2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER Complaints

SINCE I HAVE HAD MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VIII I HAVE HAD 4 PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DRIVETRAIN. FIRST AT 1300 MILES, MY CLUTCH WENT OUT. IT WAS NOT WARRANTED EVEN THOUGH THE MITSUBISHI WARRANTY SAID 12000 MILES OR 12 MONTHS. THEN AGAIN AT ABOUT 14000 MILES THE CLUTCH FAILED AGAIN, AND IT WAS STILL NOT A WARRANTY PROBLEM. FINALLY AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES AROUND THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY THIS YEAR THE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL BLEW, CAUSING THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. FORTUNATELY THAT WAS WARRANTED, ALTHOUGH I STILL HAD TO PAY FOR A THIRD CLUTCH. I WAS WITH OUT MY CAR FOR OVER A MONTH WHILE I HAD TO WAIT FOR THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND A TRANSMISSION TO REPLACE MINE. *JB

I OWN A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION THAT WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF 2003. THE CAR HAD RUN FINE UNTIL ABOUT MAY 12TH OF THIS YEAR. THE CAR STARTED PERFORMING ODDLY. THE TURBO AND ENGINE WOULD NOT PROVIDE FULL POWER AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE DRIVING. I WAS INFORMED BY MECHANICS THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE A VACUUM LINE LEAK OR HOSE LEAK. ACTING ON THEIR ADVICE, I PURCHASED FROM THE DEALERSHIP REPLACEMENT FACTORY VACUUM HOSES AND REPLACED THEM ON THE CAR. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I THEN DECIDED TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BEING THAT THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. DURING THIS TIME THE ENGINE HAD ALSO PICKED UP A SLIGHT TICKING SOUND. AFTER TWO DAYS I WAS CONTACTED SAYING THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM OTHER THAN MY INTERCOOLER HOSES BEING A LITTLE LOOSE FROM HAVING REMOVED AND REPLACED THEM TO DO THE HOSE INSTALL. I WAS THEN CHARGED 200$ FOR LABOR. I PICKED THE CAR UP AND IMMEDIATELY UPON HEADING HOME COULD FEEL THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE/TURBO AND TICKING. I TOOK THE CAR BACK IMMEDIATELY AND LET THE SERVICE MANAGER HEAR THE TICKING AND INFORMED HIM THAT THE CAR WAS STILL HAVING ENGINE PROBLEMS. HE ASKED ME TO BRING IT BACK ON MONDAY AND THEY WOULD THEN ADDRESS THE ISSUE. I RETURNED MY VEHICLE TO THE SHOP THAT MONDAY AND WAS NOT CONTACTED UNTIL I CALLED THEM ON THURSDAY ONLY TO BE TOLD MY WARRANTY WAS NOT BEING HONORED BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD BEEN 'MESSING AROUND' NEAR THE TURBO (THE LOCATION THE VACUUM LINES WERE REPLACED). I INFORMED THEM WHY THEY WOULD SEE THAT AND I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED TO OPEN A CASE WITH MMNA TO APPEAL THEIR DECISION. THAT APPEAL WAS ALSO REJECTED AS THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE OF THAT LOCATION WOULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAD TO SAY. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE CAR TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AND I AM LEFT WITH HAVING TO PAY OUT OF POCKET NOW TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX A PROBLEM WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

THE VEHICLE STICKS IN THIRD GEAR. THE CONSUMER HAS LOCATED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET. *AK

THE TRANSMISSION IS SKIPPING. THE CAR WOULD DRIVE BY ITSELF WITHOUT ME ACCELERATING, THE RPMS WOULD BE AT 3-4 X1000 RPMS WHILE THE CAR IS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT OR SOMETHING ELSE WORSE. *AK

WAS IN A 45 MPH REAR END COLLISION. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BACK SEAT PASSENGER SEAT BELT AND TETHER CLIP FAILED. SONS CAR SEAT HIT THE BACK OF PASSENGER SEAT, LUCKILY I HAD ALREADY DROPPED IN OFF AT DAY CARE.*AK

LOSS OF CLUTCH OPERATION WHILE AT RED STOP LIGHT, CLUTCH PEDAL DEPRESSED, CAR IN FIRST GEAR, FOOT SLIGHTLY ON BRAKE. CLUTCH PEDAL STARTED FEELING SOFT, THEN WITHOUT CLUTCH PEDAL MOVEMENT, CLUTCH ENGAGED. LATER THAT DAY, I FIND "OIL" UNDER MY CAR. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND REPORTED PROBLEM, AND WAS ADVISED THAT SLAVE CYLINDER WAS LEAKING.

CAR WAS DRIVING FINE. THEN STARTED ACTING FUNNY SHIFTING. KEPT GETTING WORSE SO TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THE CAR HAD 37000 MILES ON IT AND THE WARRENTY RAN OUT AT 35000. ENDED UP BEING THE SLAVE CYLINDER. THE DEALER WANTED $1200. TOOK IT TO A LOCAL SHOP BUT STILL COST $38.10. *AK

MITSUBISHI LANCER 2003, DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION AND BRAKES. *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AT EVERY SPEED AND NO ONE WOULD ADMIT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THE BRAKES WOULD FADE AND VIBRATE MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STOP. *JB

THE LOW BEAMS ON THE VEHICLE DO NOT LIGHT FAR ENOUGH AT NIGHT MAKING THE ABILITY TO SEE THE ROAD DIFFICULT. MANUFACTURER WILL BE CONTACTED BY CONSUMER. *NM

EVER SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR I'VE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH IT, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON, AT FIRST THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT IT FROM, ROCKLAND MITSUBISHI IN NY, SAID IT WAS JUST A SENSOR IN MY GAS TANK, BUT AFTER FIXING IT, IT KEPT COMING BACK ON. FINALLY THEY TOLD ME IT WAS MY FAULT, I HAD TO TURN MY CAR OFF COMPLETELY BEFORE PUMPING MY GAS, CLOSE MY TANK TIGHTLY, THEN START MY CAR BACK UP. THIS BACK AND FORTH CONTINUED UNTIL MY NORMAL WARRANTY RAN OUT. AT 70K MILES, MY TRANSMISSION STARTED SKIPPING, AND MY ENGINE BEGAN PUTTERING. FINALLY TOOK IT TO MITSUBISHI AGAIN, THEY SAID THEY TOOK CARE OF IT. AT 80K NOW, MY TRANSMISSION AS COMPLETELY DIED, I TOOK IT TO AAMCO AND THEY SAY I NEED A COMPLETELY NEW TRANSMISSION. *JB