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The Vin. is on the dash by the driver's side of the windshield. Best viewed from the outside looking in. You will see a strip of metal with numbers and letters. Can't see it?. Look on your driver's registration card.
Just got my recall today for the accumulator. Nothing else. However,I looked at the dealer's computer and I was eligible for for the whole boat load. I will have them look at the drive shaft just for the heck of it.
Also, is the dealer letting you look at the computer screen?
I am taking my build date in again and see what happens. I have not recieved any letters and the last time the dealer put in the build date (about Sep) he stated nothing came up.
I got the letter about the brake accumulator yesterday (My build date was July 2001).
My recall letter didn't say anything about the radiator or wiper nuts--gonna ask the dealer about that since my build date is the same as phonos.
Which means that if you don't mention a problem, nothing may happen. I would suggest you call the Mitsu number and talk to a rep. Make note of who you talk to and when. The same for the dealer.
My service rep.wasn't aware of the mirror recall yet so he looked it up. There was a TSB but not any notification of a Fed recall. You may not fall under any of the TSBs or recalls. The Mitsu rep.could confirm that.
I think that when you are dealing with a car dealer, it is like a hospital. You have to watch out for yourself as a patient or owner or else somebody watch out for you like Edmunds here.
As before, I was only notified of the accumulator via the mail. Go back and print out the Mitsu TSB's from the NTSB. Take them with you. I asked the dealer to look at them and tell me what applys.
The dealers/mechanics don't like to do stuff that is mandated by TSB or Recall bulletins because the manufacturer will only pay them a preset amount for the labor, which may not cover the time actually spent in performing the work.
I think this is why it is sometimes hard to get the straight story from the dealers' service personnel on these repairs.
The recall is the Brake accumulator for 2001-2002 built before Jun 20 01.
The improvements are the windshield wipre nut replacements and the Automatic transmission cooler lines (the dealer told me they replace lines not the whole cooler but I will let you know more after speaking with the mechanic).
The line replacement applies to mine as well and she stated it applied to build dates before Dec 27 2000.
I had no problems going to the dealer loaded with this info.
The dealer stated that these cover all of the upgrades. Has anyone else found out differently?
The leaking switch issue he states is not an automatic replacement yet, they do check on every service however and will check when my vehicle goes in this time. Perhaps I should have them replace it anyway...the question is if I can get them to do it for free.
Hope this helps the rest of you.
As stated in letter: "The first of these product improvements is the installation of a new radiator.The transmission oil cooler inside the radiator may under certain conditions develop a leak which could result in transmission fluid getting into the coolant system or engine coolant entering the transmission. Leakage of this type could result in damage to the transmissiom or the engine."
My truck is scheduled for the 10th of October.....
Customer service stated that the radiator is to be replaced free of charge so we will see what the dealer states on Monday.
I go in the 8th
http://www.mitsubishicars.com/montero_safety.cfm
Click here for the Consumer Reports link
Second link.
Drew
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I recommend that everyone read both and decide for themselves.
Personally I remain open minded yet not concerned with what CU claimed at this point. Would like to see a more neutral organization repeat results such as the NHTSA.
As for Mitsubishi's claims about not knowing of any rollovers, it was surprising in light of the fact that the following rollover happened 7 months prior to C.R.'s report:
http://www.tiredefects.com/mitsubishi.htm
I believe the NHTSA is currently developing dynamic tests which are far more real-world than the current mathematical equations, however, who knows when this testing will come into effect?
Good luck,
Drew
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In an emergency maneuver situation (extreme condition), you are more likely to broadside another vehicle, hit another vehicle head on in a 2 lane highway, lose total control of the vehicle, crash into buildings/poles, hit pedestrians, and etc. Rollover is the least of my worry.
IMO, I don't put too much credence in CR's report on the Montero. In an extreme maneuver avoidance, the outcome is the same...fatal accident. And yes, fatal accidents do involve rollover in ANY vehicles.
Well, FWIW, a computer analysis of fatal accidents that happened last year in the US shows that of people killed in cars last year, 22 percent were killed in rollovers. But in SUVs, 62 percent of the deaths involved rollovers.
CR's test is designed to simulate what happens when you swerve to avoid an object so as to not crash. Because of the sudden directional change, the vehicle's suspension system has to very quickly deal with the fast loading and unloading of the vehicle's body. This is known as the pendulum effect.
Drew
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In that case, how many rollover deaths were related to Montero? Zero?
If SUVs are so dangerous that 62 percent of deaths involve in rollovers, then perhaps Consumer Report should preach the consumers to avoid SUVs altogether! Afterall, Consumer Report is looking out for our best interest right? NOT!
IMO, Consumer Report has their own propaganda, and that is to sell as many magazine subscriptions as possible. In the end, it's all about $$$$.
By the way, of the 62% deaths related to SUV rollovers, how many were related to off-roading?
I had the recall replacements done on my 2001 XLS. On the way home I've noticed the clunking noise from under the rear of a car. It happens when I push the accelerator and then release it. I immediately came back to the dealership, and they called a local guru who took the Monte for a short ride with me. He admitted the clunking noise, and put the car on the lift. Nothing suspicious had been found. Then the mechanic advised to try any other XLS which we did, and discovered the same clunking behavior on the Monte with 8K miles on it(mine has 23K). I also can here the humming noise when accelerate over 40 mph. The bottom line is: the mitsu mechanics have no idea about the nature of these noises, and all they could advise is that if the problem turns to be something dangerous then it would be eliminated under the power train warranty.
Had anyone else experienced the clunking when releasing the accelerator pedal?
Thanks.
