WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS SMOKE CAME FROM THE REAR OF VEHICLE. INITIALLY THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY A DEALER THAT THE REAR TRANS AXLE SHOULD BE REPLACED. CONSUMER WENT TO ANOTHER DEALER TO GET A SECOND OPINION. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT VEHICLE WAS COVERED UNDER RECALL 98V168000 CONCERNING TRANSFER CASE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER, WHO REFUSED TO HONOR THE RECALL. *AK
2005
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY LEADING UP TO THIS FAILURE BUT ON THE MORNING OF OCT 4TH I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MITSUBISHI GALANT LS AT 55 MPH AND EXPERIENCED A TOTAL POWER STEERING FAILURE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN AND PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I THEN OPENED THE HOOD AND THERE WAS A FLUID COVERING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE HOOD. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND A TOW TRUCK WAS DISPATCHED TO PICKUP THE VEHICLE AND DELIVER IT TO A MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE METRO MITSUBISHI IN BLOOMINGTON MINNESOTA. NOT THAT A STATEMENT BY A TOW TRUCK DRIVER IS LAW BUT HE MENTIONED THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME HE HAS SEEN THIS ISSUE AND THAT IT WAS HIS BELIEF THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF THIS ISSUE. METRO MITSUBISHI CALLED ME A FEW HOURS LATER TO NOTIFY ME THAT IT WAS INDEED A STEERING PUMP FAILURE AND THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET REPLACEMENT PARTS UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHICH MEANT THAT I WAS NOW WITHOUT A VEHICLE BECAUSE THIS VEHICLE THAT I'M LEASING IS MY ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. THE PUMP WAS REPLACED BUT A STEERING FAILURE AT ANY TIME AND AT ANY SPEED IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU DOUGLAS NIZNICK. *NM