2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER Complaints

View complaints related to 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 280 complaints submitted for the 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION
    - BRICK, NJ

    WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH MY TRANSFER CASE ON MY 2003 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION UNEXPLAINABLE BEGAN TO MAKE A LOUD WHINING NOISE, ALTHOUGH ONLY HAVING ROUGHLY 13,500 MILES. AS I PULLED THE CAR OVER I COULD HERE THAT THERE WAS A METALLIC CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE TRANSFER CASE ALSO. TO CORRECT THIS THE TRANSFER CASE WILL NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. *NM

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION
    - KING OF PRUSSIA, PA

    AFTER ONLY 8057 MILES ON MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION, MY TRANSFER CASE STARTED TO WHINE QUITE BADLY. AFTER READING SOME TECH ARTICLES, I FOUND THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON FAILURE. I ALSO KNOW THAT MITSUBISHI HAS HAD TRANSFER CASE RECALLS IN THE PAST DUE TO THEIR POOR REAR SEAL DESIGN. THE RECALLS WERE BASED OFF OF LAWSUITS AND DEATHS TO INDIVIDUALS DRIVING THEIR VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN ALL FOUR WHEELS HAVE LOCKED ON THEM CAUSING CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. BASED ON MITSUBISHI'S TRACK RECORD, AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS UNDER TRANSFER CASE FAILURE, IT IS A NEGLIGENT ACT FOR THEM TO OVERLOOK THIS PROBLEM. A RECALL IS NECESSARY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY! *JB

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER
    - ANDERSON, CA

    2003 LANCER OVERHEATED AND RAN ROUGH CAUSING LOSS OF COOLANT. MECHANIC DETERMINED THERE WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. *TS THE CONSUMER THOUGHT THE PROBLEM MAY HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE RECALL THAT WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE PREVIOUSLY. *JB

    Source: CONSUMER LETTER
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER
    - GILBERT, SC

    I TURNED THE HOT/COLD DIAL TO HOT ONE WINTER MORNING AND THE CABLE SNAPPED THERE FOR THE HEAT DID NOT WORK ANYMORE. I TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIRS, THEY REPLACED THE CABLE $300 LATER IT SNAPPED AGAIN 2 MONTHS LATER. NO THE MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME THAT ITS THE HEATER BOX THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND ITS GOING TO COST ME $2000 TO HAVE IT REPLACE. SO NOW ITS NOVEMBER 15 AND I DON'T HAVE ANY HEAT! *NM

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER
    - APACHE, OK

    DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEATING AND COOLING CONTROL KNOB FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE HEATING AND COOLING CONTROL KNOB WAS REDESIGNED AND THAT THERE WERE NONE OF THE ORIGINAL KNOBS IN STOCK.*AK

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION
    - HAMILTON, MO

    VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT USED. STILL HAS REMAINING FACTORY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. VEHICLE HAD CLUTCH PROBLEMS WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY OF VEHICLE IN JULY. DEALER WAS INFORMED OF PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY AFTER TEST DRIVING VEHICLE. DEALER PROTESTED A REPLACEMENT. HAD SERVICE RECORDS PULLED FOR VEHICLE. CLUTCH WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY FOR FIRST OWNER. DEALER REPLACED DISC AND PRESSURE PLATE. LEFT ASSEMBLY LINE THROWOUT BEARING ON VEHICLE. STATED THAT IT IS A "NON-WEAR" ITEM. THROWOUT BEARING FAILED TO DISENGAGE CAUSING DISC FRICTION MATERIAL TO BE "SPUN" SOME TIME BACK. DEALER WAS INFORMED OF THIS INCIDENT. AGAIN, PROTESTED REPLACEMENT STATING IT IS A "NON-WARRANTY ITEM". CLUTCH IS CONSIDERED A WEAR ITEM, EVEN THOUGHT IT IS THE INTEGRAL LINK IN THE POWERTRAIN ASSEMBLY. CLUTCH COMPLETELY FAILED AND LEFT THIS AUTHOR STRANDED 45 MILES FROM HOME, ON THIS DATE. DEALER AGAIN NOTIFIED AND ONCE AGAIN, I WAS DENIED A CLAIM. *JB

