Defogger problems of the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer

The temperature control knob was very hard to turn on the ac/heater module and eventually broke off. A failure of the temperature selection could result in inability to defrost the windshield properly, resulting in unsafe driving environment.

The heat/ac knob on my 2003 Mitsubishi has been extremely difficult to turn. This is especially hazardous when trying to defrost the windshield, until it finally broke completely off. Now I have no heat in my vehicle and it visually impairs my driving when it is cold and frosts up. I tried to search for parts( complete switch or switch knob shaft) they're not available but whole unit about $300 + labor. Are they(Mitsubishi) going to issue a recall? the more I research, the more I find that this is a problem for hundreds of other Mitsubishi Lancer owners with this same situation on their hands. The more I research, the more I find that this is a problem for others.

Purchased vehicle brand new July 2003. Heat/ac knob has always been difficult to turn. It is now stuck on a/c. I am located in an area that acquires freezing temperatures, and evidently, will need to be able to defrost the windshield. Upon researching this issue, I have come across thousands of Mitsubishi owners with the same problem. Since most of the u. S. Experiences freezing temperatures this should, without a doubt, be a recall because it is affecting so many driver's visibilities. The other safety aspect to be considered pertains young children, the elderly, and the ill. Car windows open or not, how is it safe to have the young, elderly, or ill in a car over 100 degrees or under 32 degrees? this is simply unacceptable, irresponsible, and unsafe. Please advise a recall.

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!.

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.

The heat/ac knob on my 2003 Mitsubishi has been extremely difficult to turn. This is especially hazardous when trying to defrost the windshield. I've reported the issue several times to Mitsubishi and they have stated that they've never heard of this problem. However, the more I research, the more I find that this is a problem for others. This knob has been difficult to use from day one.

The heater control knob is broken. I can't rotate the knob from cold to heat. It began getting really difficult to turn about a year ago, until I could no longer rotate it about a month ago. The consequences of this are you can't switch the air from cool to warm in case you're driving somewhere at night and need to turn on the heater for a little while. Your windows fog up. Nothing has been done to fix the problem, other than my mechanic messed with the cable inside and now my knob is permanently stuck on heat, whenever I turn the fan on. A new part from Mitsubishi is over $500. Are they going to issue a recall? I know there are hundreds of other Mitsubishi Lancer owners with this same situation on their hands.

The contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated that the temperature knob was fractured which made it impossible to control the defrost, heat, and air conditioning temperatures. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who informed the contact of the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The VIN was unavailable.

I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer evolution. The temperature knob broke off while adjusting from cold to warm. My car is now stuck with the ac on cold, this isn't so much of a problem in the summer but it is getting rather cold now and I would really like some heat. I have also noticed that the defrost is now useless unless it needs to be on cold which is pretty ineffective in the winter time. This problem started happening in 2009 where it was very difficult to turn and finally in June of this year it completely broke.

The a/c knob on this car has been an ongoing problem and has now broke off. It has always been very stiff when going from a/c to heat and now due to being used with such force repeatedly it has broke off, the vent selector has never been an issue its smooth and transitions easily after all these features are supposed to make the vehicle more comfortable and safe and warm on cold nights. . . I just went to a site where at least 150 people complained of the same problem. The part is over 200$ from a dealer and the dealer charges over 700-800$ to replace the part(talk about a racket) and yet with soooo many complaints I feel bad for people with serious health problems that are stuck in this vehicle driving under miserable and yes unsafe conditions especially for those who can't defrost their windshield or people who have a hard time maintaining body temperature. . . A recall should have been issued a long time ago, especially if the manufacturer has since developed a "repair kit" (in other words here's the fix to something we know doesn't work but we want all you hard working people to pay for it) so again lets screw the little guy right?.

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.

Climate control knob broke off on Mitsubishi ,found to happen on lots of these cars, cant defrost window. Cant see. Safety hazard?.

The contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated that the heat control knob would turn but would not engage the heat. The contact stated that air would blow through the vents but would not get warm. The vehicle was not inspected for the failure or repaired. The contact stated that the defroster was also working but heat would not expel from the vents. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 73,000.

Hvac dash control unit-mitsubishis Lancer 2003 the knob that controls the hot and cold broke,it is stuck in the cold position. Now unable to regulate the heating functions. It also hinders the DE-fogging feature from working. I live in nyc and the weather has now changed. With the climate change I have no heat nor can I use the DE-fogging if I am driving in the rain. Part is not repairable by dealer because it is not a defect in the car. I have researched and found that every owner of this type of vehicle since 99/00 has had this happen. Each owner has stated that Mitsubishi does not recognize it as a recall. It is a safety issue for people like myself who live where the climate changes, as well if someone lives in a warm climate/cold climate year round. I think Mitsubishi needs to admit to this defect and fix it for all owners of this model. Being that this happens so frequent there is no way to acquire the part second hand. Only at the dealer.

