general problems of the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer

Eight problems related to visibility have been reported for the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer based on all problems reported for the 2002 Lancer.

1 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2011

I have a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer and the temperature control knob in the vehicle has been difficult to turn since I bought the car. The knob broke off two weeks ago. I contacted my dealer who stated that I can not just change the knob I have to change the whole unit which will cost me around $ 600. 00 plus services fees to install it. This should be a recall item, since heating (and cooling) a vehicle allows it to be operable during hot and cold temperatures. It is now beginning to get cold.

2 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2009

The temperature control knob on the climate control module broke. The likely cause was binding of the cable that is controlled by the knob. This could be due to poor routing of the cable or the mechanism that the cable is attached. The cost of repairing this design defect ranges from $500-1000 at the dealer.

3 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 05/01/2009

Temp control knob broke, not able to use heater in the winter and air conditioner in the summer. Mitsubishi dealership advised would cost approx $900 and they did not want to deal with it. Too many complaints w/knob on Mitsubishi Lancers.

4 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 03/23/2009

For a couple of years now, my wife's car has had an issue with the heat control. As I have done some research due to it completely breaking, I have found that this has been an issue with many cars like this one. I feel that it is a safety issue an needs to be addressed my Mitsubishi. In the begginging it was an issue due to paying attention to the knob that was hard to turn while driving trying to get heat or defrost. Then when the knob broke it was trying to turn the piece of knob with pliers while driving and now it will be trying to drive with a frozen window if we do not get it fixed. I don't think that it should come out of the consumers pocket if it has been a known problem in many of these cars. It is also a saftey issue for the person in the car as well as others on the road due to the possibility of the driver being distracted. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

5 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 02/08/2009

The temperature control knob in the vehicle has been difficult to turn since purchase and has since deteriorated. The knob broke off yesterday resulting in the temperature settings to no longer be operable. This should be a recall item, since heating (and cooling) a vehicle allows it to be operable during storms and deep freeze temperatures.

6 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 01/05/2009

The temperature control knob has been very difficult to turn and it finally broke off resulting in a very expensive $1000 replacement. This is a common problem for 2002 Mitsubishi Lancers and it is a safety concern since fog and ice on the window cannot be cleared when the temperature control is stuck in the cold position. This should be recalled since it is a safety hazard which uncorrected will have people driving cars with fogged up windows with no way to clear it.

7 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 10/16/2008

Ac heater knob broke off causing a 1,000 dollars in damage on a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer. Other customers are having the same problem but Mitsubishi will not back there problem. I think they need to recall this part and fix the problem. Mitsubishi customer service said they will not recall because it is not a safety concern. I think it is because most of the controls break off on a/c and that would not be fun driving in a blizzard with your a/c on in the middle of winter. I am not the only person fighting for a recall other customers are to.

8 Visibility problem

Failure Date: 09/10/2008

The temperature control knob is very difficult to change from hot to cold. It seems to stick at one temperature in the middle position.


Other Visibility related problems of the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer



Safety Ratings of Lancer Cars
Fuel Economy of Lancer Vehicles
Lancer Service Bulletins
Lancer Safety Recalls
Lancer Defect Investigations