I was driving in the Outer Banks of NC between Frisco and Buxton. Tires were underinflated as I just had been on the dunes and was likely to head back after checking the surf by the Lighthouse. I had set the cruise control at the posted 45.
All of a sudden a deer leapt in front of me. It must have been a male 'cause I could see some kind of horns. I swerved to the left to avoid him, the vehicle leaned heavily but no rollover. I did not swerved back immediately thought. Anyways, it gave me more adrenaline than the east coast surf.
The fortunate thing was that there was no incoming vehicle on the other lane. In that case, I don't know what the consequence would have been, had I immediately come back on my lane. In my own personal tests, it seems to me that as the vehicle leans heavily to one side, if you pull back to your original path immediately, it comes back with even greater inertia and that is when the problem might occur.
At least, the CR video told me what not to do under the situation and I came out fine.
Any comments.
Glad you came out ok. I t-boned huge buck on the highway at 65 mph in a toyota Corolla about 10 years ago--unbelievable damage to the car (and even more to the buck). Every couple of years, it seems someone around here (Wisconsin) gets themselves killed hitting a deer at high speeds...
Stay safe everyone,
Drew
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I have looked around for stiffer sway bars believing that if anything is wrong at all with roll that this would be the most cost effective approach. Increasing spring rates would make the vehicle more stiff which is not what I am looking for. Stiffer shocks could to the same.
I cant find aftermarket bars yet but the hunt continues.
I think the Monte could use a little stiffer bars but I realize that hard core 4wd take them off other vehicles for improved off roading. I'm sure this makes thier vehicle more likely to roll but no one is testing thier SUV.
Drew
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As for paint chipping, I have some large downward scratches where you first step into the drivers side. Looks like the kind of imprint you would get if a large clawed animal took a swipe at it. Just an example.As I am the only one who drives it, I would think that piece of plastic would not scratch so deeply. I usually only wear sneakers.
I have those Bridgestone/Firestone tires on my XLS.
No problem yet but they don't go in the snow as Consumer Reports points out in their Nov. 2001 issue. The only one that was good for all uses was the TOYO M410 Open Country Radial. That is an all season tire. With an All Terrain, the Dayton Timberline A/T got a good on snow while the Bridgestone got a fair.
As we got around twelve feet of snow last year in Northern Pa.last year I would like better odds. I know that I didn't go some places deer hunting last year that I could have gone with my 93 RS which had Dayton tires on. Oh Well!
Because of last year's snow I had PIETA fogs put on. What a difference! Really lights up the sides of the road and I then can see on coming deer.
We have about two thousand deer impacts a year in Pa. Worse in the November rut and in deer season when the deer get pushed out of the woods and fields. I hit one that jumped off of a bank onto the road and I caught it with my brush bar of my 93. Totaled the bar but didn't hurt the truck. State Farm was happy.
Bob
I happened to overlook the TSB section on NHTSA and could not find any complaints about that.
Any thoughts?
There are some differences in the XLS and limited drive systems; this may (or may not) explain the clunk.
Any limited owners suffering from the dreaded clunk?
All the recalled Firestone tires were made in the USA.
One more question. What is the difference between part 4WD and full time one? My XLS comes with the part time option. Thanks again.
Igor
I for one would like to take a little more roll our of the Montero and if there is any truth to CU report then these should dramatically help as well.
As far as your question between Full-time 4WD and Part-time, the main difference is that a full time 4WD can be driven on wet/dry pavement. It has a center differential that can compensate the difference between the speeds of the front and rear axle as they turn. Part-time 4WD have their center differential locked when engaged, which means the speed of the front axles and the rear are always the same as they turn which could produce axle binding when used on NON-SLIPPERY SURFACE such as dry pavement.
If you have any further 4WD questions, check out the following post and discussion topic:
/direct/view/.eea4ead/2.
Hope this helps!
Drew
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My wife is the one who is going to drive our Monte through the winter. I wonder if any of you could lay it out in plain English when and how to use the part time 4WD? What are the limitations of the part time system? What should be avoided when using it? Just some kind of a set of the tips for the ladies on how to use or not to use part time 4WD. I overlooked the user's manual and could not have found any good explanatory materials. Since the winter is around a corner here in OH I would definitely have found a good use for this helpful information. Thanks to all of you again.
Regards,
Igor
I think this is semantics here. On the Montero we have a part time mode and a full time mode (also low and high ranges which is essential for a 4wd).
Regala is correct that in part time mode the center diff is locked and delivers 50% of the power to each drive shaft.
The Montero in full time or AWD can shift from 0-100% of the power to the wheels with traction, the differential is more open here.
I think they all have center differentials but it is what the differential is doing that regala refers to.
Thanks,
Drew
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4wd - differential active, can be used in all driving conditions, power to axles with wheel with least slip page, use on wet or snowy pavement, good dirt roads
4wd high lock - differential locked, power to both front and rear axles equally, for use in conditions where wheels can slip (without differential action required), i. e. mud, sand, deep snow, loose surfaces
4wd low lock - differential locked, power to both front and rear axles equally, for use in conditions where wheels can slip, i. e. mud, sand, deep snow, loose surfaces but with added torque due to lower gearing, use only in most severe condition, i. e. steep slope, going either up or down (to save on brake wear).
brillmtb, you can shift into a manual mode in low range in the MB M-class (also 5 speeds in low range), or in the Range Rover (4 speeds though).
Drew
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Kudos to the MB for have a manual mode and 5 speed. Having more gears and manual modes are fantastic if you tow or spend much time off road or on snow covered roads.
As for the RR, hey get with it guys this is 2001 now, what only 4 speeds. My motorcycle has 6 and my mountain bike has 24. You need more in technical situations. Laughing here :}