Front Suspension Lower Control Arm Problems of Mitsubishi Eclipse

Consumer took vehcile to the dealership to be inspected, and mechanic determined that lower control arms were wearing out prematurely.

See all problems of the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse 🔎.

Front suspension lower control arms ball joint. Loud knocking sound evident on drivers side. Wheel base on drivers side is 1998" while passenger side is still at 1999" previous recall concerns did not state which lower control arm to be replaced. Dealer replaced the smaller straight arm and not the l-shaped one. The lower l-shaped arm ball joint controls the wheelbase when seperated could send the vehicle airborn by wheel to frame contact.

See all problems of the 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse 🔎.

On January 14 I took my car to punte hills Mitsubishi for a recall on the lower control arms. Since I was there I asked them to inspect my car for anything that needed to be replaced. At this point they recommended the timing and balancer belts, tensioners, left tie rod, and a broken air valve which I did at a cost of $736. 52. Upon receiving my car I heard a chirping noise coming from the engine which they told me was the timing belt was new and needed to be broken in, which I took their word for. Within the following month the chirping became louder and louder to the point I called and requested they look at it again. On the way to the dealer my car just stopped in the middle of the street almost causing an accident . After lifting the hood I noticed the timing belt cover split open on the top revealing the timing belt was not on properly. After towing my car to the dealer a quick inspection concluded that my crank pulley has "walked" into the timing belt cover burning a hole through it causing the disassembling of the timing unit and major damage to the heads, pistons, etc. . . I asked the mechanic why when I brought my car in just a little more than a month ago they didn't let me know my crank pulley had such significant wear. His response was that there is no way to tell a crank pulley is going bad. I did research of my own and found out this is happening to most eclilpse, all years and that there is a way to tell if the crank pulley is going bad by measuring the amount of movement side to side making sure it meet the manufacturer requirements. Obviously the crank pulley had very significant wear seeing that the pulley came apart. I did research on this matter and found out Mitsubishi knows these parts are defected but covers most of them under warranty so it brings down the numbers. I feel the repairs should be covered and would like to open and investigation on "crankpulley/shaft walking" hopefully leading to a recall. Thank you.

The contact owns a 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle spun out of control and crashed into the curb. The road conditions were foggy and damp. The mechanic was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. Approximately three years later, the vehicle jerked to the right and the left. The mechanic stated that the lower control arm and rod ends needed to be replaced. There is a recall for the lower ball joint (recall # 00v421001). The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage is 130,000 and failure mileage was 80,000.

Rattling/clacking when driving slowing on rough road. Found right front lower lateral arm has a lot of play and also inner and outer tire rod ends have a lot of play. The front lower lateral arm to suspension and everything dropped prior getting to dealership to inspect and fix it. More damages incurred for broken suspension, tie rods and lateral arm.

See all problems of the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse 🔎.