2012 Mitsubishi LANCER EVOLUTION: complaints, problems and recalls

2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION. LOUD GRINDING NOISES COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION WITHIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES. CARS UNDER 8 THOUSAND MILES HAVING TO REPLACE CLUTCHES AND TRANSMISSIONS. GEARS POPPING INTO NEUTRAL. DEALERSHIP ACCEPTED WARRANTY AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE CAR. CAR WAS RETURNED A 2ND TIME TO BE LOOKED AT AGAIN. *TR

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WHILE DRIVING I HAD ALL 3 ACD LIGHTS COME ON. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATING AND A TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD MY ACD PUMP WAS BAD AND I WOULD NEED A NEW ONE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THESE CARS THAT STILL HASN'T BEEN FIXED WITH THE NEWER MODELS. I WAS QUOTED 2400 DOLLARS JUST FOR THE PUMP, NOT INCLUDING LABOR, AND THAT DOESN'T GUARANTEE THAT IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

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MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION 9 RS MODEL ACD PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. *TR

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MITSUBISHI MOTORS OF AMERICA HAS A AWD ECU SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR VEHICLES SPECIFICALLY DRIVEN IN COLD CONDITIONS. DEALERSHIPS AND MITSUBISHI CORPORATE HAVE DENIED MY CLAIM TO OBTAIN THIS SOFTWARE BECAUSE MY CAR WAS SOLD IN CALIFORNIA AND THEY HAVE SAID IT IS NOT ELIGIBLE. I TAKE MY VEHICLE EVERY YEAR UP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAIN RANGE WHERE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS ARE SIMILAR TO ANY OF THE NORTHERN STATES WITHIN THE SERVICE BULLETIN. THE MITSUBISHI SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER IS SC-09-002 ALSO AVAILABLE HERE ON GOOGLE DOCS TO READ ( HTTP://DOCS.GO…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION. WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC STOP, THE CONTACT MOVED THE CLUTCH IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE CLUTCH WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.

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ACD PUMP FAILED AND DEALERSHIP WOULDN'T COVER IT CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY!! *TR

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THE CAR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SHIFT. FROM STOP TO ABOUT 40 MPH, THE SHIFTING FEELS LIKE DOESN'T WANT TO GO INTO GEAR. I WAS TOLD THIS IS NORMAL. THE CAR SEEMS TO SHIFT A LOT BETTER AT HIGHER RPMS; PROBABLY DUE TO LESS OF A SYNCHRONIZATION PROBLEM. MISS SHIFTS CAUSE DELAY IN ACCELERATION. *TR

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THE AYC PUMP FAILED. *TR

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ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2014, I PURCHASED A 2014 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION GSR. ON OCTOBER 17, 2014, WITH A LITTLE OVER 2700 MILES THE SERVICE/MAINTENANCE LIGHT COMES ON AND I DROVE THE CAR TO MITSUBISHI TO HAVE THEM CHECK THE CAR OUT. ON OCTOBER 21, 2014, I RETURNED TO DEALER AND THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY WAS DRIVEN INSIDE AND PLACED ON A LIFT TO BE INSPECTED. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT IT WOULD BE A LONGER WAIT THEN EXPECTED DUE TO MITSUBISHI'S HEAD OFFICE BEING LOCATED IN CALIFORNIA, AND TIME ZONE DIFFERENCE. I WAS NOT GIVEN A LOANER C…

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ALL WHEEL DRIVE NOT WORKING. FAILED WHILE DRIVING IN THE SNOW, SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS. THE AWD CENTER DIFF PUMP IS MOUNTED BEHIND THE REAR TIRE WHERE DEBRIS IS CONTINUALLY PRESENT. REPLACING THE PUMP IS NOT A PERMANENT FIX. *TR

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THE CLUTCH WORE OUT PREMATURELY WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 45-55 MPH. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP, WHO INDICATED THAT THE CLUTCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLE. *AK

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I OWN A 2005 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION LANCER THAT HAS 9,661 MILES ON IT AND THE CLUTCH IS ALREADY NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. MITSUBISHI ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM THAT DATES BACK TO THE 2003 LANCER, BUT YET THEY STILL REFUSE TO CONFRONT THE ISSUE AND TAKE CARE OF IT. *NM

