Hi there,

Local Mitsu dealer changed the timing belt & all drive belts on my 2001 Montero ( 70k Miles on a 2001 Montero Ltd)
and within less than 100 miles of driving, lost the transmission.

here's what happened,

1. A/T Temp light went up, and within like 02 miles.

2. Heard a huge clung, tranny grind and then the Drive, Reverse Failed, I have the step-tronic
drive which saved me., was able to put the car in Gear 2 and move it, it automatically
switched to gear 3., and could drive for about 40 mph max.

- in all, I lost all the Drive, Reverse, 1, 4 & 5. Gear engagement.

My question to you guys is, was this a result of the Timing Belt/Drive Belts change ?
or did my tranny just blow ? any inputs will help. thanks.

 

I am thinking if there could be any ties to the belt changes, but I can't think of any reason your transmission would malfunction after a T-belt/drive belt change...I think they are seperate issues...that is until someone else can link the two together. BUT I would surely be calling the dealership in case...

Did you get a check engine light with the A/T Temp light? Did this happen while you were driving at speed or accelerating from a stop? Was the "N" light on the dash flashing?

Your transmission is in "fail safe" mode (third gear) to try to keep from damaging itself. I would not attempt to drive it until it is diagnosed. A shop may be able to pull the trouble codes if there are any.

I had a transmission issue a month or so ago. Fail safe mode, check engine light, and flashing "N" light on the dash. Problem was a broken power wire to the output speed sensor...$200 at the dealer for the fix. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the response, the N lights were flashing, Drive was Flashing too - when in Park.
The AT/Temp light showed, during driving, if I stop and wait for 10 minutes, it went away, so something is wrong with the cooling system ( if there's one for this trans) to the tranmission.

Its with the dealer this am, they are looking at what's wrong with it, will post once I have more details.

 

TB replacement requires removing the radiator with integral A/T cooler. Sounds to me that they either let the A/T fluid drain and did not fully replace it, or blocked off the A/T fluid rubber hoses to remove the radiator and forgot to reconnect. Don't let them off the hook on this one. Mitsu transmissions don't typically fail at 70K.

Good luck,

Ron

 

Dealer says, they did not do it , what are my options here.
They say it was an existing issue and they did not cause it.

Thanks

 

I cannot comment on how this dealership operates, but over here vehicles are fully inspected prior to being allowed anywhere near service bays. Any minor/major damage - mechanical and cosmetic is noted. Both the customer and the service advisor are required to sign the report before the vehicle is allowed in. Inspection also includes a short drive around the block. If this dealer operates in the same manner, and they noted nothing about the transmission, I would not let this one go.

Also as jrmdir mentioned, that is most probably what caused the issue in the first place. How else could a transmission fail 2 miles out of the dealer's lot?

 

Too bad they're stonewalling you. Try escallating it to the GM and then to Mistubishi customer support in your region and then at Mistubishi Motor Sales of America in Cypress, CA. Is there more than one Mitsu dealer in your area? Getting a 2nd opinion may be helpful - especially if you can get official documentation that the damage is consistent with lack of fluid and/or lack of fluid cooling. Finally, get a quote for the needed repairs. Not sure where you live but here in CA you can claim up to $7,500 in Small Claims Court. Hopefully they won't let it go that far but it sometimes works as a catalyst for positive action.

Ron

 

I just re-read your initial post. Like Skiddy I tought it falied after only 2 miles. Now I understand you got about 100 miles after the TB work. Is this what the dealer is standing on to say it couldn't be their fault? I'm no transmission expert but even though that may give them some leverage the coincidence is still very suspicious to me. MAYBE, it was a different problem and hopefully just faulty wiring like Carlover 626. But your problem seems to have started with high A/T fluid temp warning light and they definitely had to disconect the A/T cooler to do your belts. So what are the chances it's something random?

Did you get any diagnosis from them as to what is now wrong with the trans and what the "other" cause could have been?

Ron

 

That cooler line makes perfect sense to me. My apologies, rxr. I was completely mistaken on all that is required for a T-belt change. No wonder it cost me $1300.00. Best of luck on the outcome.

 

I picked up the car from the dealership today, I mentioned this post and referenced the coolant as jrmdir suggested, but their call was that was an existing issue with the car and they have not caused this issue.

Really don't know how I can take this to the court nor prove this, that it was their fault which caused this.Their work almost stranded me on the interstate and put my families lives at stake, we were 3 adults and a 3 year old doing 60 mph when this happened, thank god we are all fine.

I am trying to get a second opinion at this point, there arel '03' other mitsu dealers in the area. Let me get the diagnostic codes and I will post them over here. The dealership was pretty cold, no calls picked up etc, leaving emotions behind they could been fair returning their calls at least.

Thanks for your support and it was very helpful.

Cheers
Rxr.