Mitsubishi Galant overheating problems

Filed Apr 14, 2008 · Engine · 65,000 miles · CA · fire

My car had an overheating problem last december 12/2007. Therefore I took it to a mechanic to get it fixed. They said they replaced the radiator, fan control, and upper and lower radiator hoses- (I have the receipt for that). A week later when I was driving, the car started to catch fire. The fire was coming from the front. The whole car up to the back seats were all damaged because of the fire, only the luggage was ok. So my insurance company conducted an investigation to see the cause of the fire and their report was that it was the mechanics fault. (I have the investigation report with me). However, the mechanic shop wanted to conduct their own investigation as well. So their conclusion was that this mitubishi galant 2001 model license plate numbewas recalled for this particular problem. But I never got any letter from mitsubishi up till today about this. So please let me know if this car was recalled for this particular problem or whether this was the mechanics fault. If you need any additional information please call me or email me. Make: mitsubishi model: galant year: 2001

Filed Jul 7, 2007 · Engine, Fuel system · 83,072 miles · WY

I purchased my vehicle used from a dealership here locally, and have had problems with it ever since I bought it in late may of 2007, my brakes have started to squeak, I overheated due to either a faulty water pump and/or thermostat, and I have noticed that the steering pulled slightly to the right, and I put new tires on it and it was aligned before purchased. The dealership I bought it from may only be able to run a diagnostics on it, and might not have the tools to fix it. The nearest mitsubishi dealership is 180 miles away. Warranty covers water pump and a rental of up to $35 a day, but in order to get a rental, I have to get a diagnostics done to make sure it is a covered component under my warrany I won't be able to get a diagnostics ran for at least several days, leaving me without a vehicle. Dealership refused to loan a car off of the lot.

Filed Jan 30, 2007 · Lights · 69,000 miles · NY

2000 gallant headlight wires overheat causing to burn out wire. Possible fire hazard (did not happen to us), however headlight wires overheated on both headlights causes them to fuse and stop working.

Filed Jun 14, 2006 · Brakes · 60,000 miles · CT

I continue to battle premature failure of the front brake rotors. The car is typically used with one occupant and no or very little (20lbs or less) cargo. In the approximately 20,000 miles I have owned the car, this issue has been repaired 3 times and has now failed the 4th time. It would have been repaired more times if I could afford it. More than 10,000 of these 20,000 miles have been driven with the brakes squealing or chattering. Eventually the braking power fades and the steering wheel shakes too much to hold onto. While the car was under warranty, the dealer refused to do any repair covered by the warranty. The dealer would not inspect or repair the calipers in spite of the fact that the type of squealing indicated poor contact of the pads with the rotors due to sticking calipers and the fact that heat warpage of the rotors indicates sticking calipers. Calipers were covered under the warranty. Instead, the dealer claimed that I needed to bring the car in for rear brake adjustment at the same interval as an oil change; however, research tells me that this car has auto adjusting rear brakes! This time I took it on myself to service the front brakes as I couldn't afford to have them serviced, my wife and I were afraid to drive the car because the shaking during braking was so bad, and sears told us that rotors had worn too thin to resurface. At the time I did this service, I found the slide pins of the calipers to be badly worn. This type of failure will cause calipers to stick, prematurely wear brake pads and rotors, overheat rotors and pads causing warpage of the rotors and reduced braking power, and reduce braking power by causing the caliper to catch rather than slide on the slide pin and thereby prevent proper pressure on the brake pads. This is a failure of the caliper, which should have been easy to detect and covered under warranty, which specifically covers calipers.

Filed Dec 23, 2005 · Transmission · 117,679 miles · TX

In december 2005 the car started experiencing problems with a drop in power between 10 and 20 miles per hour. The dealer diagnosed is as shift surge and said the transmission had a leak, resulting in low fluid that overheated the transmission and caused internal damage. The surge occurred on and off for just a week. Now they say we have to replace the transmission and quote of $2,000 plus for a rebuilt transmission. They stated that if we had taken the car to them the first sign of shifting, they might have been able to fix it. A recall was issued for this car for transmission fluid leaks. I had taken this car to the same dealer in october no one mentioned any recalls. It is difficult to understand how a transmission needs to be replaced within four years. How can I determine if the previous owner actually had the work done that was necessary per the recall? If it had not been done, what liability does the dealer regarding this? The dealer said nothing about this. I noticed that there was a service bulletin issued in 2004 for shift surge. This is exactly the result of this internal damage. If the dealership received this in 2004, what is their obligation to make sure the cars have been appropriately served per the bulletin? May I see the service bulletin for this particular issue? Thank you.

Filed Nov 21, 2005 · Brakes · 35,200 miles · GA · crash

I purchased my car on august 10. 2005, at approximately 32,000 miles. On november 8, 2005 I was driving on I-285. I went to apply my brakes, but my car failed to stop, and skidded for up to a minute. On november 11, 2005, I had my car serviced at the mitsubishi dealership. It was stated that my back brakes, were not working and needed adjusting, causing the front brakes to have to do all the work. This is turn caused the front rotors to overheat and become warped. The dealership turned the front rotors, and adjusted the back. One week later on november 18, 2005, I was driving on donald lee hollowell parkway, when a driver in front of me slammed on her brakes. I in turn put on mine but the car did not stop and skidded into the back of her car, causing an accident.

Filed Aug 12, 2005 · Electrical · 64,895 miles · MI · fire · 1 injury

Dt: on 7-11-05 the vehicle caught on fire. Driver and passenger drove on and off all day. The front passenger door burst into flames. The doors automatically locked, and the windows rolled up and down on their own. Doors would not open. The driver was able to kick the door open. Both passengers exited through the driver's side. After exiting the vehicle the passenger got a gallon of water to put the fire out. When she poured water onto the passenger's door the fire went out, but there was still smoke coming from the door. The fire was coming from the front passenger's side area and smoke was coming from the heating vents. Prior to the fire, the vehicle overheated with the heater off. On the day of the incident when she got a cd out of the stereo it was too hot to hold. After the incident the cd in the stereo was wet. The driver was not injured. The passenger had to be hospitalized, and was under treatment for depression and anxiety. There was a court petition to have her hospitalized in the forensic ward. Police transported her to another hospital and had security guards escort her. The passenger sustained second degree burns on her leg. She contacted mitsubishi and the insurance agency. *ak

Filed Apr 20, 2004 · Engine · FL

While driving at any speed vehicle overheated, dealership urged consumer to call the federal safety agency to report the problem.

Filed Aug 7, 2001 · Engine, Suspension · NH

Thermostat stuck causing engine overheating. Also, AC runs cold and then warm in city driving. On the highway it is cold. A severe vibration occurs in city driving with the air conditioner on also. I have to turn the air off to make it quit. I contacted the dealer about both of these problems and because it is not under 36k miles they will not do anything else about it.

Filed Jun 29, 2001 · Engine, Transmission · TX

Vehicle overheated and there was black smoke coming from underneath. Also, transmission fluid was leaking.