Motor Control Unit Recall

[Don]

Just got a notice in the mail today. Mitsu wants to change out the MCU for cars built between November 4, 2011 and May 8, 2012. We bought our original iMiEV in early May and it falls under this recall. Our other one was built later

"Certain internal components were not manufactured to factory specifications" which can cause reduced power and charging problems

If you have a car built between the above dates, be looking for a recall notice in the mail

Don

 

[PV1]

Along with my battery warranty extension notice, I was also notified of a service campaign (this was on the letter for Koorz, my silver i-MiEV).

Here's the original letter:

Customer Satisfaction Campaign SC-15-002

Dear Mitsubishi Owner,

Mitsubishi Motors always strives to build vehicles with the highest level of quality, and continuously improve that quality with every vehicle built. To help assure continued satisfaction with your Mitsubishi vehicle, we are recommending that the following product improvement be performed on certain 2012 i-MiEV vehicles built from November 4, 2011 to May 8, 2012.

Recommended Product Improvement:
The Motor Control Unit (MCU) in your i-MiEV may contain certain internal components that were not manufactured to factory specifications. This can lead to an unstable voltage within the circuit, potentially resulting in reduced electric motor power (turtle mode) during vehicle operation. In the worst case scenario, MCU related functions such as starting the vehicle and/or charging the Main Drive lithium-ion battery may be prohibited.

What your dealer will do:
Your local certified i-MiEV Mitsubishi dealer will replace the MCU, free of charge. This repair will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete. However, the dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time due to scheduling. Every effort will be made to minimize your inconvenience.

What you should do:
Please contact your local Certified i-MiEV Mitsubishi dealership to schedule an appointment. Although not required, it is recommended to bring this letter when you take your vehicle into the dealership.

If you have any questions regarding this customer satisfaction campaign, please contact us:

Mitsubishi Customer Relations Department
P.O. Box 6400
Cypress, CA 90630-0064
Phone 1-888-648-7820
Hours: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 4 PM Pacific Time

If you have already encountered a problem with the MCU and had it replaced as a result of this specific condition and have paid for the repair, you may send your original repair order or invoice, and original receipt/proof of payment to the following address for reimbursement consideration:

Mitsubishi Customer Relations Department, P.O. Box 6400 Cypress, CA 90630-0064

We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter, and apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

 

[tigger19687]

According to 'My Garage" on Mitsu website, Mine must not be one of them.
But then again it doesn't tell me that the Battery Warranty is for 10 years either

 

[Don]

According to 'My Garage" on Mitsu website, Mine must not be one of them.

No need to wonder - The manufacture date is on your door jamb . . . .

I just discovered BOTH of my cars fall under this recall

Don

 

[rkarl89203]

It doesn't say ALL cars between those dates, just "certain" ones.
Mine was built in April 2012, so I am in the possible group.
Was glad to get the letter extending the battery warranty today,

 

[DougC]

Got my notice today.

Now just need to get the car to the dealer, just over my range .

 

[davidricardo86]

I received my notice yesterday. My battery warranty has been extended to 10 years and I've got to take in my i-MiEV to my local dealership for an MCU replacement. I also received notification through the Mitsubishi owners website.

 

[PV1]

For other i-MiEV drivers affected by this recall, do you notice a slight high-pitched noise when the car is in a drive mode, but not moving? Koorz is affected by this recall, and the MCU makes a slight high-pitched noise (coil whine) when in a drive mode, slip it into Neutral or Park, and the noise stops instantly.

I am wondering if the coil whine is related to this campaign. Bear is not part of this recall, and does not exhibit coil whine while stationary in a drive mode.

 

[tigger19687]

Mine was built Feb 2012

So far no notice and nothing on their Web for my car (they have a recall tab )

 

[Pekelo]

Got the letter and called my dealer. They state that they would need to keep the car overnight because they need to discharge the battery to replace the part.

 

[PV1]

Umm, I don't think so. Do they know about the service plug under the driver's seat? Pull that and no voltage at the MCU.

 

[ScootJockey]

I also received the letter this week. My dealer has the new MCU on order for me. Has anyone had the recall work done yet? It would be nice to have a look at Mitsubishi's instructions to the dealers on this.

