2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION Complaints

JUST WITH TALKING TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR MY 2003 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION THEY ARE TELLING ME MISTUBISHI IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT THE CLUTCH FAILURE PROBLEM . THEY ARE STATING THAT IT'S ALL OF US DRIVERS FAULTS. AND THERE APPEARS TO BE LOTS OF COMPLAINTS.*AK CLUTCH IS SLIPPING. NO FAILURE YET. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET. WAITING TO HEAR MORE.

CLUTCH FAILURE AFTER 2778 MILES OF DRIVING A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VIII. PURCHASED NEW VEHICLE (USED BROKER JIM ESTRADA AUTOBROKER 602-683-2120) FROM MARK MITSUBISHI WITH 1586 MILES. AFTER DRIVING 1192 ADDTIONAL MILES THE CLUTCH STARTED SLIPPING. RETURNED CAR TO MARK MITSUBISHI TO FIND THAT CLUTCH PROBLEM IS NOT COVERED BY AUTO WARRANTY. AFTER RESEARCHING NHTSA WEBSITE I FOUND 13 SIMILAR FAILURES OF CLUTCH PROBLEMS WITH SAME RESULT WITH DEALERS. THERE ARE NOW 30 REPORTED INCIDENTS. I TRIED TO HAVE PROBLEM REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS MY PROBLEM. WHILE NEGOTIATING REPAIR MY DAUGHTER WAS TOLD BY SALESPERSON HE KNEW OF CLUTCH PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL CAR. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THIS SAME SALESPERSON THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS. HIS REPLY WHEN ASKED WHY BUYER IS NOT INFORMED WAS THAT I SHOULD DO MY HOMEWORK. I DO NOT THINK A NEW CAR SHOULD HAVE A PROBLEM AT 2778 MILES OF DRIVING. MITSUBISHI HAD TROUBLES WITH THEIR TRUCK CLUTCHES SENDING ONE OF THEIR EXCUTIVES TO JAIL IN JAPAN. I HAD TO PAY $889.89 TO HAVE CLUTCH REPLACED. *LA

I HAD 12000 MILES ON MY CAR IT IS 7 MONTHS OLD. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND IV BEEN DRIVING MANUAL CARS FOR OVER 8 YEARS. NEVER HAD ANY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS BE FOR THEY HAD TO REPLACE SOME SYNCROS BECAUSE IT WOULD GRIND BETWEEN FOURTH AND FITH GEARS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. AND THEY ALSO MADE A COMMENT ON HOW WORN MY CLUTCH IS AND THAT MY FLY WHEEL IS SCORED. EVERY NOW AND THEN WHEN I START OFF I SMELL MY CLUTCH BURNING AND SMOKE COMES OUT OF MY EXHAUST AND THEY SAY ITS FROM ABUSE WHEN ITS NOT. *LA

THE CLUTCH ON MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VIII WENT OUT AFTER ONLY 3000 MILES. MITSUBISHI REFUSED TO REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY SAYING IT WAS DUE TO CUSTOMER ABUSE. WHEN ASKED TO CITE A REFERENCE TO SUGGEST CUSTOMER ABUSE THEY SIMPLY SAID THAT THE CLUTCH HAD GONE OUT. AFTER TALKING TO MANY PEOPLE ON INTERNET FORUMS ABOUT THEIR EVOLUTIONS IT WOULD APPEAR THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM, AND MITSUBISHI HAS MADE EVERY PERSON PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REPAIRS. *LA

I PURCHASED A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION 8 FROM ANTWERPEN MITSUBISHI IN RANDALLSTOWN,MD AND I COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FO A BETTER BUYING EXPIERENCE,THAT IS UNTILL MY CLUTCH STARTED TO SLIP....I BOUGHT IT ONLY 3 MONTHS AGO W/183 MILES ON IT(EVEN THOUGH THE CONTRACT SAID IT HAD 83 MILES ON IT)AND AT ABOUT 2200 MILES MY CLUTCH STARTED TO SLIP SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP .I FOUGHT WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER FOR DAYS AND THEY JUST DENIED THE CLAIM STATEING THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY 350.00 TO HAVE THE CLUTCH INSPECTED TO EVEN SEE IF IT COULD BE WARRENTED BUT ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER IT WAS MORE THEN LIKELY DUE TO ABUSE AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERD I AM NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND LET MITSUBISHI STEAL FROM US I BELIEVE THEY PUT A CHEAP CLUTCH IN THE CAR TO LOWER THE COST OF PRODUCTION TO KEEP THE PRICE OF THE CAR DOWN SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THIS SO NOW I AM FORCED TO PAY OVER $1000.00 TO HAVE A REAL CLUTCH PUT IN SO IF YOU OTHER EVO OWNERS OUT THERE FEEL LIKE I DO CONTACT A LAWYER LIKE I AM GOING TO TO ASAP!!!*AK

THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE CONSUMER THOUGHT THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE CLUTCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