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER
    - STATEN ISLAND, NY

    WHEN I TURN ON THE HEAT IN MY CAR THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE INTERIOR OF MY CAR FLOODS.. NOT A LITTLE LEAK, ACTUAL FLOODS ?? THE A/C FAN NO LONGER TURN ON UNLESS YOU PUT IT ON THE MAX. SETTING MY CAR ONLY HAS 44K MILES ON IT AND THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. *JB

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION
    - ARCADIA, CA

    P0300 MULTI-CYLINDER RANDOM MISFIRE. AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS MADE MY MITSUBISHI, THIS PROBLEM HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED. ON AVERAGE, THIS HAPPENS 3-4 TIMES DAILY, EVERYDAY AND HINDERS DRIVEABILITY. MITSUBISHI HAS ISSUED PARTS TO BE WARRANTED AND HAS DENIED ALL RESPONSIBILITY. MITSUBISHI HAS QUOTED THAT THE SES (CHECK ENGINE LIGHT) IN NO WAY, WHEN ILLUMINATED, AFFECTS DRIVEABILITY, VALUE, MECHANICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE VEHICLE. THEREFORE, IN SHORT, THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT THE LIGHT IS JUST FOR SHOW. I HAVE WRITTEN PROOF FROM MITSUBISHI WITH THAT STATEMENT DENYING ALL CLAIMS AND NOT TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY. *NM

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER
    - SYRACUSE, NY

    OUR 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES HAS ONLY 15,520 MILES ON IT AND WE'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND I ASKED IF THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES ON THIS MODEL OF MITSUBISHI, EXPLAINING THAT MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR AND IT IS PARKED IN A COVERED GARAGE, AS EVIDENCED BY THE EXCELLENT CONDITION AND LOW MILEAGE. I WAS TOLD THIS SEEMS TO BE LOW MILEAGE FOR THE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS TO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT, BUT THAT HAPPENS. *NM

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER
    - KANSAS CITY, MO

    I BOUGHT MY 2003 LANCER ES WHEN IT HAD 16,000 MILES ON IT, BY ABOUT 30,000 MILES I NOTICED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO BE SLIPPING, SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING AND I WOULD LET UP ON ACCELERATOR TO SLOW AND THEN WOULD DEPRESS ACCELERATOR AGAIN THE CAR WOULD ACT LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE, THIS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AND AT SLOW SPEEDS, 30 MILES AN HOUR OR SLOWER. ON 8-25-05 I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AT NORTHTOWNE MITSUBISHI AND REPORTED THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THE RIGHT PASSENGER BALL JOINT HAD FAILED INSPECTION AT 34000 MILES. I ASKED THE DEALER TO LOOK AT TRANSMISSION AT THE SAME TIME, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD CHECK IT OUT, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION DEVELOPED A MEMORY AND IF ONE PERSON DROVE IT HARDER THAT ANOTHER THIS COULD HAPPEN, SOUNDED LIKE A BUNCH OF HOOEY TO ME, BUT I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT CARS. I TOOK THE CAR BACK IN ON DEC. 30, 2005 FOR A RECALL ON CAR,SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE EMISSIONS AND AGAIN COMPLAINED ABOUT TRANSMISSION, WAS TOLD AGAIN, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. NOW MY CAR IS MAKING A WHINING NOISE, TOOK THE CAR TO A GOODYEAR SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD MY TRANSMISSION WAS THE PROBLEM AND NEEDS REPAIR, MY CAR HAS APPROX 43000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER NEVER PUT ON MY SERVICE TICKETS TO LOOK AT TRANSMISSION, JUST TO CHECK OVER VEHICLE. I FEEL THEY WERE TRYING TO PUT ME OFF TILL MY CAR WENT OUT OF WARRANTY. MY POWERTRAIN IS NOW STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT THE REST IS NOT. I AM VERY UPSET. *NM

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE