2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER Complaints

MULTIPLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ACTIVATED SIMPLTANEOUSLY (ABS, SRS, BATTERY, EMERGENCY BRAKE) AT THE SAME TIME THE HORN AND WIPERS MALFUNCTIONED IT WAS QUITE DISORIENTING AND HAPPENED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN A RAINSTORM! QUITE UNSAFE.

2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER OZ RALLY EDITION , SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAR ENGINE REVS TO 3000-4000 RPM. DOES NOT HAVE ABS SO YOU CAN STOP THE CAR, TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND YOU WILL FIND THE CAR ACCELERATING TO 50 MPH WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. CAN BE FIXED BY REPLACING PN# MR578268 FOR $465( IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE) , A PART THAT IS ABOUT $30 TO $70 DOLLARS FOR ANY OTHER CAR. EVENT HAPPENS AT 3-4 MONTH INTERVALS. HAD TO GOOGLE ON INTERNET TO SOLVE PROBLEM. DEALERS WON'T ADMIT PROBLEM BUT HAVE THE OVERPRICED PART IN STOCK!

THIS IS A HEALTH ISSUE FOR US BECAUSE MY HUSBAND HAS MS AND IS SENSITIVE TO HEAT ESPECIALLY, BUT ALSO CAN BE SENSITIVE TO COLD. THE HEATER KNOB ON MY VEHICLE BROKE. IT HAD BEEN STICKING FOR A WHILE. I HAD TO TURN THE KNOB PRETTY HARD TO PUSH FROM COLD TO HOT OR HOT TO COLD. IN RESEARCHING A WAY TO FIX IT I WAS APPALLED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN INITIATED BY MITSUBISHI. AT THIS POINT WE JUST NEED TO REPLACE ONE SMALL SHAFT FOR THE KNOB TO SLIP ONTO, BUT THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS WE HAVE TO BUY THE WHOLE UNIT - $215 PLUS SHIPPING AND LABOR. WITH MY HUSBAND HAVING MS, WE ARE ALWAYS PAYING MEDICAL BILLS. WE WENT TO A SALVAGE YARD AND THE HEATER ASSEMBLY WAS MISSING FROM THE ONLY LANCER ON THE LOT AND ACCORDING TO ONE PERSON EVERY LANCER HE SAW COME THROUGH HAD THE LEFT KNOB BROKEN OFF THE HEATER TEMP CONTROLLER. NOW IT IS COLD IN THE MORNINGS AND WARM IN THE AFTERNOONS AND WE CANNOT ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE AT ALL. WE HAD BEEN USING PLIERS BUT NOW CANNOT MOVE IT AT ALL. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS BECAUSE IT IS A HEALTH ISSUE FOR THOSE WITH MS AND OTHER NEUROLOGICAL AND AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. *TR

THE TEMPERATURE KNOB WILL NOT TURN FROM COOL TO HEAT RESULTING IN THE FAILURE TO HEAT THE WINDSHIELD. IN TURN, ANY FROST, ICE, OR FOG WILL NOT BE REMOVED AND HINDERS VISION. *TR

SINCE WE PURCHASED THE CAR WE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING; BUT TOLD THAT THE KNOBS ARE A LITTLE HARD TO TURN AND THERE IS NO PROBLEM. THE CONTROLS FINALLY BECAME INOPERABLE; WHICH PUTS OUR SAFETY AT RISK. HVAC CONTROLS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED WITH A MECHANICAL FLAW WHICH MAKES THE DEFROSTING, HEATING, AND AC COMPONENTS DIFFICULT TO OPERATE AND EVENTUALLY BECOME INOPERABLE. TSB 055-003 HAS BEEN ISSUED PUTTING THE REPAIR ON THE CONSUMER FOR A DESIGN FLAW WHICH PUT MOTORIST AT RISK ESPECIALLY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. *TR

