NHTSA Complaint #561245 — 1995 MITSUBISHI MONTERO

WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER HEARD A STRANGE KNOCKING NOISE FROM ENGINE, THE NOISE CONTINUED FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A VERY LOUD EXPLOSIVE NOISE ERUPTED FROM THE ENGINE AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER ENSUED, THIS WAS THEN FOLLOWED BY A VIOLENT SHAKING AND STEAM COMING FROM THE VEHICLE, CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ON THE FREEWAY, VEHICLE WAS TOWED IN TO BE INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE CONNECTING ROD BROKE AND IT PUNCTURED A HOLE THROUGH THE BLOCK, NO ONE COULD REALLY EXPLAIN TO THE CONSUMER WHAT CAUSED THIS BUT WAS TOLD MAYBE IT WAS DUE TO LACK OF OIL IN WHICH CONSUMER TOTALLY DISAGREED, CONSUMER STATES NONE OF THE PANELS LIGHTS CAME ON TO ALERT HER OF ANY POSSIBILE PROBLEMS, HOWEVER CONSUMER DID PAY FOR THE NECESSARY REPAIRS BUT WONDERS IF THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW IN A VEHICLE THAT IS BARELY FIVE YEARS OLD. *JB