2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER Complaints

PREMATURE CLUTCH WEAR AND FAILURE. ON MY VEHICLE, A MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VIII, THE CLUTCH STARTED SLIPPING AT 5700 MILES FROM PURCHASE. THE CLUTCH FAILURE OCCURED FROM NORMAL USAGE, AND THIS BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN EXHIBITED IN OTHER EVOLUTIONS AS WELL. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT AS IT CAN LEAD TO THE VEHICLE BECOMING INOPERABLE.*AK

2003 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION CLUTCH DEFECTIVE AT 5500 MILES. ALSO 3RD GEAR SYNCHO IS GONE. VERY WEAK CLUTCH. *LA

I HAD BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW ON JANUARY 10TH, 2004 WITH ABOUT 300 MILES ON THE CAR ALREADY FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT IT FROM FRED BEANS MITSUBISHI. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOT BEEN HARD ON MY CAR AT ALL. BUT ABOUT 2,500 MILES ON THE CAR, MY CLUTCH STARTED TO STICK AND I FELT THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I REPORTED IT TO MITSUBISHI AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A NORMAL THING THESE CAR'S DO. ON MARCH 6TH 2004 I WAS DRIVING NORMALLY DOWN THE BOULEVARD, WHEN OUT OF NOWHERE WHEN I AM STARTING TO PULL AWAY IN MY CAR, THE CLUTCH STICKS DOWN ALL THE WAY AND WOULD NOT RELEASE BACK. I HAD TO SCOOP MY FOOT UNDER IT AND MANUALLY PULL IT BACK. I BARELY GOT IT HOME BEFORE THE CLUTCH TOTALLY DIED ON ME. I TOOK IT TO MITSUBISHI THAT FOLLOWING WEEKEND AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER THE CLUTCH BECAUSE THEY SAY ALL OF US YOUNGSTERS ABUSE CARS AND THAT WE WILL NOT WARRANTY THE PART. SO I HAD TO GO AND SPEND NEARLY $800 TO BUY A NEW CLUTCH AND HAVE IT INSTALLED. I DON'T FEEL THAT I WAS TREATED RIGHT AND FOR THE CAR TO HAVE A CLUTCH GO THAT FAST, IT MUST OF BEEN A DEFECT. BUT THEY JUST WANTED MY MONEY. *LA

I HAVE A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW AND MY CLUTCH HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 3000 MILES COSTING NEARLY 1500 DOLLARS AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BY MITSUBISHI. IT WAS REPLACED WITH A AFTERMARKET CLUTCH I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH AS OF YET AND IT HAS 17000 MILES ON IT. *LA

THE CLUTCH IS SHUTTERING / CHATTERING WHEN PULLING FROM A STOP IN 1ST AND MORE SO IN REVERSE. THIS STARTED HAPPENING MILDLY WHEN NEW AND IS NOW MUCH WORSE AT 7000 MILES. IN REVERSE THE SHAKING AND SHUTTERING IS OFTEN SO BAD I MUST PUSH THE CLUTCH BACK IN AND START OVER. THIS HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS. *LA

WHILE SHIFTING VEHICLE JERKED AND SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

I OWN A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION WITH 10,500 MILES. THE CLUTCH APPEARS TO HAVE PREMATURELY WORN OUT AS ENGAGEMENT IS VERY ROUGH AND CAUSES THE CAR TO JUMP AND LURCH FROM A STAND STILL. COMING FROM A START IN FIRST GEAR IS THE PRIMARY PROBLEM. THIS "CLUTCH SHUTTER/CHATTER" IS VERY COMMON IN THE EVO VIII COMMUNITY AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. THE DEALER TELLS ME IT IS DUE TO A WORN CLUTCH PLATE AND IS A "WEAR ITEM" AND THUS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN AGGRESSIVELY LET ALONE ABUSED. FROM THE INFO I GATHER MANY EVO VIII OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME SYPTOMS WITH EVEN LESS MILEAGE THAN MINE. THIS DEFINETELY SHOULD BE CAUSE FOR A RECALL!!!! THANKS . *AK

I HAVE A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION-8, AND AT APPROXIMATELY 2,400 MILES I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION, AND NO MODIFICATIONS HAD BEED DONE TO THE CAR. IT STARTED OUT AS A 4TH TO 5TH GEAR SHIFTING PROBLEM(GRINDING). IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S RPM SENSITIVE. I HAD THE DEALERSHIP LOOK AT IT, AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH NEED FIXING, HOWEVER, DID AKNOWLEDGE AFTER THEY DROVE IT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING "OUT OF PLACE" WITH MY TRANSMISSION AND DID EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I WAS HAVING. I HAVE HAD THE CAR IN THREE TIMES FOR THIS, BUT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEY HAVE NO DESIRE TO FIX THIS. THEN AROUND 4,500 MILES IT STARTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS GOING INTO SECOND GEAR, AND THIRD GEAR WITH A VERY NOTCHY AND ROUGH ENGAGEMENT. I NOW HAVE 12,500 MILES ON MY CAR AND THE SHIFTING IS GETTING MUCH WORSE. AFTER BROWSING THE INTERNET, I FOUND MANY LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON THIS YEAR AND MODEL OF CAR WITH THE END RESULT BEING THAT THE OWNER OF THE CAR IS AT FAULT AND NOT THE MANUFACTURER/DEALER. ONE REFERENCE # IS 10063730 NHTSA COMPLAINT ID: 464401 ENTERED MARCH 23, 2004.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH CONSUMER SHIFTED GEARS AND SMELLED A BURNING ODOR. VEHICLE WAS PULLED TO THE SHOULDER, AND THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE PUSH ROD TO THE CLUTCH WAS BEND. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE PUSH ROD WAS INDEED BEND. *AK

ROCK CHIPS BEHIND THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR DOOR. MANY LITTLE CHIPS RUNNING UP THE DOOR FRAME. THE CHIPS ARE IN THE CREASE OF THE DOOR JAMB. I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES. I TOOK THE CAR (2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION) TO HALL MITSUBISHI IN NEWPORT NEWS VIRGINIA AROUND JANUARY OR FEBRUARY. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS ROCKS KICKED UP FROM THE ROAD AND DIRECTED ME TO CALL A TOUCH UP PAINT REPAIR SPECIALIST. I HAVE TALKED TO MANY OTHER LANCER EVOLUTION OWNERS AND SEEN FIRST HAND THAT ALMOST EVERY EVOLUTION HAS THIS PROBLEM. I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES OF THE AREA IN QUESTION. THE CHIPS ARE TINY, BUT THEY ARE IN A PLACE ON THE CAR THAT WILL BE VERY SUSCEPTABLE TO RUST. I STARTED NOTICING THE PROBLEMS ABOUT A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY A IMPROPERLY ALIGNED REAR DOOR. SO FAR I HAVE ONLY NOTICED THE PROBLEM ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR. *AK