CONTINUING CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE. 1. EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN 2003 IT HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AND THEN SUDDENLY INCREASING YOUR SPEED WHILE SAY PASSING OR SPEEDING UP, ONCE YOU LET OFF THE GAS TO RETURN TO THE CRUISE CONTROL SPEED THE ENGINE WILL SUDDENLY REV AND WILL NOT STOP INCREASING SPEED UNTIL YOU RELEASE THE CRUISE CONTROL BY HITTING THE BRAKE OR THE BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO DISENGAGE THE CONTROL. 2. IT HAS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I SET THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME THEN INCREASE SPEED FOR SHORT DISTANCES AND TRY TO RETURN TO THE CRUISE CONTROL SPEED. SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE 3. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES BUT THEY SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED THAT THE WOULD NEED TO DRIVE SAY 20 MILES ON THE HIGHWAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM. I REPORTED THE ISSUE TO MITSUBISHI AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE ON THEIR WEBSITE AND CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER. *JB

2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER. TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY. I CAN'T TURN THE HEAT ON. WHEN I TURN THE KNOB FROM COLD TO HOT THERE IS A LOT OF TENSION AND I'VE ALREADY BROKEN ONE KNOB TRYING TO FORCE IT TO TURN THE HEATER ON WHEN IT'S COLD OUT. THE ONLY WAY TO TURN THE HEAT ON IS TO LOOK FOR A LEVER TO THE RIGHT OF THE GAS PEDAL AND MANUALLY TURN THE HEAT ON. THIS IS NOT SAFE WHILE DRIVING. ALSO, THE WINDSHIELD WON'T DEFROST IF THE HEATER ISN'T ON. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. I HAVE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

CLIMATE CONTROL KNOB BROKE OFF ON MITSUBISHI ,FOUND TO HAPPEN ON LOTS OF THESE CARS, CANT DEFROST WINDOW. CANT SEE. SAFETY HAZARD? *TR

I HAVE A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES. THE TEMPERATURE KNOB, WHICH WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING HAS NOW BROKEN OFF. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND HAVE COME ACROSS HUNDREDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT AND THIS IS WITH MINIMAL RESEARCH ON MY PART. INITIALLY SWITCHING THE TEMPERATURE KNOB FROM HOT TO COLD WAS DIFFICULT AT BEST. I OFTEN HAD TO REQUEST A GROWN MAN TO HELP ME JUST SO I COULD DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD. I DID BRING THE ISSUE UP TO THE DEALERSHIP NEAR MY HOME, WHICH HAS SINCE CLOSED, AND THEY INFORMED ME THE KNOB WOULD NOT BREAK. WELL.....THE KNOB BROKE AND NOW I HAVE TO USE A NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS TO CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AND IT BEGINS TO RAIN OR SNOW, ETC. AND YOU NEED TO ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE YOU CANNOT. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY IN HASTE BECAUSE MY WINDSHIELD IS FOGGING UP AND I NEED TWO HANDS IN ORDER TO SWITCH MY TEMPERATURE KNOB. MITSUBISHI HAS GOT TO BE AWARE OF THIS SINCE APPARENTLY A TECHNICAL REPORT HAD BEEN SENT TO THEIR MECHANICS ADVISING HOW TO FIX THIS PROGRAM. IN ADDITION I HAVE READ MITSUBISHI ACTUALLY HAS A REPAIR KIT FOR THIS PROBLEM AND APPARENTLY FOR THE CAR OWNER THE COST FOR THE TOTAL REPAIR IS $800-$900. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE THAT MITSUBISHI WAS ALLOWED TO SELL CARS IN 2002, 2003, AND 2004 GET AWAY WITH NOT REPAIRING THIS PROBLEM.

IN THE 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES THE CLIMATE CONTROL SWITCH THAT CONTROLS THE HEAT/COLD IS FAULTY. THE SWITCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN HARD TO TURN AND EVENTUALLY BROKE OFF. MAKING THE CAR OWNER UNABLE TO SWITCH FROM HOT TO COLD. THIS POSES A PROBLEM IN THE WINTER MONTHS ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CAR OWNERS WILL BE UNABLE TO DEFROST THEIR WINDSHIELD. MAKING IT A HAZARD. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THERE ISN'T A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS THE EXACT QUOTE I RECEIVED FROM THE DEALERSHIP ON THE REPAIR. "TO REPAIR THIS PROPERLY WE NEED TO REMOVE THE DASH AND REPAIR THE HEATER BOX. IF THAT IS NOT DONE THAN YOU WILL DAMAGE THE NEW HEATER KNOB. THE PARTS FOR THE REPAIR ARE $520.00 AND THE LABOR TO DO THE REPAIR IS $756.00" I'VE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM OVER THE INTERNET. *TR