Closing the Driver's Door

[freedom04]

Am I the only one that has an issue closing the driver door? 2015 Mirage here. The other three doors and hatch close without issue. However, the driver door requires a little extra effort. It's a bit annoying as this is the first new vehicle and first Mitsubishi I've purchased, yet it is the only vehicle that has ever had the issue.

I went to the dealer and asked if they could adjust the latching mechanism, but I was told it is "normal" and that nothing is wrong so they can't fix it. They pulled a 2017 into the service bay to show me, but it had the issue with two doors.

Is this the level of fit/finish that I should expect for a brand new vehicle? I left without a resolution. I asked for the service manager's card as it seemed the technician wasn't receptive.

[IchabodCrane]

A better description of "hard to close" would be helpful.
Does it close easier with the window slightly open?
Does it double click like it's striking something before the latch engages?
Does it simply feel like it has to close too far to engage the latch (like it has to compress the door seals too much)?
Does the door swing freely on the hinges or is it stiffer than the other doors?
When it's closed does the outer panel sit proud, flush or below the adjacent panel (front edge of back door)?
When closed are the gaps all the way around the door consistent in width?
This info will go far in finding the problem and a solution.

[freedom04]

A better description of "hard to close" would be helpful.
Does it close easier with the window slightly open? It does close "slightly" easier with the window open. I opened it 2.5 inches. However, even with this, I tried opening both doors to right before the "first" catch on the hinge to allow the door to close under its own weight to isolate the closing force to something consistent. The driver door did not. The front passenger door did.
Does it double click like it's striking something before the latch engages? Maybe? I mean it "sounds" like the latch engages prior to being fully closed and indeed it does.
Does it simply feel like it has to close too far to engage the latch (like it has to compress the door seals too much)? I do not think this is a problem for me.
Does the door swing freely on the hinges or is it stiffer than the other doors? It actually seems to swing more smoothly than the other doors.
When it's closed does the outer panel sit proud, flush or below the adjacent panel (front edge of back door)? By comparison, the driver door is above the rear while the passenger door is below.
When closed are the gaps all the way around the door consistent in width? Without a caliper/micrometer to measure, I'll just have to trust my calibrated eyeballs However, if viewing the side of the vehicle, it seems that the top right gap (closest to rear door) is tighter than the bottom right.
This info will go far in finding the problem and a solution.

Hi, Ichabod. Thanks for your reply. I've tried to answer your questions above in red. Hopefully, this helps. I really like this car and talk with people about it often, but I cannot stand my local dealer. There were a lot of "maybes" in their "diagnosis" but when I asked for explanation - "I'm not an engineer."

[IchabodCrane]

Ok. That helps. If the gap is wider near the bottom the door is low on the latch side.
With the door open about half way pull up and down on it to see if there is play in the hinges. This could indicate a faulty hinge or missing bushing. If there is no noticeable slop then hinges are not defective but may be out of adjustment. To check this close the door until latch begins to contact the striker on the door frame B-pillar. You should be able to eyeball it to see if the striker engages the latch slot in center or if it's riding/contacting the slot on top or bottom. Push door closed slowly with your hand holding the outer handle up so it can't latch shut. Open and close the door a few times while not letting it latch and try to determine if the door is being pulled/forced down by the striker as the door closes.
If the striker is not causing the problem the top door hinge will need to be adjusted. In this case I would go back and force dealer action.
If the striker is pulling the door down when it closes here's what you do... Open door fully, take a pencil and trace a line around striker plate on B-pillar (for reference), loosen the screws in striker plate but do not remove them. Just loosen a turn or two. Now you can move the striker plate around a bit on the B-pillar without it falling off. If it doesn't move at first just give it a tap with hammer or some weighty tool. You're gonna want to go up in this case so using your pencil line as reference tap/move striker plate up about 1/8 inch keeping it between pencil lines left to right. Tighten screws to hold striker plate in place. Now try the door. You can repeat this process moving striker in small increments until a uniform gap is achieved at door edge then tighten striker sufficiently to hold it for good. This should take care of the issue.
If you don't want to tackle the job or if you suspect a hinge issue then return to dealership, find the service manager, point out the inconsistent gap and ask for it to be adjusted. (don't mention it's hard to close as this is hard to quantify and easily denied) Adjustment is a specific warranty category that is your right for the first year of ownership.

[Eggman]

Adjustment is a specific warranty category that is your right for the first year of ownership.

Great post.

[freedom04]

Ok. That helps. If the gap is wider near the bottom the door is low on the latch side.
With the door open about half way pull up and down on it to see if there is play in the hinges. This could indicate a faulty hinge or missing bushing. If there is no noticeable slop then hinges are not defective but may be out of adjustment. To check this close the door until latch begins to contact the striker on the door frame B-pillar. You should be able to eyeball it to see if the striker engages the latch slot in center or if it's riding/contacting the slot on top or bottom. Push door closed slowly with your hand holding the outer handle up so it can't latch shut. Open and close the door a few times while not letting it latch and try to determine if the door is being pulled/forced down by the striker as the door closes.
If the striker is not causing the problem the top door hinge will need to be adjusted. In this case I would go back and force dealer action.
If the striker is pulling the door down when it closes here's what you do... Open door fully, take a pencil and trace a line around striker plate on B-pillar (for reference), loosen the screws in striker plate but do not remove them. Just loosen a turn or two. Now you can move the striker plate around a bit on the B-pillar without it falling off. If it doesn't move at first just give it a tap with hammer or some weighty tool. You're gonna want to go up in this case so using your pencil line as reference tap/move striker plate up about 1/8 inch keeping it between pencil lines left to right. Tighten screws to hold striker plate in place. Now try the door. You can repeat this process moving striker in small increments until a uniform gap is achieved at door edge then tighten striker sufficiently to hold it for good. This should take care of the issue.
If you don't want to tackle the job or if you suspect a hinge issue then return to dealership, find the service manager, point out the inconsistent gap and ask for it to be adjusted. (don't mention it's hard to close as this is hard to quantify and easily denied) Adjustment is a specific warranty category that is your right for the first year of ownership.

Ichabod, again, many thanks for the reply and accompanying detail. I'm going to take a look at these suggestions and make an appointment with the Service Manager for Thursday. The local dealership is almost 30 miles away . However, with your insight, I should be able to get things corrected!

[CROSSBOLT]

Had the same problem with the 2021 Mirage. Fixed yesterday after I found my big Torx bits.

[Dirk Diggler]

Same here with my new 2021, it takes a little more effort to close the door but the issue is hardly noticeable now to me.