE VALVE BLEW OFF AND THE TIRE DEFLATED IMMEDIATELY. HAD TO PUT ON THE SPARE AND HAVE THE SENSOR AND VALVE REPLACED, $200. IN MAY 2013 AGAIN THE INDICATOR SHOWED A TIRE WAS LOW. I FILLED IT AND LATER THAT DAY I TURNED A CORNER AND FOUND IT WAS TOTALLY FLAT AND THE TIRE WAS RUINED. AGAIN PUT ON THE SPARE AND TOOK IT TO TIRE WAREHOUSE (ON A SUNDAY MY DEALER WAS NOT OPEN). THEY INFORMED ME THE PIECE OF THE SENSOR/VALVE WAS MISSING CAUSING IT TO GO FLAT VERY QUICKLY. I HAD TO PURCHASE 2 NEW TIRES SINCE THAT ONE WAS RUINED. THEY ALSO NOTICED THAT THE SAME PART THAT WAS MISSING FROM THE FLAT TIRE, IS ALSO MISSING ON THE OTHER FRONT TIRE CAUSING THAT TO LOOSE AIR ALSO . WE ALSO CHECKED THE REMAINING REAR TIRE AND THAT SAME PART WAS CRACKED AND CORRODED AND READY TO ALSO COME OFF AND CAUSE ANOTHER FLAT. I IN TURN HAD THEM REPLACE EACH SENSOR WITH A REGULAR VALVE. I CONTACTED MY DEALER AND THEY WERE TOLD BY MITSUBISHI THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE CAR AND MILEAGE THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THIS IN TURN WOULD COST ME APPROXIMATELY $600 FOR THE REMAINING 3 SENSORS TO BE REPLACED. OBVIOUSLY THE PART IS POOR QUALITY AND CORRODES EASILY. IT IS AN EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE PART TO REPLACE WITH NO ALTERNATIVES WHEN THE LIFE OF THE PART IS SO SHORT. THE CAR IS NOT EVEN 4 YEARS OLD. THE WAY THAT MITSUBISHI IS HANDLING THIS PROBLEM IS UNACCEPTABLE AND I WOULD NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN BECAUSE THEY DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR INFERIOR PARTS. *TR