Wheel Rim problems of the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse

Third time wheels have failed causing rapid deflation of tire and subsequent control of the car. Tire sustains no damage, but lip on rim gets bent back releasing air. Rims are too soft, or the car needs a higher profile rim and tire. Damage always occurs on front wheels due to extra weight of engine, etc. On front end. At age 62, I've owned a number of cars with alloy wheels and caught a pothole or two, but never had a wheel failure.

I just purchased a 2002 Eclipse from a small dealer. Before I had purchased the car, they put 2 brand new tires on the front. The night I picked up the car, I had to travel on a few highways to get home. As I was getting back on the highway, I traveled over a rough spot in the road, but I only felt the left side going over it. A little while went by and as I was driving on the highway, I noticed that the steering wheel was pulling to one side. I knew something wasn't right because I specifically remembered how straight the steering was when I picked up the car 25 min earlier. The wheel started vibrating and I slowed up, and looked for a service area , when I pulled off I looked at the drivers side tire and saw it was flat. . . . Then I went to check the other front and it was flat too!!!these were definitely brand new. I could understand the left tire going flat because I went down in the dip, but not the passenger side. . How could 2 brand new tires go flat at the same time?? I didn't know what to do so I called 911, a police man came out and he had a tow truck come out and fill up the tires. I then followed him to their garage. The tires held the air, but I was not convinced they would hold. So the dealer towed the car back to their shop the next morning and thoroughly checked it over. They drove 50 miles on the highway. The tires were fine. . . They didn't know what caused the flat tires. And still don't! so after reading the other Mitsubishi reports with similar incidents and even blowouts I'm convinced that this car has defective rims and that they must bend causing them to deflate the tires. To prevent this from happening again, I am purchasing after market rims to be sure I am safe! the rims are stock rims made by Mitsubishi! doesn't Mitsubishi care about safety??? someone needs to research these reports, recall these rims or replace them before someone gets killed!!!!.

Front drivers side aluminuim alloy rim cracked.

Under normal driving conditions, I hit a small pothole while changing lanes while heading to the Mitsubishi dealership (where I used to work) and lost control of my 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt. Upon changing my tire, my rim was bent so severely that I had a hard time getting the lug nuts off of the vehicle. Over 2 inches the rim dented in. Now, 2 weeks later, I noticed a problem in the front left end, that rim is dented severly in two places, not just one. I am going to have to replace that rim as well. To top everthing off, I also had to replace my tire because the first time I blew out the sidewall. This is over $1,000 in just wheel and tire damage. Also, during employment at the Mitsubishi dealership, I reported defect's with my wheels and it was not brought to the attention of the district service manager, bob desimone. I requested that they be replaced due to peeling paint and small rust marks on all 4 rims. I will be filing a report with Mitsubishi motors of north America today. I am 28 and have bought 3 new Mitsubishi's. At this point, never again.

While driving 30 mph, the vehicle jerked and vibrated uncontrollably. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the rear right and front right rims needed to be replaced. The front right rim was cracked and bent and the rear right was bent. Please provide further details.

I own a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse spyder gt. I was in a relatively minor car accident. About 2 months ofter the accident and repairs had been made, one of my tires could not hold tire pressure. I had the tires replaced on the vehicle. The same tire continued to go flat. I inspected the factory 17" alloy rim and I found a crack in the rim. I inspected the other rims as well and noticed similar smaller cracks forming. I do not now if the cracks are due to the accident or due to faulty workmanship. A well made rim would not have cracked due to a relativley minor impact. Accident report on file hamilton twp police. Accident not caused due to failure of the rim.

During cold weather the rims are causing the front/rear tires to lose air. Investigation ea02a007. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

My car started shaking at speeds of 15 to 20 mph and pulling hard to the right. When I took the car into the dealership they informed me that I must have "hit something at a fast speed because my rim was severly bent. Then they proceeded to tell me there were several other problems wrong. The car was almost at 48,000 miles. I paid out of pocket, simply taking their word for it. Then I kept losing air out of another tire on the opposite side. At this time I figured it was the tire that I purchased a few months earlier. I had the tech. Take a look at it and he showed me that there were several cracks in the rim which were allowing the air in the tire to leak. Once again I bought the car to the dealership where I had to spend another $230 to get a new rim. I have had several cars in my life and never once had to replace one rim let alone 2 and in a period of 2 months. I think someone needs to look into this. This is not only expensive but extremely dangerous. I think that the manufacturer should have a recall on these rims and refund the customers that had to pay out of pocket.

Hit a small pot hole in may of 2003, rim dented immediately. I was traveling about 48 mph when I hit it. Hit a small indenture in the road in may of 2004 and it bent another rim. Traveling at about 32 mph. Rims are too soft!!! had both rims replaced-- out of my own pocket.

While driving the driver heard a loud noise coming from the rear. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. Consumer noticed that the passenger rear rim was bent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed consumer that the rim was cracked ,and needed to be replaced.

When driving over an imperfection in the road (about 1 1/2 inches in depth) the right rim bent.

While driving 30 mph consumer drove into a pot hole which caused all four rims to bend. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to resolve the problem. When the rims bent the tires deflated.

Repeated rim damage that results in flat tires due the inferior rims on the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse I have asked Mitsubishi about the rims and they say there is not a problem. I have seen read of a class action suit specifically as a result of problems with the rims.

Cracked rim.

Front passenger side rim cracked. Consumer was concerned that the wheel would come off while driving.

Drove over pothole in road. This dented and created crack in rim, which led to a slow leak from wheel. Need a new wheel rim for replacement. A rim should not crack this easily. A certain amount of durability should be expected from parts of the car and this is plainly not acceptable.

Wheel rims on 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt have bent on two occasions and had to replace them. The rims bent under normal driving conditions.

I almost lost control of the car when the rim bent and expelled all air out of the tire, but at 35 mph I was able to maintain control, this can be a serious hazard, and if injury or even death occurs to any one, lawsuits will most likely be in order. ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis*761599.

While driving on normal condition at city speed front right tire blewout. Six months previous to this incident, dealership indicated to the consumer the rim was bent but would not cause the tire to blowout. Subsequently, on two different occasions two more rims bent. Each rim will cost $300. 00 at consumer's expense. The dealer refused to replace any of the rims at their expense.

Rims bent at speed of 50 mph causing loss of control. **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**770826.

Eclipse gt, left rear tire blewout from rim and rim bent. Consumer feels that these rims should not bend from a blowout.

On 2 separate occasions the front passenger side rim bent, causing the tire to lose air and deflate rapidly. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle ,and coasted it to a complete stop. The rim metal was flimsy and bend very easily. A stronger metal was needed. Both rims were pounded out using homemade tool. Consumer did not replace rims because Mitsubishi has not changed to a harder material.

Since purchasing this vehicle in September of 2001, I have replaed 7 rims. The first time I had a problem with one of my rims, I thought nothing of it. The manufacturer informed me that the rim was not covered under warranty. The cost of replacing the rim was a little over $200. 00. When this happened 2 more times, I had different feelings about it. Prior to this, I have never had to replace a rim in my life. One time, when I brought the car back to the manufacturer, the service shop told me that there was a girl who just came into the shop who blew out 2 rims on her vehicle. It is apparent that this is a manufacturer's efect. This is not only expensive, but it is also dangerous. I have reached out to Mitsubishi several times about this with very little success.

While driving the consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the front passenger rim was cracked and needed to be replaced. Please provide further details.

Vehicle ran over a wooden block resulting in passenger front tire ripping and cracking rim.