Mitsubishi Problems

In extreme situations, owners have been warned their vehicles may catch fire.Mitsubishi was hit with the biggest safety recall for the three month period. It has written to owners of Pajeros built between 2000 and 2003 to warn them of a potential brake problem. As many as 13,400 vehicles may need to be checked.The company also recalled 4400 of its now-defunct 380 sedan, built between 2006 and 2007, which may have a faulty fuel tank retaining strap. In a severe collision the tank may be dislodged and spill fuel.Mitsubishi is also checking more than 8300 Colts built this year which may have a problem with door windows which may drop and unlock or open the door while the car is being driven.Honda has recalled 11,800 of its 2004-05 Jazz to check whether they have a faulty handbrake, while Mazda needs to look at 1770 of its B4000 utes built between 2005-2006 because the bonnet may open unexpectedly.Subaru has recalled 5380 of its Imprezas, built between 2001 and 2003 because of a faulty rear tailgate which may suddenly drop.Subaru Australia spokesman, Dave Rowley, said many of the recalls were to check for "minor or niggling" faults."We have had no incidents of anyone being injured in Australia and we found only six cars which had the faulty (tailgate strut) connection."Many recalls are done as a pre-emptive measure to avoid possible problems further down the track, " he said.Other potential faults include electrical short circuits, which in extreme circumstances, may start a cabin fire in Landrover Freelander diesels built since 2007. Landrover warns the fault may occur when the vehicle is parked and unattended.Other recalls were to check for short circuits in Fiat's Grande Punto; and a chance that the panoramic glass roof in a small number of Citroen's Picasso could be dislodged.Suzuki has warned of potential fire risk in its 3-door Suzuki Grand Vitara (2006-07) because of a possible cracked fuel pipe, while the 2005-08 Vitara diesel has a remote fire risk in a filter because of a problem with the intercooler outlet pipe insulator.Other problems include faulty rear seat belt D-loop attachments in the current Jaguar XF, and the potential for a loss of steering in Chrysler's 300C built last year because of a problem with rear axle hub nuts which could see the half shaft disengage from the wheel hub.Mercedes Benz wants to look at axles, springs and the park brake in its Sprinter or Vito vans.Jayco has recalled some of its motor homes to check and fix awning and exhaust pipe problems.Of the 1500 motorcycles recalled, safety issues to be fixed include a faulty fuel filler on Kawasaki models, a windshield which may come off Buell bikes if ridden at high speed and a rear view mirror which may fall off on certain Yamaha models.An ACCC spokeswoman said this year's figures were actually less than last year but the number has been steadily rising over the past 20 years.The ACCC says there have been 52 individual recalls this year compared to 171 last year.Full details of the recalls can be found at www.recalls.gov.au 

Competition is a healthy thing. As individuals it forces us to strive to do better, and in the automotive world it drives the pace of development. The first motor race was staged the moment the second car was invented. Its creator wanted to show that his was better than the car his rival had built. His objective was to demonstrate to potential buyers that his was the car to buy.Motor sport was thus begun and it’s been responsible for some of the best and most exciting cars we’ve been offered ever since.In the 1980s we had a rush of models spun off rally cars competing in the world championship. Among them was the Mitsubishi Galant VR4, a car that sprang from the successful rally car that won the 1990 Australian Rally Championship among many other accolades.MODEL WATCHThe VR4 looked like most other four-door Galants Mitsubishi was making at the time, unless of course your eyes were tuned to spot the clues that made it stand out from the Galant crowd.In the case of the VR4 the things that separated it from its cooking-class cousins were alloy wheels, bigger bumpers, a boot-mounted spoiler and the distinctive badges.It was under the skin that the most significant changes were made to transform the four-door family sedan into a slingshot capable of winning the world rally championship.For starters there was a turbocharged 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine that put out 148 kW at 6000 revs and 279 Nm at 3000 revs and drove all four wheels through a five-speed gearbox and a centre differential.The centre diff combined a mechanical limited-slip diff with a viscous coupling. Under normal conditions the mechanical coupling split the torque equally between the front and rear wheels, but if there was any slip the viscous coupling directed the torque away from the wheels that were spinning towards those with the most grip. It was a recipe for ensuring optimum traction was always available.The VR4’s front suspension was fairly conventional MacPherson Strut with an anti-roll bar, but the rear suspension was rather radical. Mitsubishi described it as a double wishbone arrangement, but it was a little more complex than that, with upper and lower links with semi-trailing arms and linkages that provided a small amount of passive rear steering.The real rear-wheel steering was controlled hydraulically from the front steering pump with a control valve activating a ram that moved the toe-link in the rear suspension. It was designed to operate only over 50 km/h and never in reverse.Rear steering was not used to improve maneuverability in tight parking situations, but to improve high speed stability when changing lanes or swerving away from danger.On the road the VR4 was highly praised for its balance and grip under all sorts of conditions and road surfaces. It had a poise that allowed it to swallow twisting strips of black top or dirt without ever losing its composure.Given its head in a straight line, not its best suite, the 1170 kg VR4 required just over seven seconds to reach 100 km/h; the standing 400-metre dash required 15 seconds.The VR4 came well equipped, as you would expect. It had standard air-conditioning, a leather steering wheel and cruise control.IN THE SHOPThe VR4 was a high performance car that encouraged its drivers to explore its impressive limits so check today’s used examples very thoroughly. It’s wise to have an expert go over them to see what’s what under the modest skin.Many were also modified in the search for even more performance so it’s crucial that any modifications are checked to make sure they are sound, haven’t damaged the car, and are legal.While the VR4 is generally quite sound and gives little trouble if looked after, not thrashed and well serviced there are a couple of things that can go wrong.Exhaust manifolds are known to crack. It seems to happen at around the 150,000 km mark so check the manifold carefully for any sign of cracking that might need to be repaired.It also pays to keep a close eye on the oil level, as oil consumption can be higher than expected.Front drive shafts are worth checking for wear.Clutches aren’t a big problem, but they seem to have a life of around 150,000 km, maybe less if it has been abused.IN A CRASHFour-wheel drive, antiskid ABS brakes, independent suspension at both ends and four-wheel steering. What more could you want in a primary safety package?The VR4 was armed with everything you could wish for when trying to avoid a crash so top marks to the hot Mitsubishi.It’s not such a rosy picture on the secondary safety level as there were no airbags. Airbags were yet to arrive in anything, but the most prestigious models in 1989.OWNERS SAYAfter experiencing the V8 grunt of a Falcon XR8 Adam Davis wanted something a bit more technically advanced. The four-wheel drive turbocharged VR4 was the perfect answer and after some careful research he settled on an unmolested low kay 1992 model with a full service history. It’s now done 145,000 km and has been utterly reliable. He advises anyone to follow the same guidelines in buying a car with low kilometres, one that hasn’t been thrashed and has a full service history.LOOK FOR• Awesome grip on all surfaces• Thrill-a-minute motoring• Signs of a thrashing• Unobtrusive looks make it a sleeper• Usual bump and grind from years on the roadTHE BOTTOM LINEIn its day the VR4 was an awesome performer, but age now warrants caution before buying.RATING68/100