NHTSA Complaint #10690229 — 2007 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER

IN APRIL 2014 MITSUBISHI SENT OUT A SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-14-33-002 EXTENDING THE WARRANTY TO 9 YEARS/120,000 MILES ON OUR 2007 OUTLANDER AS THEY HAD "DETERMINED THAT THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS ON YOUR VEHICLE TO CORRODE FROM PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO ANTI-FREEZING AGENTS.....WHICH MAY CAUSE THE SPRING TO FRACTURE.". AT 151,281 MILES MY DAUGHTER WAS BACKING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY, HEARD A VERY LOUD "CRACK" OR "SNAP" IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR WHILE SHE TURNED TO DRIVE AWAY. WE DROVE IT TO A NEARBY GARAGE WHO DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS WERE INDEED FRACTURED. WE SPENT $1176.48 GETTING THE PARTS REPLACED. FORTUNATELY FOR US OUR DAUGHTER WAS NOT AT A HIGHWAY RATE OF SPEED OR WE ARE CERTAIN SHE COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND HURT. I HAVE CALLED MITSUBISHI FOR A REFUND, BUT SINCE THE MILEAGE WAS OVER THEIR "VOLUNTARY WARRANTY EXTENSION" THEY WILL NOT REIMBURSE ME. IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT MITSUBISHI HAS ACKNOWLEDGED A SAFETY ISSUE (POSSIBLY TO APPEASE NHTSA?) AND THEY ARE HIDING BEHIND A TECHNICALITY (SINCE I AM CIRCA 30,000 MILES PAST THE "EXTENDED WARRANTY") AND NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT - A PRODUCT WHICH THEY HAVE KNOWINGLY ACKNOWLEDGED A SAFETY DEFECT WITH THE COIL SPRINGS. MITSUBISHI SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REIMBURSE ME, AND ALSO TO RECALL THE AFFECTED VEHICLES AND REPLACE THE AFFECTED COMPONENTS AT THEIR COST AS THEY KNOW THEY HAVE VEHICLES RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD WITH BAD COIL SPRINGS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *JS