NHTSA Complaint #10908240 — 2012 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE

EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS RELATED TO HEADLIGHT OUTAGE, CAUSING FAILURE OF BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS, DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND HI-BEAM LIGHTS. BEGAN WITH SPONTANEOUS YET INFREQUENT HESISTATION-BLINKING ON/OFF OF DRIVER-SIDE HEADLAMP WHEN NIGHTTIME LIGHTS FIRST USED IN THE EVENING, ESPECIALLY WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THIS EVENTUALLY LEAD INCREASED TO TOTAL OUTAGE OF FRONT HEADLIGHTS, RUNNING LIGHTS AND HI-BEAMS WHICH LED TO UNSAFE NIGHTTIME DRIVING. CAR WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR, WHERE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THAT THIS SAME ISSUE IS A KNOWN RECALL ON OTHER MITSUBISHI MODELS, BUT NOT ON THE ECLIPSE. THAT SAID, MY 2012 MODEL IS THE FINAL MODEL YEAR FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE OFFERED FROM MITSUBISHI. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 90K MILES, AND YET THIS ELECTRICAL FAILURE ISSUE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THEIR 100K WARRANTY. --- I NOW HAVE TO PAY NEARLY $1300 TO REPLACE BOTH MAIN HEADLIGHT LAMPS AND BOTH ELECTRICAL CONTROL UNITS, ALONG WITH WIRING BETWEEN. ----- THE VERBIAGE FROM THE RECALL OF THE OTHER MITSUBISHI MODELS: ""THE AFFECTED VEHICLES HAVE AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT THAT CONTROLS THE HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS," SAID NHTSA IN ITS RECALL SUMMARY. "DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ERROR, THE VOLTAGE INSIDE THIS ECU MAY BE UNSTABLE. UNSTABLE VOLTAGE COULD RESULT IN INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS AND WIPERS. IF THE HEADLIGHTS AND/OR WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL, THE DRIVER COULD HAVE REDUCED VISIBILITY. IF THE TAILLIGHTS FAIL, THE VEHICLE COULD BE LESS VISIBLE. EITHER CONDITION INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH." (FROM HTTP://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/CAR-NEWS/2010-MITSUBISHI-LANCER-EVOLUTION-AMONG-VEHICLES-RECALLED-FOR-LIGHTING-WIPER-PROBLEM.HTML)