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Mitsubishi tipover scare
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June 22, 2001: 10:33 a.m. ET
The 2001 Montero SUV gets a red flag from Consumer Reports magazine
Julie Vallese
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - If you're shopping around for a sport/utility vehicle, be aware that the Mitsubishi 2001 Montero received a thumbs-down from Consumer Reports after the car failed key emergency avoidance-maneuver tests.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission last week made the largest stroller recall to date of some 650,000 combination car seat/strollers manufactured by Century after receiving hundreds of reports of injuries.
Consumer safety affects us all. Unfortunately, it can be tough to track down information on product recalls, crash tests and government warnings. CNNfn is here to help. Send us your questions at consumer@cnnfn.com and we'll do our best to get them answered. The Q&A appears weekly on this page.
Question: I heard you had a report on the SUV Mitsubishi Limited recreation auto, stating that the vehicle is prone to tipping over on two wheels at 37 miles per hour. What are the details?
Answer: The publication Consumer Reports announced Tuesday in vehicle testing they found flaws in the Mitsubishi Montero Limited, a mid-size sport/utility vehicle. In their evaluation of the SUV Consumer Reports deemed it "not acceptable." The test, conducted in May, was to show how the Montero Limited handles when a driver steers sharply to avoid an obstacle.
Consumer Reports also tested the Dodge Durango, 2002 Ford Explorer, 2002 GMC Envoy, 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2001 Nissan Pathfinder and the 2001 Toyota 4Runner. All other vehicles passed this test.
Mitsubishi contends it was how the vehicle was being driven that forced the vehicle to tip on two wheels. They felt that it was not a simulation of how the vehicle is driven in the real world. The industry expert we talked to agreed.
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The Mitsubishi Montero Limited has earned a rare "not acceptable" rating from Consumer Reports after it said tests show it is prone to tipping up on two wheels in emergency maneuvers. | |
Casaba Cseres of Car and Driver magazine said, "The fact is the average driver is not a highly trained race driver or test driver and is never going to whip the wheel hard enough this way and then that way in order to produce this kind of result. It's highly unlikely."
"We have searched our records and have found no reported incidents or complaints of rollover crashes in this vehicle, not one," said Mitsubishi President and Chief Operating Officer Pierre Gagnon. "We have invested thousands of hours in the design and testing of the 2001 Montero and we have validated its stability with additional testing over the past two weeks. Consumers Union created an outcome that misrepresents the safety of the vehicle and misinforms the public."
But Consumer Reports stands by their evaluation and wants the vehicle recalled. The experts we talked with said if you are a responsible driver,
obey traffic laws and speed limits and always wear your seatbelt, the
risk of unexpected problems in your vehicles and the risk of injury is
reduced drastically.
Question: I heard that you are recalling certain strollers. Which models are involved in the recall?
Answer: It is not CNNfn that is recalling certain strollers but the Consumer
Product Safety Commission.
The CPSC said Century Products Co., of Macedonia, Ohio, is recalling
about 650,000 4-in-1 strollers because the strollers can unexpectedly
collapse or the car seat/carrier adapter can unexpectedly detach.
Century has received 681 reports of incidents, including 250 injuries sustained when the stroller unexpectedly collapsed or the car seat/carrier adapter detached. The most serious of the injuries included concussions, skull fractures, a fractured elbow and chipped teeth.
The recalled strollers go by the model names "Take 2," "TravelSolutions," "Pioneer," "Travelite," and "Pro Sport". The CPSC is advising parents to stop using the strollers and contact Century for a free repair kit. You can contact Century toll-free at (800) 766-9998 anytime . Consumers should have their strollers available, as Century will help consumers determine if they have one of the recalled models.
Consumers also can log on to the company's Website at www.centuryproducts.com or write to Consumer Affairs, Century Products,
Box 100, Elverson, PA 19520. 
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