Rear Alignment Problem FAQ

[HydroJim]

My mirage is just over a year old but i have about 8500 miles can i still get the check and it be under warranty?

The repair is covered under the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty. Idk if they'll charge you for an alignment check, but if you have any symptoms such as severe tire wear or off-center steering, then maybe they'd investigate for free? Someone else here may know more. I bought mine used so never been to the dealer.

[Top_Fuel]

My mirage is just over a year old but i have about 8500 miles can i still get the check and it be under warranty?

If the "in-service" date (the date your car was originally sold) is more than 1 year ago, then your dealer will probably want to charge you for it.

Here's something you need to think about... Because you have aftermarket wheels/tires, I would seek out an independent shop and have the alignment checked there first. Why? Because if it turns out that you do have a bad rear axle that needs to be replaced under warranty, you might want to think about tossing your original wheels/tires back on before you go to your dealer expecting a warranty replacement axle. Some dealers/manufacturers may deny you a warranty repair because of your non-stock wheels/tires. I'm not saying that's right or fair, I'm just telling you it could happen.

Some shops will check your alignment for free. I had my car checked twice (for free) at an independent shop before it had 1000 miles on it.

[Dodger86]

Ok ill think about it. I mean i dont have any tire trwad wear and no pulling to a certain side issue plus i have a 3 week old baby so my time is pretty precious thanks for the heads up though

[Fummins]

My mirage is just over a year old but i have about 8500 miles can i still get the check and it be under warranty?

How many times can you ask the exact same question?

[Ghee]

Hi Top Fuel. I'm fairly new here and was looking for some time to drive the 50 miles to my nearest Mitsubishi dealer to look at the G4 5 speed. I am really concerned not so much about the rear being out of alignment, but because Mitsubishi has yet to rectify this at the factory after this much time has gone by. It does make me question the rest of the car...even though it is a pretty reliable auto...

[Top_Fuel]

...concerned not so much about the rear being out of alignment, but because Mitsubishi has yet to rectify this at the factory after this much time has gone by. It does make me question the rest of the car...

The good news is that the rest of the car has proven itself to be very reliable. Other than the occasional rear axle being out of spec, this car doesn't have any reliability issues you need to be concerned about. I'd say this car is fairly "bullet-proof" for what it is. That's one of the main reasons I like it.

As far as why they haven't completely fixed the rear axle issue at this point...

This is only my opinion. I'm assuming that not enough owners have actually complained to Mitsubishi about it. If they did, I would think there would be a technical service bulletin out by now. We have the most knowledgeable Mirage owners on the planet reading this forum, but I think we've only had something like 30 people actually check their rear alignment and pursue a replacement. I'm thinking that 97% of Mirages on the road right now have never had an alignment check done. Why would you when it's a new car?

If you own a Mirage but you don't read this forum, you probably have no idea that your car may potentially have this issue. I'm still stunned by people on this forum who are on their 3rd set of rear tires...but their car has never had an alignment check?!?

Automotive companies are run by accountants...not engineers. Mitsubishi may have concluded that it's cheaper to replace the rear axles of the few people that complain rather than to spend a couple of million dollars re-tooling at the factory. Remember that Honda has had the same issue with the Fit (it uses the same type of rear axle as a Mirage)...and I'm not sure they have a TSB for their problem, either.

The important thing is that you have taken the time to read the information and understand the problem before you make a purchase.

[Ghee]

The good news is that the rest of the car has proven itself to be very reliable. Other than the occasional rear axle being out of spec, this car doesn't have any reliability issues you need to be concerned about. I'd say this car is fairly "bullet-proof" for what it is. That's one of the main reasons I like it.

As far as why they haven't completely fixed the rear axle issue at this point...

This is only my opinion. I'm assuming that not enough owners have actually complained to Mitsubishi about it. If they did, I would think there would be a technical service bulletin out by now. We have the most knowledgeable Mirage owners on the planet reading this forum, but I think we've only had something like 30 people actually check their rear alignment and pursue a replacement. I'm thinking that 97% of Mirages on the road right now have never had an alignment check done. Why would you when it's a new car?

If you own a Mirage but you don't read this forum, you probably have no idea that your car may potentially have this issue. I'm still stunned by people on this forum who are on their 3rd set of rear tires...but their car has never had an alignment check?!?

Automotive companies are run by accountants...not engineers. Mitsubishi may have concluded that it's cheaper to replace the rear axles of the few people that complain rather than to spend a couple of million dollars re-tooling at the factory. Remember that Honda has had the same issue with the Fit (it uses the same type of rear axle as a Mirage)...and I'm not sure they have a TSB for their problem, either.

The important thing is that you have taken the time to read the information and understand the problem before you make a purchase.

Good points, thanks for the reply. I guess it's not all mirage's then. So let me ask. If I would make the sale contigent to the rear axle being checked, and in alignment, they should check it for me if they are reputable, and if honest, they won't show me a bull **** report. does that sound legit to you?

[Top_Fuel]

Your sales person may think you're nuts if you ask for an alignment check on a new car prior to the sale. He will be thinking "Oh boy...this guy read some crazy story on an internet message board and now it's going to screw up my sale."

Honestly...you can't blame him for thinking that. He probably deals with wacky customers all the time. Unfortunately, this is a legitimate concern...but you have no way of proving it to them. There's no Technical Service Bulletin you can refer to.

I didn't know about this problem before I bought my car. If I did, here's how I would have handled it. I would have proposed the following to the sales guy:

• A 4 wheel alignment check must be performed on the car before I will take delivery.
• If all 4 wheels are within factory specs, I will pay for the alignment and will take delivery of the car.
• If the front end alignment needs adjustment, it will be done at the dealer's expense prior to me taking delivery.
• If the rear axle is out of alignment, it must be corrected before I take delivery...or I'll choose another car on your lot.

This is a brand new car that should have no alignment issues. If I'm just a moron who read a story on the internet, it's an easy $100 for the Service Department, right? What does the dealership have to lose in this scenario?

This is a low-risk deal for you because there's a good chance the car needs some sort of front end adjustment right off the showroom floor. Very few people have posted alignment check numbers where all 4 wheels were within specifications. My own car needed a front end alignment when I had it checked with 700 miles on the odometer. It would have been more convenient for me if that was done before I picked up the car.

Of course this assumes that you are willing to walk away if they find this unreasonable. My dealership service was very good and I don't think this would have been an issue. But if they had told me to buy the car today and we'll fix it tomorrow...I would have found that completely unacceptable and that would kill a deal for me.

[Eggman]

But that is exactly what happened to me. My dealer (Sunnyside Mitsubishi) took care of it under warranty.

I think it is easier for a dealer to take care of a customer rather than take a chance on a potential customer.

[Top_Fuel]

Everyone has to make their own decision on how to approach this. I'm just tossing out my opinion here.

Do you trust a dealer to handle a potential problem after the sale? There are many reputable Mitsubishi dealers out there. Unfortunately, there are enough questionable ones that I would never want to rely on their good will after the sale. I want issues resolved while I still have all of the negotiating power.

I can't think of another new product I would buy knowing that it might have a serious defect. In my opinion, a simple 10-minute alignment check is a reasonable pre-purchase request...especially if I offer to pay for it if it comes back OK. If a dealer can't handle that simple request to earn my business, I need to shop at another store.

There's also a rare nightmare scenario that you can avoid this way. If the dealer replaces your rear axle and that doesn't fix the problem (because the replacement axle is also bad), what happens now? This has happened with a couple of forum members and I'm not sure we ever heard about what the resolution was in these cases.