2001 MITSUBISHI MONTERO Air Bags Problems

I HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH MY TRUCK BECAUSE THE HORN QUIT WORKING SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES THAT THE AIRBAG HAS A METAL RING INSIDE OF IT THAT MAKES CONTACT TO ACTIVATE THE HORN WHEN PRESSED. THEY CLAIMED THE RING HAS EITHER DETERIORATED OR BROKEN INTERNALLY AND THAT IS WHY THE HORN DOESN'T WORK AND IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE FOR YEARS WITH THESE TRUCKS. BASED ON THE CURRENT RECALLS I AM WONDERING IF THAT ALSO EFFECTS THE AIRBAGS AND IF THEY WILL WORK PROPERLY OR IF THERE COULD BE METAL SHARDS IN THERE THAT WHEN DEPLOYED COULD POSE A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 100,000

RANDOMLY THE FACTORY ALARM GOES OFF THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH THE HORN BLARING. AFTER A WHILE, THE ALARM DRAINS THE BATTERY, EVEN IF IT RESETS. FUSES HAVE BEEN CHANGED, RELAYS, AND A RESET BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY- TO NO AVAIL. *TR

Mileage: 151,231

THE HORN STAYS ON. HAD TO UNPLUG IT. IT IS PART OF THE AIR BAG IN THE STEERING WHEEL. *TR

THE HORN RANDOMLY SOUNDS OFF DURING THE NIGHT. I'VE DISCOVERED ITS A TEMPERATURE THING. WHEN ITS COLD OR THE INTERIOR COOLS DOWN THE HORNS STARTS TO BLOW, BUT WHEN WARM EVERYTHING IS FINE. SO MOSTLY AT NIGHT THIS OCCURS. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL! AS THE CONNECTION RING INSIDE THE AIRBAG IS CLEARLY FAULTY. THE ONLY FIX IS TO REPLACE THE AIR BAG OR PULL THE FUSE TO THE HORN. HOW IS THIS SAFE? I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR AND FOUND THE HORN DIDN'T WORK. THERE WAS NO FUSE! SO I REPLACED IT AND THAT'S WHEN THE PROBLEMS OCCURRED. CLEARLY THE FUSE WAS MISSING FOR THIS VERY REASON. *TR

Mileage: 159,000

1) EVENT LEADING TO THE FAILURE IS UNKNOWN. 2) THE ALARM SYSTEM GOES OFF FOR NO REASON AT ALL TIMES OF DAY OR NIGHT. FREQUENCY IS FROM MINUTES TO SEVERAL HOURS. THE HORN HONKS AND LIGHTS FLASH UNTIL THE ALARM IS RESET OR UNTIL THE BATTERY DIES. 3) FUSES REMOVED BUT ALARM STILL OPERATES. HORNS DISCONNECTED BUT LIGHTS STILL FLASH. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF THE ALARM OR DISABLE THE ALARM WITHOUT ALSO TURNING OFF THE HORN. REPORTEDLY, INORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM A SWITCH BEHIND THE AIR BAG MUST BE REPLACED WHICH ALSO REQUIRES REPLACING THE AIRBAG. REPLACING THE AIRBAG IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AND OVER $1000. THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF THE ALARM IN A SAFE MANNER. CONSUMERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO TOTALLY DISARM OR TURN OFF THE ALARM SYSTEM SIMPLY AND SAFELY. *TR

Mileage: 168,000

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT-END COLLISION WHILE DRIVING AT 70MPH AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUFFERED MINOR BRUISING IN THE COLLISION, AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

Mileage: 66,000

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH IN THE RAIN A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. CONSUMER SWERVED TO AVOID THE DEER AND WENT INTO A DITCH. FRONT OF THE VEHICLE STRUCK A METAL POLE IN A DRIVEWAY AND FLIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES. SEAT BELTS WERE WORN AT THE TIME OF THE COLLISION, BUT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

Mileage: 130,000

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS HIT. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, IT SKIDDED INTO A GUARD RAIL, AND FLIPPED OVER BEFORE ROLLING DOWN A HILL. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. *AK

ROLL OVER ACCIDENT IN 2001 MONTERO LTD. AT 65 MPH THE TRUCK WAS ROLLED OVER 2.5 TIMES AND ENDED UP RESTING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. OF THE FOUR AIRBAGS AVAILABLE, NOT ONE DEPLOYED. THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR PASSENGER EXTERIOR DOOR SKIN, PASSENGER SIDE FRONT INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DOOR SKINS WERE COMPLETELY REMOVED. THE ROOF WAS RESTING ON THE STEERING WHEEL. PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD PILLAR SEPARATED AT BODY. DRIVERS SIDE HEADREST BENT AT 90-DEGREE ANGLE TOWARDS HOOD. PICTURES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Mileage: 69,000

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. NONE OF THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. AS A RESULT THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES WHEN HER HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND HER CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. *NM

Mileage: 45,000

CONSUMER STATES THAT IN A FRONT END COLLISON THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY ON IMPACT CAUSING INJURIES TO DRIVER AND PASSENGER. *MR

WAS TRAVELING 40MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE CAME OUT IN FRONT UNEXPECTEDLY, AND VEHICLE WAS "T" BONED. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER SUFFERED ABDOMINAL/ LEG , AND NECK INJURIES; FRONT PASSENGER SUFFERED NECK AND HAND INJURIES; AND REAR PASSENGER SUFFERED RIGHT KNEE AND ARM INJURIES. ALL RECEIVED EMERGENCY TREATMENT AND RELEASED. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT MITSUBISHI MOTORS WERE NOTIFIED, FIRST THEY SENT OUT AN INSPECTOR, THE TEST WAS DONE ON THE VEHICLE, BUT COULD NOT FOUND ANYTHING, AGAIN ANOTHER MECHANIC WAS ASSIGNED AND CONSUMER IS STILL AWAITING THE RESULT. *YD

MY VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT WAITING FOR A GREEN TURN SIGNAL. OTHER VEHICLE FAILED TO STRAIGHTEN AFTER MAKING A TURN AND HIT MY VEHICLE HEAD-ON. HIS SPEED APPROX .35, MY SPEED 0. HIS AIRBAGS FIRED OFF. MINE DID NOT. DEALER CANNOT GET AIRBAG SYSTEM TO RESET PROPERLY WHILE UNDER REPAIR. THEY SEEM UNCONCERNED. I WANT TO KNOW IF MY AIRBAGS WILL WORK. *AK

WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING AT 50MPH AND I WAS TRAVELING AT 50MPH. THE OTHER CAR WAS TOTALLED AND MY CAR IS SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED 50% OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND TO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. DUE TO THE NEWNESS OF THIS CAR AND MINIMAL CRASH TEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE, I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I FEEL THEY SHOULD HAVE AND DEMAND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND PROOF THAT THE SRS IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. MOST CRASH TESTING IS PERFORMED AT 30MPH AT WHICH THEY DO DEPLOY. HOW DO I GET REASSURANCE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS SAFE AND NOT MALFUNCTIONING? *AK