2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER Complaints

HEATER CONTROL KNOB CANNOT BE ADJUSTED, IT IS STUCK ON COLD. CENTER SHAFT IS BROKEN FOR THE KNOB. *TR

THE DEFROST/AIR CONDITIONER/HEAT CONTROL SWITCH HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY FROM DAY ONE. IT IS A FIGHT FOR HOURS TO GET THE CONTROL TO TURN. WAS TOLD IN 2003 THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD WORK ITSELF OUT WITH USE IN DUE TIME, IT NEVER DID. NOW THE SWITCH IS STUCK BETWEEN THE HEAT AND THE AIR CONDITIONING MARK AND I CANNOT GET IT TO TURN TO EITHER. I CALLED THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST AROUND $1,400.00 TO FIX THE MANUFACTURING DEFECT. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED IN 2005 CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM, BUT, THE DEALER WAS NOT OBLIGATED , ACCORDING TO THEM, TO CHECK EACH CAR IT COVERED FOR THE PROBLEM. I FEEL NHTSA SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL CONCERNING THIS DEFECT, BECAUSE IF ONE CANNOT USE THEIR DEFROSTER WHILE DRIVING WHEN NEEDED, THEN IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM IF THEY CANNOT SEE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD! *TR

HEATING CONTROL DOES NOT TURN. PART NUMBER MN185137HC IS BROKEN. I WAS TOLD BY MISTUBISHI DEALER IN SAN JOSE, CA THAT THE PART IS DEFECTIVE AND COMMONLY BREAKS IN LANCERS. HE SAID IT SHOULD BE RECALLED BUT MITSUBISHI HAS NOT DONE SO. ESTIMATED COST OF REPAIR WAS $300 FOR A NEW CONTROLLER ASSEMBLY PART, $80 TO FIX AIR VENTS SO THAT DUST DOES NOT SPEW, AND ANOTHER $600 IN LABOR COSTS FOR A TOTAL OF $980. *TR

I GOT INTO MY CAR TO START AND IT WOULD TURN OVER BUT NOT START. AFTER REPLACING THE FUEL PUMP, CHECKING ALL THE FUSES AND RELAYS, STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. THE WIRE HARNESS FUSE BLOCK THAT SITS INSIDE THE DRIVERS FOOT WELL HAS BEEN CORRODED BY WATER FROM A LEAK IN THE FIRE WALL. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT EVEN GOES BACK TO THE PREVIOUS GENERATION , EVO VII, AND WASN'T FIXED FOR THE FOLLOWING GENERATION, EVO IX. *TR

THE HEATER KNOB ON MY MITSUBISHI LANCER WAS HARD TO TURN FROM HOT TO COLD FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME I GOT THE CAR WITH 65000 MILES. ONE DAY THE KNOB BROKE. I WENT TO THE OFFICIAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEATING DASHBOARD PIECE AND I PAID OVER 400.00. THE KNOB EVEN AFTER THIS WAS NOT EASY TO TURN AND AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF BROKE AGAIN. NOW I FIND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALER NEVER MENTIONED THIS OR OFFERED ANY ALTERNATE SOLUTION WHEN I MENTIONED THE KNOB WAS STILL HARD. I CAN'T DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD SINCE I CANNOT CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE. MY WINDOWS GET ALL STEAMY AND I CAN'T SEE WHILE DRIVING. IF I TRY TO REACH UNDER THE DASHBOARD WHILE DRIVING TO MOVE THE PLASTIC PART THAT CONNECTS TO THE HEATER IS HAZARDOUS SINCE I HAVE TO BEND AND TRY TO REACH UNDER MY DASHBOARD. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL!! *KB