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MITSUBISHI MOTORS OF AMERICA HAS A AWD ECU SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR VEHICLES SPECIFICALLY DRIVEN IN COLD CONDITIONS. DEALERSHIPS AND MITSUBISHI CORPORATE HAVE DENIED MY CLAIM TO OBTAIN THIS SOFTWARE BECAUSE MY CAR WAS SOLD IN CALIFORNIA AND THEY HAVE SAID IT IS NOT ELIGIBLE. I TAKE MY VEHICLE EVERY YEAR UP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAIN RANGE WHERE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS ARE SIMILAR TO ANY OF THE NORTHERN STATES WITHIN THE SERVICE BULLETIN. THE MITSUBISHI SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER IS SC-09-002 ALSO AVAILABLE HERE ON GOOGLE DOCS TO READ ( HTTP://DOCS.GO…

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DROVE OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND WITHIN 5 SECONDS ABS MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS STABILITY CONTROL. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR ABS SENSOR WAS FAULTY DUE TO THE SENSOR NOT BEING SEALED CORRECTLY BY THE MANUFACTURER WHICH LED TO CORROSION AND THE SENSOR FAILING. MITSUBISHI WOULD NOT WARRANTY THIS ITEM EVEN THOUGH ITS KNOWN TO BE FAULTY, MITSUBISHI EVEN HAS A NEW PART NUMBER FOR THE SENSOR. THIS SHOULD OBVIOUSLY BE A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

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THE AYC PUMP FAILED AS NOTED BY A TROUBLE CODE. THE AYC PUMP DIRECTLY CORRELATES WITH THE STEERING AND STABILITY CONTROL FOR THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. *TR

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2012 EVO X GSR - FROM JBA MITSUBISHI (GLEN BURNIE, MD). AT 31,651 MILES - I WAS IN A FAST-FOOD DRIVE THRU LINE ORDERING BREAKFAST. THAT IS, 0MPH. ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEAR A CHIME AND SEE MY INSTRUMENT PANEL FLASH. MY DRIVING-MODE/STATUS LIGHT (WHICH SHOWS TARMAC/SNOW/GRAVEL) HAD TURNED OFF. ANOTHER LIGHT ILLUMINATED, SAYING '4WD SERVICE REQUIRED'. MY EVO IS 100% BONE STOCK, NO MODS/TUNE. I CALL AROUND AND DO SOME RESEARCH. I CHECK MY FLUIDS, TIRES (ALL 4, BRAND NEW, PROPERLY BALANCED), ETC. A LITTLE WHILE LATER, I DISCOVER THAT IT …

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MOTOR HAS BLOWN TWICE 5 DAYS AFTER INTIAL BUY OF VEHICLE THEN AGAIN 6000 MILES LATER, MANUFACTER SAYS CUSTOMER NEGLECT, HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. *AK

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I 1ST STARTED HEARING A METAL SCRAPING NOISE COMING FROM THE DRIVE BELT AREA AROUND 20,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER OF MY 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION IX MR. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE, I FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON/FREQUENT PROBLEM REPORTED BY MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME CAR THROUGHOUT THE WEB. IN FACT, I EVEN FOUND A YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE EXACT SAME NOISE CREATED FOR THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. THE NOISE HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE INVOLVING THE TIMING BELT RUBBING AGAINST THE CRANKSHAFT BLADE. I'VE ONLY FOUND IT TO ONLY BE AUDIBLE AT IDLE, SO …

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1. THIS CAR IS COMPLETELY STOCK AND DRIVEN BY AN ADULT WHO DOES NOT RACE OR ABUSE ANY OF THE CARS MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. 2. THE ISSUE I HAVE IS WITH A OBD-II 'ENGINE WARNING' CODE CELL 0300 I REPEATEDLY GET WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I EXPERIENCE THIS WARNING UP TO 5 TIMES A DAY DURING MY 20 MILE FREEWAY COMMUTE. THE CEL WARNING COMES ON MOST OFTEN DURING VERY LIGHT ACCELERATION INPUTS (5-15% THROTTLE) WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN SPEED WITH THE OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. WHILE GENTLY TOUCHING THE THROTTLE, THERE IS A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT E…

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THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, THE WIPERS WON'T STOP RUNNING. THE HORN STARTS ON ITSELF. ALL IS RELATED TO WATER ENTERING IN THE INNER FENDER, SHORTING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS. THIS HAPPENS WHEN IT'S RAINY OUTSIDE. THIS HAPPENS TO EVERY EVOLUTION OWNER THAT I KNOW. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A RISK WITH AIR BAGS NOT WORKING CAUSED BY THAT, BUT THAT HIGHLY CONCERNS ME. IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT, I WOULD WANT TO BE SURE THAT THE AIRBAGS WILL DEPLOY... THANKS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. *TR

