Lemon Law News – Mitsubishi Recalls Vehicles Containing Bad Brakes
Lemon Laws Offer Mitsubishi Customers Solutions
Mitsubishi Motors North America announced on Jan. 26, 2018 they will recall more than 170,000 vehicles equipped with faulty parking brake actuators.
The manufacturer stated in its Jan. 26, 2018 safety recall report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) they will recall 170,354 vehicles built between July 20, 2012 and July 8, 2016, including the 2014-2016 Mitsubishi Outlander and 2013-2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.
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Mitsubishi’s recall report states these vehicles contain parking brake actuators lacking adequate water shielding thanks to insufficiently sealed rear brake caliper boots. If water enters the parking brake operating shaft, corrosion can occur and potentially cause brake dragging or parking brake performance degradation.
In a separate issue, the vehicles contain inadequately manufactured automatic brake pad adjusters that can fail. This can cause the parking brake lever to not work. Either condition can cause parking brakes to not properly engage, increasing roll-away crash risk.
Mitsubishi opened their investigation in October 2014 after receiving field reports from the United Kingdom stating rear brakes stuck on a Mitsubishi Outlander driven there. From October 2014 to July 2015, the company assumed corrosion alone caused the problem. Mitsubishi manufacturing plants added rust prevention to the parking brake shaft in January 2016, and continued field monitoring.
The company received a report from the Japanese market concerning the automatic brake pad adjusters in February 2015 and began investigating. Engineers found a scratched washer in the brake caliper but couldn’t determine a root cause. It wasn’t until September 2017 that Mitsubishi learned Japan-based component manufacturer Akebono Brake Industry performed an “inappropriate inspection method,” letting caliper bodies exceed inspection standards. They found scratched washers and incorrectly manufactured caliper bodies together can make the brake pad auto adjuster fail, eventually ending in complete parking brake failure.
Mitsubishi will notify owners and dealers will inspect the rear brake calipers and replace the parking brake boot and lever or the brake caliper body, as necessary. Dealers will also replace the piston assembly of the rear brake caliper. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 27, 2018. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi’s number for this recall is SR-18-002. Consumers can also visit the NHTSA’s website, and enter their VIN to see if their vehicle is included in any recalls.
Your vehicle’s manufacturer is legally required to fix any recalled problems for free. If the dealership refuses to fix the part or tries to charge you for the repair, contact the manufacturer immediately. The Highway Safety Act of 1970, which created the NHTSA, requires car manufacturers to pay for the recall and replacement of a defective part.
If the manufacturer fails to repair, replace, repurchase, or provide the loss value of your recalled vehicle, they are violating the warranty and a lawyer may be able to help you.
Lemon law attorneys help their clients by dealing directly with the manufacturer on the clients’ behalf, working to promptly resolve the issue and get their clients back on the road. Thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, attorneys can seek their fees directly from the manufacturer, meaning a client can obtain legal counsel without having to pay attorneys’ fees directly out of pocket.
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