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.

Heating/cooling knob has been hard to turn since I bought the car. Eventually the knob broke off. I was told by a Mitsubishi dealership that they'd have to replace the whole unit which would run me about $300 for the part. I now have to drive in full winter clothes when it's cold because I can't get the thing off the cool setting.

The contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated the knobs on the temperature control panel were breaking off. The dealer advised the manufacturer was aware of the failure yet the improved knobs were on backorder. The contact felt the failure could potentially become a safety issue because of the heat levels in the vehicle cabin. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 54,000 and the current mileage was 79,931.

1. Use of vehicles heating/cooling system. 2. The temperature control knob broken and became unusable. Defrost/defog no longer works due to not being able to change the temperature. 3. No fix at this time.

Heater knob does not turn to hot and no heat. . . . Cold weather in canada.

I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Approx 4 years ago the temp control knob for the heating/ac became very hard to turn from cold to hot and vice versa. Shortly thereafter the whole knob and stem snapped off and broke. I replaced the whole heater/ac control but the problem still persisted. I have learned to live with this inconvenience in the southern CA climate. Now my son needs to have this vehicle in philadelphia, PA where he needs to be able to use the heater/defroster. As I have been researching this issue, this seems to a design problem that Mitsubishi has known about since March, 2004 with TSB-04-55-003 and TSB-04-44-003. As I am well out of warranty, I asked Mitsubishi service advisors if they will help with the cost of $700 - $1100 for repairs. I also contacted Mitsubishi customer service but none are willing to help. I feel that misubishi should recall and fix this issue for safety reasons (cannot use defroster) and for the fact that these are not isolated issues. Thank you.

Ac/heater knob is defective, can't change between a/c and heat to effectively use defroster.

My heater knob is broke. It has been very hard to turn since I bought this car. It was used but this is my second car of the same type. It had the same problem in the car before this one and there was only a 1 year difference in them. I am not the only person with this problem. Most of the people I know on the internet forum has the same problem with this car.

The contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The adjuster knob for the defroster was very difficult to turn and eventually failed. The dealer stated that the temp control cable needed to be replaced. There is a TSB NHTSA item number 10006466. The failure mileage was 27,000 and current mileage was 29,200.

: the contact stated the heating and cooling control knob fractured. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer, who determined that the heating and cooling control knob was redesigned and that there were none of the original knobs in stock.

The hot/cold switch broke off. Since I bought this car it has been difficult to turn the switch for temperature control. Both knobs are damaged and now im not able to control the direction of the air neither the temperature. This has to be a manufacture defect since. During my research online I've found many similar problems like this one. Mitsubishi should make a recall and fix it .

The heater control knob (hot/cold adjust) was difficult to turn. This was noted to the dealership after I bought the car. In addition, the magazine, motortrend, identified this issue in its review of evo vs sti. The dealer said that the part was known to sometimes stick but would be fine. About 3 months ago, 12/4/11, the knob completely broke off. The issue was covered by a TSB, however, the dealer did not state that the issue was known to have a fix. This is a common cause failure for all 03 Lancers and outbacks. The manufacture has chosen not to issue a recall, but is currently waiting until the part completely fails and hopes it happens after warranty expires so it will be covered by the customer. This issue causes 2 problems. One, if it is selected to cold, you cannot defrost the window unless you reach under the dashboard to adjust temperature, or, us a pair of pliers to adjust the dial, and thus creating a significant driving hazard. Two, for those individuals that the knob has not broken off, it creates a hazard by focusing the drivers attention more on climate control and not on the road. The TSB that was issued does fix the problem but so far, Mitsubishi will not issue a recall on their defective part nor inform their customers if a fix for a previously identified issue becomes available.

I have the same problem with the heat/cold knob and the vent knob. I complained to the dealer and they quoted me almost $1900 to fix. Yeah right!!! this is a solution. . . . Not a complete fix but I get heat in the winter and a/c in the summer. I have to reached up under the dash and move the controls at the heater box. If you still have a knob turn it while you are moving the plastic arm from underneath. The vent control is a little harder to get to but it's up there, just a little higher and it's smaller so it's harder to get leverage. Hope this helps all of you. Look under from the driver side. You'll see the cables and they're connected to a plastic rotary arm thing. It works. . . Yes it's a pain. . . Beats dishing out major bucks for something that's not our fault.