14 problems related to equipment have been reported for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer based on all problems reported for the 2003 Lancer.
My vehicle was clean title but then it was considered salvage title, it was involved in a car accident on 9/07/2023 . I never knew about the recall because I am not the first owner. How I found out about the recall was because I have to do brake and lamp inspection and it failed on 10/09/2024 so I took the vehicle to hayward Mitsubishi on 10/15/2024 to get the recall fix and since then they have not contacted me in any way to give me an update I have called them several times and they told me that they have not received the label so I then decided to try a different dealership that's call concord kia Mitsubishi service and parts they tried to help me out but also mentioned to me that the recall has no part number so there is no way to order it. I have been waiting for this recall to get resolve for two years.
The temperature control knob broke off. Vehicle was stationary. The arm inside can be turned with a needle nose pliers, but only towards the cold/ac side. It stops when turned towards the heat side and will not go- feels as though it could break if it was forced. This is extremely concerning as it is about to be winter in minnesota and with no heat, there is no defroster for windshield or rear window. I am very worried. Upon further investigation online with other owners of the 2003 Lancer, I found out there are many other people with the same issue and I am lead to believe it is a problem with Mitsubishi's design that should have been recalled. If I do not have a defroster I am in danger and I am very worried. It is also a safety issue in this state to not have heat. Temperatures drop below -10f degrees every year and often as low as -30f. I am calling on the good people of the NHTSA for help. Winter is coming and I need my defroster. Please help me.
The lower control arm became detached resulting in the inability to deive the car! I contacted the dealerships and they have basically been incorporated to helping fix the recall!!!! I do notbdrive the car because I loose control of it.
Takata recall. On front driver side the control arm/subframe is rusted/rusting out really bad. There is a whole the size of a fist where the control arm attaches to the frame.
The temperature knob broke easily because it was hard to turn making the defroster impossible to use which is a safety hazard. Furthermore the cruise control was always faulty to begin with but now it isn't even usable. Automatic transmission also loves to lurch into 3rd gear while slowing down at the same time and then jumping back into the speed I was previously going. This issue usually happens at speeds lower than 50 mph.
The climate control knob was hard to turn and final broke so I can't use my car in the winter because I can't turn it to heat and I have 2 young children. There should be a recall this has appended to thousands and its a safety hazard in multiply ways.
Heater/ac knob broke off, unable to switch to heat, knob has been very difficult to turn, investigating problem and have found this to be a common event with Mitsubishi vehicles during this release. Wondering if Mitsubishi has issued a recall to correct the defect. Have found its going to be very pricy to fix, living on a fixed income and unable to afford the fix. Have had the car 14 years bought it in 2002 off the showroom floor not ready to give it up. . .
My 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer heater knob broke off and I am unable to get the defroster to work. This has been an ongoing problem as this is a material defect in hundreds if not thousands of Lancer automobiles. Please help force Mitsubishi to recall and fix this dangerous problem.
My daughter's 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer ES no longer provides heat. As in many other cases, the knob has broken off!! why is this not the subject of a recall? she has no heat, it's winter, and she has no means to defrost her windshield. For a while she was able to turn the mechanism using needle-nosed pliers. Now, even that doesn't work and she has no heat, no means to defrost her windshield and windows reliably, and this is a safety hazard.
The heat/ac knob in my 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer will not turn. It has been difficult for years, but for fall/winter 2009 I had to have a mechanic crawl under the dash and force it with pliers, then I left it that way all winter. Not very safe or convenient. I'm looking at a very expensive repair from Mitsubishi which they should pay for. It is a safety issue, you can't defrost your windows without heat, nor should you have to use such lousy equipment. Mitsubishi needs to step up and issue a recall, I've seen this complaint all over the internet.
Mitsubishi 2003 Lancer ES problem: ac knob won't switch all the way over to heat?it kinks. If you turn it too hard, it breaks and you require to change the whole console which costs around $388. 00 plus the labor required to install it, then the total will be around $675. 00! this problem has been going on since 2008 but it worsened with time to the point of breaking recently. The two outside knobs on the hvac unit (the knobs that control the temperature and where the air flows out from) are connected to the heater core via metal wires. When you turn the temperature knob to the right the wire pushes out and when you turn it back to the left the wire pulls in. This wire is connected to a piece of plastic on the driver side of the heater core. This piece of plastic is connected to a gear and is supposed to work harmoniously with the piece of plastic the airflow knob (right outside knob on hvac unit) is connected to. That is where the problem is. These two pieces of plastic, blend link and lever, which are supposed to slide back and forth with the turning of the knobs, don't work well and the wire isn't strong enough to force the piece into the heat position. The result is the wire often kinks. On the driver side, under the dash, up and to the right there are two pieces of white plastic, one closer to the firewall then the other. There is a metal wire clipped to each. This is the part you have to turn to change it to heat. The 'bottom' is the temperature knob. You can either grab the wire or the piece of plastic it connects to and turn it toward the firewall most people simply turn the device by hand now but that?s not safe to do while driving! I believe this is a defective design by Mitsubishi that results in a safety hazard when the wind shield fogs up and you can?t turn the knob because it kinks. Mitsubishi needs to deal with this issue because it?s happening to hundreds of people.
When I bought the Lancer in 2003 the first thing I noticed was the knob for the air and heat was really hard to turn. My dad and I took it back to the dealer and explained it was hard to turn. The salesman got in the car and turned the knob he said yeah it is a little hard to turn but they are made like that. I told him it felt like it was going to break and he said it wont and once again they are all made like that. I only turned the knob only when I had to because I didn't want it to break. I took it back in and the dealer said they get this compliant all the time and it would be $800 dollars to fix the problem. I told him if they get a lot of complaints maybe there is a defect. In 2006 I was on my way home from a trip and I turned the knob from air to heat and it broke off. When I got home the next day I called the dealership and they told me I should have brought the car in for a check I explained that I did and every time they blew it off. He said well to fix it, and it will cost $800-$900 dollars. Is this cause for complaint.
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer - difficulty turning the temperature knob. Had it fixed at the dealer just enough so that I could turn the knob, but is still very difficult and he warned that if I use it too much it will likely break. Apparently Mitsubishi is aware of the problem but refuses to issue a recall.
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.