Recall faulty ECU's for years 91-95 3000GT and Stealth

[ProwlerGT]

Think I'm crazy? Lets try it. What have we got to lose except a few minutes of reading?

WHO SHOULD BE CONCERNED:
Anyone with a 3S who is having extensive problems troubleshooting poor idle, hesitation, sputtering, stalling, and stumbling especially when the accelerator is let off and/or pushed moderate to fast to get up and go from a stop and one of the above conditions occurs. By "extensive problems troubleshooting" I mean people who've been enduring these symptoms for weeks, months, and even years without being able to find the fix. If you've replaced your ECU already with a used one there is still a good chance you have another broken one or one that will break in the near future especially since so many of us have the mindset of "Its your ECU. It can be fixed."


THE RANT:
Hesitation, sputtering, peice of Crap. - Hesitation Sputtering Piece of crap - A stellar thread. The following link/list came from this thread.

The Hesitation and Sputtering Tracking List - Hesitation and Sputtering Tracking List
39 people on the list
20 fixed theirs
9 of the ones that fixed theirs were fixed with a replacement ECU
8 of the ones that fixed theirs with ECU's were either 1st gens or 2nd gen Hybrid Years

This list represents a known pattern that we all are too familiar with. If you conduct a search on 3SI for ECU and try to weed out who has replaced theirs and fixed their problems by replacing their's i'm sure the number goes way over 9. I do realize that the 96-99 year's have experienced some ECU issues causing replacement as well, but I cannot say that is in nearly the large a number as the 91 - 95 years are from what I've seen on this forum over the past 4 years. We have wasted countless hours, days, and weeks worth of time and money hunching over our cars trying to troubleshoot issues with mechanical knowledge never reaching the fix all the while because a broken ECU has us looking everywhere else but itself all because Mitsubishi decided to use substandard capacitors (and possibly resistors) in the ECU which eventually either just went bad and stayed intact or leaked all over the board not to mention that this capacitor damage usually causes other ECU issues from the leakage and prolonged use in a broken state. You can probably add me as a #10 to the fixed list too because I'm 90% sure at the moment that I've diagnosed (with the help of a friend) that my ECU is busted as well and I've been facing sputtering issues for about 3 years now.

Give me a break people. We should not have to be replacing fucking capacitors or resistors on ECU's, nor should the ECU be just as common a part to have to entertain replacing like we do an alternator or spark plugs as such is the case (at least it seems so) with our cars specifically for the years 1991 - 1995.

Is this possible? Is it too expensive for them to entertain? Is it not gonna happen? I don't care. We should try because in this amazing thread alone (Hesitation, sputtering, peice of Crap. - 3000GT/Stealth International Message Center - Hesitation, sputtering, peice of Crap.) lay enough proof to make a case for various safety issues caused by the failed ECU's due to substandard parts having been used for their assembly. One such case is pushing the accelerator when you are trying to merge into traffic only to find a studder, sputter, hesitation that could cost you a few seconds long enough to get hit and cost you your life. Another case is where you'll be stopped at a traffic light and the car stalls from poor idle conditions especially under load (A/C on) and especially when you try to take off at a moderate to fast accelerated pace. This condition has put many of us into weeks, months, and even years of waiting to find out whats wrong with our cars for the sake of saving money and most of the time mechanical knowledge (part swapping) is used to troubleshoot this issue whereas electrical knowledge is usually what is necessary, not to mention if you do swap a part and it seems like you've fixed the problem only for it to resurface a week or two later after daily driving and the ECU has relearned or tried to relearn your new vehicle configuration and possibly ruined your new part (IE: a new IAC) in the process.

Sample information about other recalls for Engine Control Modules (or ECU's) for different makes and models other than Mitsu:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/recall/420b02002.pdf
Motor Vehicle Recalls

Looking at the above links that I found quickly on Google tell me that those cases of ECU recall are even less priority than the problems we've all experienced with our failed or failing ECUs. If recalls can exist for such things as mentioned in the above links, then why not for your car stalling at the traffic light and becoming undriveable and in some cases you can't keep it running again to move off the road or why not then for your car barely moving as it sputters its way up the speedo while trying to merge and move away from flowing traffic? Are these not a saftey issues? Yes, they are, but we deal with it because we don't have the big bucks to shell out for a brand new ECU from Mitsu that probably very well likely has the same crappy parts in it on the shelf that it had during initial production only for the damn thing to turn around and go bad on you again later on. These cars were meant to be "DRIVEN for FUN" and are only listed as passenger vehicles I think cause of the back seats which are really only good for kids under 10. We should not have to relearn how to drive our cars in a decrepit condition while we save up money to replace parts that don't end up really fixing the problem because the ECU will show us its broken later on.