 

[ChaplainBill]

My car was built on the last monday in Oct, and the recall date starts on that friday, November 4, 2011. When I called for the info from Mitsubishi, they said that my car was not subject to the recall. I question whether they really have the info about which motor control unit went into which vehicle during the assembly that week, because my vehicle has had charging and range problems for the past 6 month. I have taken it in for two week stay, and they said it was normal, but I am skeptical about the truthfulness of the dealership. They wish my vehicle would just go away.
What can I do to really find out if my MCU needs to be replaced? If I try to have it fixed and it is not defective, then I will have to pay for all of it! Is there any way to test the vehicle's MCU, or do I have to just trust this dealership here in Hawaii?
For example, when I had a humming noise coming from my front left wheel, they insisted that I needed new tires, which I bought at considerable expense (none available except from them!), even though they had plenty of tread. The noise continued, and got loud enough that I took it into my local tire shop, and they said the wheel bearing had failed. Mitsubishi dealership said it was NOT a warranty item because I had 50K already, but eventually they covered it, and I roll along quietly now. But the range is not right, and I question the dealership's honesty with these cars.
What can I do? Any advice? Aloha

 

[JoeS]

OK, we're starting to veer off-track. Here's what we do know:

Customer Satisfaction Campaign SC-15-002
…we are recommending that the following product improvement be performed on certain 2012 i-MiEV vehicles built from November 4, 2011 to May 8, 2012… your i-MiEV may contain certain internal components that were not manufactured to factory specifications. This can lead to an unstable voltage within the circuit, potentially resulting in reduced electric motor power (turtle mode) during vehicle operation. In the worst case scenario, MCU related functions such as starting the vehicle and/or charging the Main Drive lithium-ion battery may be prohibited….Your local certified i-MiEV Mitsubishi dealer will replace the MCU, free of charge. This repair will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete. However, the dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time due to scheduling….

Sounds to me as though they identified one or more marginal components, that's all.

My car was built on the last monday in Oct, and the recall date starts on that friday, November 4, 2011. When I called for the info from Mitsubishi, they said that my car was not subject to the recall. I question whether they really have the info about which motor control unit went into which vehicle during the assembly that week, because my vehicle has had charging and range problems for the past 6 month. I have taken it in for two week stay, and they said it was normal, but I am skeptical…

I don't think you need to be skeptical, as modern Configuration Management has a very tight rein on just about anything that goes into the car - both internally driven, as well as for compliance with external regulations (I'm speculating on that one).

What can I do to really find out if my MCU needs to be replaced? If I try to have it fixed and it is not defective, then I will have to pay for all of it! Is there any way to test the vehicle's MCU, or do I have to just trust this dealership here in Hawaii?…But the range is not right, and I question the dealership's honesty with these cars. What can I do? Any advice? Aloha

ChaplainBill, from their description it doesn't sound as though there is any connection between your reduced range (battery degradation?) and the problems associated with the MCU, as you are still able to 'fully' charge. I personally would be hesitant to have anyone touch my car unless it was really really proven to be necessary. If you can live with your 'apparent' reduced range, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[DougC]

I called the dealer on this recall. They were not very helpful. I would have to drop off the car for them to inspect, then determine if parts were needed, order any parts, then do the work. No help getting the car there, as I'm too far away to drive it.

 

[Pekelo]

I just had this recall done by the dealer this week. They ordered the part and set a date to do the work. Left it overnight. The service advisor said the this would be the first time they would do this job. I told her that you're not supposed to tell that it is your first gig! Got it next morning,only issue I saw was the clock time was wrong. I reset the time zone. Did not ask for the dealers instructions. The invoice stated that they preformed C1508E01 Replace iMiev motor control unit set. Stated they performed SC-15-002,removed and replaced BMU. Reprogrammed BMU.Cleared all DTC. Performed road test. Verified vehicle operation is normal. Parts included control unit,ev motor,packing,ev control elec and long life coolant,super. They also did world class vehicle multi-point inspection. Everything was green except for the front tires yellow 4/32nd. Glad to have the car back, everything seems OK. 18933 miles on car.

 

[kiev]

Thanks for sharing this, my dealer ordered the parts and i'm waiting for the call to bring it in.

In the list of items, were there just 3 items?

ev motor control unit

ev control electrical packing (gasket?)

super long life coolant

 

[Pekelo]

Aloha kiev
Just the three parts were listed.

 

[ScootJockey]

My car is currently at the dealer having this done. I dropped it off at 9:00 AM and was told that it would only take four hours. At 5:00 PM they called saying that they would need the car another full day. This is also the first MCU recall my dealer has done. I would love to see a copy of the service instructions Mitsubishi has sent out with the recall parts. I'll ask tomorrow to see if they are willing to share those with me.

 

[kiev]

They called and said the parts were in.

i've looked at the manual and can't find anything about needing to drain the pack to turtle before doing this procedure, but that is what they told me would need to be done. So i'm only going to charge enough to get it there.

The parts sheet indicated that the book time for the job is 1.7 hours, but it probably takes longer the first couple of times, especially running the MUT procedures.