ECU REGISTERS P0300 (MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRE) OBDII ERROR CODE. ERROR CODE IS THROWN, SES LIGHT COMES ON, AND CAR STUMBLES UNTIL THROTTLE IS RELEASED. THIS TYPICALLY OCCURS AT LIGHT THROTTLE OR CRUISING (STEADY) THROTTLE. IT CAN OCCUR UNDER LOAD (ACCELERATION) BUT NEVER OCCURS ON DECELERATION. KNOWN FACETS OF THIS PROBLEM THUS FAR ARE: 1) MITSUBISHI IS AWARE OF 2 ISSUES: STICKY (DIRTY) INJECTORS AND A TRANSMISSION HARMONIC RESONANCE, WHICH THROWS THE KNOCK SENSOR 2) THE CAR IS UNDRIVEABLE WHEN THIS OCCURS UNTIL THE THROTTLE IS RELEASED. 3) MY VEHICLE IN PARTICULAR IS ALMOST 100% UNDRIVEABLE ON THE HIGHWAY DUE TO THIS PROBLEM RECURRING EVERY 10-15 SECONDS DURING ANY SORT OF HIGHWAY DRIVING PERIOD. 4) IT _IS_ A SAFETY ISSUE AS I HAVE HAD THIS OCCUR UNDER LIGHT ACCELERATION ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC, ONLY TO BE MET WITH WHAT FEELS LIKE A WALL WHEN THE ERROR CODE IS THROWN AND THE ECU RETARDS THE TIMING BECAUSE IT IS DETECTING KNOCK (WHICH IS NOT ACTUALLY OCCURRING). 5) MITSUBISHI (MMNA) IS APPARENTLY AWARE OF AN ECU REFLASH FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM (THE HARMONIC RESONANCE ISSUE, NOT THE INJECTOR ISSUE). THEY HAVE CLAIMED THAT THE FLASH WILL BE OUT "WITHIN 3-6 WEEKS" SINCE NOVEMBER 2003, AND IT IS STILL NOT OUT NOR AVAILABLE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS HELD UP IN EPA CERTIFICATION. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED FOR ME LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF TIMES, AND NO DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT BECAUSE MITSUBISHI WILL NOT AUTHORIZE ANY WARRANTY WORK ON MY VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM, CITING THAT "A FIX IS ALREADY ON THE WAY, WAIT FOR IT." *NM

PREMATURE CLUTCH WEAR ON NEW VEHICLE. EXPERIENCING CLUTCH SLIPPAGE AT 3000 MILES. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN NOTED BY MANY OTHER DRIVERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER (MITSUBISHI) HAS NOT EQUIPPED THE VEHICLE WITH A STRONG ENOUGH CLUTCH. *NM

THE CLUTCH WENT OUT ON MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION THAT I BOUGHT NEW AND HAS 3200 MILES ON IT. *JB

1. THIS CAR IS COMPLETELY STOCK AND DRIVEN BY AN ADULT WHO DOES NOT RACE OR ABUSE ANY OF THE CARS MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. 2. THE ISSUE I HAVE IS WITH A OBD-II 'ENGINE WARNING' CODE CELL 0300 I REPEATEDLY GET WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I EXPERIENCE THIS WARNING UP TO 5 TIMES A DAY DURING MY 20 MILE FREEWAY COMMUTE. THE CEL WARNING COMES ON MOST OFTEN DURING VERY LIGHT ACCELERATION INPUTS (5-15% THROTTLE) WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN SPEED WITH THE OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. WHILE GENTLY TOUCHING THE THROTTLE, THERE IS A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT ENGINE MISFIRING THAT SLOWS THE CAR DOWN CONSIDERABLY. THIS MAKES ME A SAFETY HAZARD ON THE STREETS BECAUSE THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE AGAIN UNTIL I LET OFF THE THROTTLE COMPLETELY THEN JAB IT VIOLENTLY (50% OR MORE THROTTLE). THIS ERROR REPEATS EACH TIME I USE GENTLE THROTTLE INPUTS ON THE FREEWAY. AS A RESULT, I DRIVE AROUND WITH MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT LIT ALMOST 100% OF THE TIME. IN THE STATE OF CA, IF YOUR ENGINE LIGHT IS ON WHEN YOU GO FOR YOUR ANNUAL SMOG/EMISSIONS TEST, YOU ARE INSTANTLY FAILED! MY CAR WOULD FAIL AN EMISSIONS TEST IN THIS STATE BECAUSE THE EQUIPMENT IS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. 3. I APPROACHED THE DEALER WITH THIS ISSUE. THEY REPLACED THE COIL PACKS AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO SEE IF THAT WOULD FIX THINGS. AND WHILE THEY WERE VERY CORDIAL ABOUT FINDING THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, AND FIXING IT UNDER WARRANTY, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIX MY CAR. THEY ALSO DON'T KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THE ECU TO THROW THIS ERROR CODE. SO I AM CURRENTLY DRIVING A 1 YEAR OLD CAR THAT IS STILL SHUDDERING VIOLENTLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, CREATING A ROLLING ROADBLOCK WHEN SHUDDERING, AND IS AN INSTANT FAIL WHEN IT COMES TIME TO DO A SMOG CHECK. THIS PROBLEM OBVIOUSLY EFFECTS THE SAFETY OF MY VEHICLE AND THE RESALE VALUE OF MY VEHICLE AND NEEDS TO ADDRESSED RIGHT AWAY.*AK