dcdirtrider

So after flying to AZ to pick up my dream car, 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX MR SE (its a mouthful, I know), I received the letter about the airbag recall by Takata. From the way the message in the letter was written, it seemed pretty urgent and I immediately called this dealer to have the work done. Like an idiot, I did not research any of the issues other people have had with their local Mitsubishi dealers.

Long story short, they did the recall work, but did quite some DAMAGE to the interior in the process. The first time I picked the car up (some videos and pictures of the damage are listed alongside):

1) The lights behind the speedometer were not working properly (repaired but still malfunctioning)





2) The HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) controls did not function (still broken)



3) There is a rattle coming from underneath the passenger-side dash board (this is where the actual recalled airbag unit is located). This may not matter to most people, but I am VERY OCD about these things, and the vibration had definitely not been there before the service. (still unresolved)



4) And to be expected, there were parts of the dash where the techs had scratched/gouged in the process of removing the dash. (still unresolved)






5) The defrost vent was not installed properly, and is no longer sitting flush with the dash (somewheat repaired)






6) I found two bolts laying on the seat, maybe they were just parts that were replaced and just accidentally left in the car (Should I assume this was repaired?)

After a few trips to the dealer, a few phone calls, and definitely a bit of frustration from both me and the dealer's service department, problem #1 had been mostly fixed, #2 along with #5 had been repaired, and I am hopefully assuming that #6 had been resolved. I had also called Mitsubishi North America (the corporate side), but since the dealerships are privately owned, they claimed absolutely no liability.

As for the rattle under the dash and the damaged dash panel, those are still unresolved. When talking to one of the customer service reps at the dealership, though he was VERY nice, would not take the time to actually resolve the rattle. He stated that the amount of owners that the car has had and some of body damage to the car (faulty repair work done by previous owners to the quarter panel, on the opposite side of the rattle/vibration in the dash), and basically stated the car's history was to blame. The typical dealer "brush-off" technique to avoid any further constructive resolve.

I understand the dealer's hesitation to actually put more time into fixing the remaining issues, but they were a result of the recall work done on the car by the dealer, and were in no way caused by myself or anybody else besides the dealer. With that said, I would suggest that anyone that appreciates their car as much as I do should either document the condition of their car with a combination of videos an pictures before taking the car in for the recall work, or just disconnect the airbag and take some somebody else's car when there are going to be more than one person in the vehicle.

The sad thing with all this is that you CANNOT order the part yourself and install it, so you are basically stuck with taking the car in to a dealer.

infam0usndn2nv

iTrader: (2)

This is why i havnt taken my car in yet....it sucks thats they dont give 2 ****s about peoples car...sorry this happnd to u too bro....i went to my local dealer and they r willing to give me the airbag for me to install it...so i will be doing just that

sujinX

iTrader: (22)

yup, dont really plan on doing the recall.

e_kobz

iTrader: (36)

Definitely skipping this recall

hearnoevo

iTrader: (12)

How did you fix number 1? Mine looks exactly the same way. So it wasn't just a burnt out bulb?

llDemonll

iTrader: (21)

<p>Anyone skipping this recall is an idiot if you're &quot;leaving it as-is&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>AT THE VERY LEAST you should be disabling the passenger airbag.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>#1 is a dead bulb. &nbsp;Pull cluster, replace bulb, easy fix</p>

dcdirtrider

It was a burnt bulb, and they fixed it the second time in. I wouldn't have been so frustrated about the speedo lights if there weren't 5 other problems created by the dealer. I just cannot believe how much f*cking up the dealer can do to a car in one hour, their service department must literally be using steel mallets to install the airbag...

The frightening thing about them fixing the speedo lights, while they fixed the lights in the speedo, they also didn't connect the lights behind the odometer screen. This might be a harsh thing to say about this dealership, but I could have taken my car to a preschool and received better service and workmanship!

If anyone is planning to do any business with the Fort Collins Mitsubishi, just don't. It should make people feel sick by the fact that dealers can do this kind of damage, and just brush it off on somebody/something else.

rongdoer

iTrader: (1)

I dont know why but Ive never experienced a less professional car company. This will be my last mitsubishi. Its been one offense after another with them.

barneyb

The dash panel bulbs are always on. However, they can bounce around in a car sprung stiffer than a grain truck and they are okay. But remove the instrument console and they are toast. This is a normal occurrence any time the dash is apart. I notice I have spare bulbs in my toolbox.

egis

Demon is right . Don't take your car to the dealer but disable the air bag and do it your self when you get a chance.

llDemonll

iTrader: (21)

<p>I'm not advocating either of those. &nbsp;Just take the dash off and trailer the car to the dealership if you don't want them touching things. &nbsp;It's a recall for an airbag, why would you ever not want an airbag in the car for a passenger? There are very few reasons why you should not take care of this issue.</p>

evo8426

iTrader: (27)

I'm not going to have mine done, I never have passengers. I drive it to and from work by myself when it leaves the garage. I don't ride in my friends Evos any longer because the airbag issue.

Capt Leung

iTrader: (3)

Jeez I'm dreading taking mine in after reading all the horror stories on here. Most likely going to try and remove as many things as I can before bringing it like one of you said.

dcdirtrider

Well I ended up selling the car and picking up an 03. The Fort Collins, CO dealership was and probably will end up being the worst experience I have had before. I contacted the BBB to see if they could provide any assistance, and no such luck. The dealer got away with blaming the car's history, and knew I did not have the resources at the time to pursue litigation.


I know it is unsafe to ignore this recall, but you are better of just disconnecting the bags and reframe from using the car to carry passengers. Best of luck to you all, and hope you can find a trustworthy dealership to repair your vehicle!

Rossi_24

i took mine to get done a few weeks ago and luckily everything came out well, aside from a little scuff on the dash that I can fix everything works and no rattles or irregular sounds. sorry to hear about your horror story , but hey your in another one now so all good