INFORMATION KNOWN:
Through 1990 - 1994 production dates (for 1991-1995 vehicles) substandard capacitors and possibly resistors (need someone to confirm this) were used on our ECU's (3000GT and Stealth alike) and cause all the obvious MFI system related problems mentioned in the "Hesitation, Sputtering, piece of crap." thread cited above. It causes our cars to stall, hesitate, sputter, and idle with instability during highway drive time thus unnecessarily increasing the risk for accident and personal injury and/or fatality.


INFORMATION NEEDED:
Production dates and possibly "build lots" (if thats what they'd be called) where the faulty electronic parts were used. If its all of them from 1991 - 1994 prod dates then so be it.

All the links you can find referring people to how to fix our broke ass ECUs (unless you think this will hurt our case; comments?) or where to get them fixed along with any other information as to why they need to be fixed in the first place.

Data collection - I am contimplating making a web page that will collect various information like VIN, Name, etc... for making a petition list to submit with the complaint. Contimplating because I want to see what type of response this is going to get.


MAKING OUR CASE TO THE NHTSA AND MITSUBISHI:
We need a word smith and I can do it up if I can get the right verbiage from people on here. We need to think of safety issues that are raised by the failing ECU from what we've all experienced in the past as well as what others have experienced as listed in that "Hesitation, Sputtering, piece of crap." thread at the very least. Search your mind and search your 3SI and make the cases for safety concern.
We must be sure to state the conditions (in case they would consider them for even a second) and that we do not want a replacement ECU with the same faulty parts used in initial production. We must also be sure to state that we'll accept our current ECU's to be repaired, and that is if the majority agrees to it before the complaint is written.


THE PLAN:
After I've received enough viable information in this thread I will compile it all into a complaint and post the verbiage herein for a few edits (hopefully no more than 3) and then using the final verbiage I'll go and file the complaint at the NHTSA complaint address here: ODI File a Complaint OR you can phone them at (800) 424-9393 to call your complaint in. I would recommend using the web complaint form so you can just simply copy and paste the final complaint verbiage exactly how everyone else will do it, but if you must call them instead then I'd suggest reading the complaint text to them word for word.


RESULTS:
If this actually works, then I have some advice for people who want to get their ECU replaced. THEY are the ones with millions of dollars, not us (at least not all of us). Let them do the talking. Do not talk to them about replaced capacitors or having had it worked on before. If you have a bad ECU just bring it in and ask for the recall repair to be implemented and state nothing more.

Hesitation, sputtering, peice of Crap. - 3000GT/Stealth International Message Center - Hesitation, sputtering, peice of Crap.
The Hesitation and Sputtering Tracking List- Hesitation and Sputtering Tracking List
ODI File a Complaint - complaint form

[91vr4n00maxima]

good luck. it took a few lawyers and threats of lawsuits to get the tcase recall.

[ProwlerGT]

Originally Posted by 91vr4n00maxima

good luck. it took a few lawyers and threats of lawsuits to get the tcase recall.

What kind of lawyers? What area of law?

[mywetdream]

wow..i hope something can come from this....that would be amazing..i give you mad props..for steping up to the plate...i hope this works.

[DBLerman]

ECU doesn't pose a direct safety concern, that is why there was no recall on them and will never be a recall on them.

[ProwlerGT]

What about stalling out in flowing traffic? stalling at the red light? or sputtering to merge into fast traffic (IE: Interstate)?

[Markieb124]

o went aem to get away from the stovk ecu

[bouncer257]

Originally Posted by DBLerman

ECU doesn't pose a direct safety concern, that is why there was no recall on them and will never be a recall on them.

I thought there were people saying the ECUs caught on fire?

There are 2 base 3000GTs in a local junkyard that have fire damage to the front center console. Me thinks ECU.

[ProwlerGT]

Originally Posted by bouncer257

I thought there were people saying the ECUs caught on fire?

There are 2 base 3000GTs in a local junkyard that have fire damage to the front center console. Me thinks ECU.

bouncer257 - You live in my dream location. I can't wait to live in or near Destin or anywhere in the panhandle.

Anyway, sticking to the topic, if you could find out more about the fire damage on those 2 base 3000GTs, what year they were, etc... or any links stating anything about this please include the information here.

[ProwlerGT]

Getting closer: Dodge stealth no fire!!!!!

If that doesn't represent a fire hazard then I don't know what does. Ya know what it makes me think.... what if the ECU casing had heat sinks and a couple fans around it? Wouldn't that take care of the heat issues "probably"?