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THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTIONS MADE FROM 2003-2006. I HAVE HAD 2 OF THESE CARS AND SAME PROBLEM... ALMOST STARTED A FIRE IN MY CAR.. . WHERE THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS GOES THROUGH THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT FENDER, THERE'S A RUBBER GROMMET THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BLOCK WATER. WELL IN MY 2 CARS AND ABOUT 100 OTHERS ON THE AUTO FORUM I FREQUENT,(WWW.EVOLUTIONM.NET) THE RUBBER GROMMET FAILS TO DO ITS JOB OF BLOCKING WEATHER AND WATER IS LEAKING THROUGH GOING DOWN THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS AND INTO THE WIRING CONNECTORS. FROM THERE THE AV…

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REQUESTED DEALER TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY A PROBLEM WHICH CAN CAUSE VEHICLE TO BECOME INOPERABLE AT TEMPERATURES OF 20 BELOW ZERO AS DOCUMENTED IN MITSUBISHI TSB-10-13-002. WAS ADVISED BY DEALER AND LATER BY MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER RELATIONS THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS NOT OCCURRED ON THIS SPECIFIC VEHICLE. I RECOMMEND THAT THIS TSB BE CONSIDERED FOR A POSSIBLE RECALL IN THOSE PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THE TEMPERATURE REGULARLY GOES TO 20 BELOW ZERO. HAVING A DISABLED VEHICLE AT THAT TEMPERATURE IS A SAFETY …

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ACD PUMP FAILED AND DEALERSHIP WOULDN'T COVER IT CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY!! *TR

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ON 09/15/2018 AT ROUGHLY 11:30 AM WHILE OPERATING MY 2014 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION X WITH 32,XXX MILES I EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER, INCREASED EXHAUST NOISE AND THE ILLUMINATION OF POWERTRAIN FAULT LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. AFTER PULLING OFF THE ROADWAY TO INSPECT THE ISSUE A SMALL ENGINE BAY FIRE HAD BEEN FOUND (CHARD PAINT/INSULATION AND A STILL SMOLDERING WIRING HARNESS). AFTER ENSURING THAT THE FIRE WAS OUT AND SAFE THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT IT HAD BEEN PURCHASED FROM (MANGINO MITSUBISHI OF CLIFTON PARK) AN…

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I HAVE A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION-8, AND AT APPROXIMATELY 2,400 MILES I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION, AND NO MODIFICATIONS HAD BEED DONE TO THE CAR. IT STARTED OUT AS A 4TH TO 5TH GEAR SHIFTING PROBLEM(GRINDING). IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S RPM SENSITIVE. I HAD THE DEALERSHIP LOOK AT IT, AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH NEED FIXING, HOWEVER, DID AKNOWLEDGE AFTER THEY DROVE IT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING "OUT OF PLACE" WITH MY TRANSMISSION AND DID EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I WAS HAVING. I HAVE HAD THE CAR IN THREE TIMES FOR T…

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ROCK CHIPS BEHIND THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR DOOR. MANY LITTLE CHIPS RUNNING UP THE DOOR FRAME. THE CHIPS ARE IN THE CREASE OF THE DOOR JAMB. I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES. I TOOK THE CAR (2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION) TO HALL MITSUBISHI IN NEWPORT NEWS VIRGINIA AROUND JANUARY OR FEBRUARY. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS ROCKS KICKED UP FROM THE ROAD AND DIRECTED ME TO CALL A TOUCH UP PAINT REPAIR SPECIALIST. I HAVE TALKED TO MANY OTHER LANCER EVOLUTION OWNERS AND SEEN FIRST HAND THAT ALMOST EVERY EVOLUTION HAS THIS PROBLEM. I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES OF …

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FOUND EXCESSIVE RUST CAUSING STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO REAR UNI BODY FRAME SIDE MEMBERS. APPEARS TO HAVE RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT, SIMILAR TO THEIR CURRENT FRONT SUB FRAME RUST RECALL. AT THIS TIME NO ACCIDENTS/ DAMAGE CAUSED BUT LIKELY WILL RESULT IN UNI BODY WEAKENING AND POSSIBLE SUSPENSION/ STRUCTURAL FAILURE

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I HAVE A RECALL ON MY 2006 MITSUBISHI FOR CORROSION ON SUBFRAME, I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER, THEY CHECKED THE CAR AND ORDERED THE CROSS MEMBER, SO WE MADE AN APPOINT TO TAKE CAR INTO DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT, LEFT THE CAR WITH THE DEALER FOR THE DAY, LATER THAT DAY I GOTTEN A CALL STATING THEY CANNOT GET THE BOLTS LOOSE DUE TO CORROSION AND I HAVE TO PAY TO REMOVE IT, I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THERES A RECALL ON A PART DUE TO CORROSION AND NOW THE BOLT IS SEIZED DUE TO THE SAME CORROSION, AND I HAVE TO PAY 392.00 TO REMOVE CROSS MEMBER BOLT SO THEY CA…

