Visibility Problems of Mitsubishi Lancer

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.

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As with so many other Lancers noted here, my wife's 2003 Lancer's temp control knob has broken. Over a period of a few years the knob continually got harder to turn and recently just broke off. I also gave her a pair of needle-nose pliers to turn the plastic nub that is left, although I don't know how long this will work as each time she does it it wears down the plastic some. This is obviously a wide-spread problem and not just a nuisance, as my wife needs to be able to defrost her windows as needed for visibility. Shame on Mitsubishi for not acknowledging the issue, let alone for not fixing it.

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Mitsubishi 2003 heating knob is not working. .

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.

The temperature selection knob gets stuck in the 'cold' position. The problem lies in the air box inside of the dash where the air blender door is stuck. It makes it dangerous when heat is needed to defrost the front window to see. It is always like this and has been for 2 years.

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A/c heater nob broke off after switching it from cold to heat.

2003 Lancer - heater-a/c control knob broke and cannot adjust temperature. This should be a safety hazard and should prompt a recall by Mitsubishi - why has this not happened based on the number of complaints listed on this site? should this be forwarded to some consumer group or the ntsb to investigate?.

I'd been having difficulty turning the temperature knob on my 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer for a while. Then, it broke off. I found out that Mitsubishi is "aware of the problem", even making a repair kit, but they haven't issued a recall, & it cost me $888 to have it repaired!!!!! a knob!!!!!! I think Mitsubishi should take responsibility for their shoddy workmanship & issue a recall.

After about 6 weeks use, sun visors in my new 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer malfunction during use, drifting downward obstructing forward vision. Visors were replaced at dealer. After 4 to 6 weeks, again the new visors drift downward when in use, obstructing vision. When driving toward the sun, driver must have one hand holding the visor in position and other hand on steering wheel - dangerous to shift gears or use turn signals. At this point Mitsubishi seems uninterested in fixing the problem.

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Air conditioning/heating knob was hard to turn, 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. There is absolutely nothing I can do, except try to drive through it.

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.

Unable to turn temp control switch from heat to a/c. Unable to defrost windows. Mitsubishi quoted $1200 to fix. Have had to pull car off the road to wipe down windows because the windows have fogged up while driving and there is no way to turn dial without crawling under the dash and manually pulling it from a/c to heat.

Climate control knobs are stuck in place and cannot be adjusted. This started out as an annoyance and quickly became a life-threatening defect when I was forced to drive down a windy mountain road at night in a heavy snowstorm without any ability to defrost my windows. Mitsubishi has acknowledged this problem via a TSB, and research clearly indicates that this is very common problem with 2003-2004 Lancers. My local Mitsubishi dealer knew exactly what I was talking about and quoted the fix around $1,300. I could have easily died because of this, and I am utterly amazed that there has so far been no recall for such a dangerous and widespread defect.

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.

Heater control knob was hard to turn since purchase of vehicle and eventually broke off. Now I am forced to adjust temperature using pliers (or suffer paying $1,000 to fix problem). Not easy to adjust with pliers while driving and experiencing a change in weather conditions. Now also fearful of electrical shock when trying to adjust temperature with pliers. Known defect will not be repaired or covered by manufacturer's warranty.

We have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer and the hot/cold switch broke off. . Read more...

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.

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.

We have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer and the hot/cold switch broke off. In trying to research this, I literally found 100's of online complaints about this problem. We live in mn, and it is not possible to get the windows to defrost in the vehicle due to this problem. That is a huge safety issue. The company should be doing a recall fix on these. . . Since getting it fixed doesn't fix the problem at all, the switch behaves the same way after about 90 days of use.

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.

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.

Temperature control knob is very difficult to turn. Eventually, the control knob broke away from the plastic connector beneath, and now the temperature cannot be changed. A short internet search has shown this to be subject of a technical bulletin issued in 2004.

Heater knob broke off due to lazy engineering on mitsu's part. Called and they wouldn't cover the costs.

All three brake lights stopped working with no warning. 1. Normal driving to and from work, unsure of anything leading up to failure. Was alerted by another driver that was behind me while driving and then pulled up next to me at a light. Was lucky there was no crash. 2. Lights are completely out, have not been able to get them back on 3. Have checked the fuse as labeled in the manufacturers handbook, checked the brake light switch, checked the light bulbs, all are in ok fashion and work when tested separately.

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.

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

The air/heating unit button on the dash broke off completely. It was extremely hard to turn the knob to heat while attempting to turn it to the right. When I contacted the dealer they knew exactly what I was talking about. They said that they've had many car owners buying the unit because this is a common problem with the 2003 Lancer. The unit itself is very expensive to buy at a cost of $379. 00. This does not include the labor. The labor was quoted at $549. 00, because they would have to take the dashboard/ trim out and off to replace the unit. I just replaced the unit and the same problem has started again. This is just one of many problems. I have experienced. The car will jerk and hestitate and lose power while driving. The gears will shift and I will lose momentum while driving. You can hear a revving sound like the transmission is about to go out. These are just a few problems - I haven't mention that I've had to replace the air condition unit because of the condensation leaking into the front passenger floor board causing it to fill with water. This problem occurred twice. The dealer replace the unit with a new one.

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer oz ralley . The heater hot and cold selector will not switch from hot to cold. You have to reach under the drivers side dash and move it from hot to cold. If not the selector switch will break. I have already replaced it once. No solution in sight. By the way I am a mechanic by trade with 20 years of experience. Also the plug coming off the dash harness has seemed to have gotten hot and as a result the plastic is deteriorating allowing a short between the wires. Which in turn causes the fuse for the heater control lights as well as the right front and rear marker lights to burn out.

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer oz rally - heater control knob not properly working. Purchased vehicle used in March 2007, noticed control knob hard to turn. Took into dealership to fix a recall on exhaust manifold & gaskets, had them also check the a/c temp knob because it was hard to turn from heat to cold. Warranty did not cover, was still operable, so did not get replaced. Eventually the knob completely broke off in December 2007, paid to replace heater control assy #mn185137hb (luckily warranty covered partial - total cost 347. 27, warranty covered 247. 27, paid 100. 00) after knob was replaced the heater was working fine. Again,eventually the temp control knob would not stay on heat, would return midway between hot & cold. Dealership suggested replacing: heater blend door (7801a360 - $80. 22) & link & lever (7801a110 - $30. 03), with an additional 8 hours of labor would be $850 + tax. After reviewing other complaints, I have noticed many others have had same problem. This is a safety issue, specifically due to not being able to use defroster. This issue should be reviewed.

The heating/cooling knob has been hard to turn since I bought the vehicle. It would have to be forced to switch from warm to cool. Eventually the knob broke off. Mitsubishi was contacted and a complaint was filed but since it was not under warrenty they would not fix it. The cable was replaced but the problem was not solved, it was still just as hard to turn. Approx 1 1/2 years later the knob broke off again resulting in not being able to control temperature and engage the defroster.

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer purchased in fall of 2003, ac/heater control knob was difficult to turn & eventually broke off. Since the unit is now stuck on a/c the defogging system does not work properly making it hazardous to drive the vehicle in winter months. I find the inoperable of the ac/heater control knob to be a life threatening risk. Will a life have to be lost before a recall is considered? how many more complaints will go unheard? the consumer should not be expected to fork up $900-1200 for a temporary fix to only have the issue reoccur.

Add my bumble bee to the growing list of Lancers with broken off heater/a. C. Knobs due to the badly designed and faulty component coupled with in an inept service department. Should have made this complaint when it first happened instead of just waiting for the recall that never happened.

Temperature knob of Mitsubishi Lancer doesn't go towards heating.

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.