TEMPERATURE KNOB WAS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO TURN, THEN IT BROKE COMPLETELY OFF. NOT A PROBLEM FOR THE SUMMER (IT'S STUCK ON COLD) BUT NEEDS TO BE FIXED FOR THE WINTER SO THAT THE CAR CAN DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. TECHNICIAN SAID IT WOULD BE BETWEEN $1500-2000 TO REPAIR BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE DASHBOARD AND REPLACE THE ENTIRE KNOB PANEL PLUS FIX THE REAL PROBLEM WHICH IS THE "AIR MIX DOOR LEVER". APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MISTUBISHI OWNERS AND THE COMPANY HAS NOT DONE A RECALL TO FIX IT; THEREFORE OWNERS ARE DROPPING $1000S OF DOLLARS TO GET THEIR CAR OPERATIONAL FOR SEASONAL TEMP CHANGES. ISN'T IT A SAFETY HAZARD IF YOUR DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK??? *TR

THE HEATING/ COOLING KNOB WILL NOT TURN TO HEAT. DEFROST IS MINIMAL, WHICH OBSTRUCTS VIEW WHEN DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. HEAT IN CAR IS ABSENT, REQUIRING BLANKET TO BE USED TO KEEP DRIVER WARM IN COLD CHICAGO WINTERS. KNOB MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THIS IS A MECHANICAL DESIGN ERROR. MATERIALS INVOLVED ARE PLASTIC AND METAL. WITHOUT HEAT FOR DEFROSTING AND MAINTAINING A COMFORTABLE CABIN TEMPERATURE, DRIVING SAFETY IS COMPROMISED. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL, THANK YOU.

I HAVE TWO ISSUES WHICH SEEM TO HAVE BOTH ALREADY BEEN REPORTED. 1. WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION WILL IDLE HIGH WHILE DRIVING, BUT THE VEHICLE IS NOT SPEEDING UP. THEN WITHOUT WARNING THE TRANSMISSION CATCHES, AND THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD. THIS IS A RANDOM ISSUE THAT HAPPENS DAILY WITH THE VEHICLE. SERVICING THE TRANSMISSION HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM AND CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM TO THIS DAY. 2.THE HEATER/AC CONTROL KNOW BECAME VERY DIFFICULTY TO CHANGE BETWEEN HEATER AND A/C. THE SWITCH HAS FINALLY BROKE OFF, AND NOW I'M UNABLE TO SWITCH BETWEEN HEATER AND A/C. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND THIS ALSO SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM THAT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE FOUND MOST OTHER AUTO OWNERS HAVE PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT, BUT ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM OCCUR AGAIN. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON BOTH OF THESE ISSUES AND IS HAS BEEN REPORTED AS FAR BACK AS 2004, AND AT THIS POINT I DO SEE ANY RECALLS BY MITSUBISHI TO FIX EITHER OF THE PROBLEMS. *TR

AS WITH SO MANY OTHER LANCERS NOTED HERE, MY WIFE'S 2003 LANCER'S TEMP CONTROL KNOB HAS BROKEN. OVER A PERIOD OF A FEW YEARS THE KNOB CONTINUALLY GOT HARDER TO TURN AND RECENTLY JUST BROKE OFF. I ALSO GAVE HER A PAIR OF NEEDLE-NOSE PLIERS TO TURN THE PLASTIC NUB THAT IS LEFT, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS WILL WORK AS EACH TIME SHE DOES IT WEARS DOWN THE PLASTIC SOME. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A WIDE-SPREAD PROBLEM AND NOT JUST A NUISANCE, AS MY WIFE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO DEFROST HER WINDOWS AS NEEDED FOR VISIBILITY. SHAME ON MITSUBISHI FOR NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE, LET ALONE FOR NOT FIXING IT. *TR

THE HEATING/COOLING KNOB HAS BEEN HARD TO TURN SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE FORCED TO SWITCH FROM WARM TO COOL. EVENTUALLY THE KNOB BROKE OFF. MITSUBISHI WAS CONTACTED AND A COMPLAINT WAS FILED BUT SINCE IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT. THE CABLE WAS REPLACED BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED, IT WAS STILL JUST AS HARD TO TURN. APPROX 1 1/2 YEARS LATER THE KNOB BROKE OFF AGAIN RESULTING IN NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE AND ENGAGE THE DEFROSTER. *TR