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PURCHASE MY 2008 MITSUBUSHI EVOLUTION X ABOUT ONE MONTH AGO WITH 2,900MILES. I DON'T DRIVE IT OFTEN SINCE I HAVE A COMPANY CAR. MY CURRENT MILES IS 4,400MILES. I AM BEGINNING TO NOTICE ALOT OF SMALL CHIPS TOWARD THE BACK DOORS BOTTOM CORNER NEAR QUARTER PANEL ON BOTH SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. BEEN ON MANY FORUMS AND ALOT OF EVO X OWNER ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PAINT PROBLEM.THE ROAD CONDITION HERE ARE IN GOOD SHAPE, SO I DON'T SEE WHY THE PAINT IS CHIPPING AWAY. IM AFRAID WHEN I REACH 10,000MILES, THE CAR INTERIOR WOULD STILL BE FAIRLY NEW BUT THE …

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UPON INSPECTION OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE IN THE REAR, AREAS OF SEVERE CORROSION HAS DEVELOPED UNDERNEATH THE REAR ON THE ALUMINUM SUBFRAME BAR THAT HOLDS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND OTHER SUSPENSION COMPONENTS IN PLACE SUCH AS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL & LATERAL CONTROL BARS THAT CAN SURELY COMPROMISE THE CARS ABILITY TO DRIVE IF UNNOTICED. ADDITIONALLY THE FUEL LINES ALONG THE GAS TANK, AS WELL SURROUNDING SURFACES ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR, HAVE DEVELOPED NOTICEABLE CORROSION AS WELL THAT IS ALSO PROVING TO BE A LARGE AREA OF CONCERN. I AM CERTAINLY CONC…

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FRONT BEARINGS ARE LOOSE CAUSING ERRATIC STEERING, PREMATURE TIRE WEAR AND PREMATURE BRAKE WEAR. *JB

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SPRING SEAT BROKE AT WELD JOINT TO SHOCK TUBE. SPRING TRANSLATED IN THE Z DIRECTION UNTIL IT WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE TIRE. UPON BREAKAGE VEHICLE HAD EXTENSIVE SPRING RUBBING AGAINST TIRE. *TR

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ON MONDAY 2013 APRIL 22 I [XXX] (OWNER OF VEHICLE) WAS GETTING OFF MY SHIFT AT APPROXIMATELY 0700 HOURS FROM BETHEL TWP PD; WHERE I WORK AS A PATROLMAN. THE TEMPERATURE WAS FAIRLY MILD 60-65F, I STARTED MY 2008 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION 10 TO LET IT WARM UP LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE FOR APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES. I PUT MY EVO IN GEAR AND ON THE CENTER L.E.D. SCREEN I RECEIVED THE C161 MESSAGE WHICH INDICATES S-AWC FAILURE OR SUPER ALL WHEEL CONTROL. THIS EFFECTS EVERYTHING WITH THE CARS' SUSPENSION STABILITY, YAW CONTROL, AND THE "SMART BREAKING" FEATURE. …

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TARMAC ICON BLINKS INCESSANTLY ON THE DISPLAY PANEL, AS ONE DRIVES. THE BLINKING CAN CAUSE PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY (PSE), WHICH IS A FORM OF EPILEPSY SEIZURES TRIGGERED BY VISUAL STIMULI THAT FORM PATTERNS IN TIME OR SPACE, SUCH AS FLASHING LIGHTS, BOLD, REGULAR PATTERNS, OR REGULAR MOVING PATTERNS. I FOUND OUT LATER, THE BLINKING IS AN INDICATOR THE ACD PUMP - ACTIVE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL - IS FAILING AND IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE COMPONENT COMPLETELY GIVES OUT. MANY, MANY INDIVIDUALS FROM THE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES THE ACD PUMP F…

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The vehicle's right front lower control arm is no longer secured to it's inner rear mounting location at the front crossmember. This condition allows for unintended movement of the right front wheel and was caused by structural failure of the front crossmember at the control arm to chassis attachment point due to corrosion exactly as described in SR-20-003REV_2. SR-20-003REV_2 only applies to certain earlier model year vehicles of the same type and design (Lancer model years 2008-2010). Later model years 2011-2015 are not mentioned in SR-2…

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