Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
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 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
THE HEATER KNOB ON MY MITSUBISHI LANCER WAS HARD TO TURN FROM HOT TO COLD FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME I GOT THE CAR WITH 65000 MILES. ONE DAY THE KNOB BROKE. I WENT TO THE OFFICIAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEATING DASHBOARD PIECE AND I PAID OVER 400.00. THE KNOB EVEN AFTER THIS WAS NOT EASY TO TURN AND AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF BROKE AGAIN. NOW I FIND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALER NEVER MENTIONED THIS OR OFFERED ANY ALTERNATE SOLUTION WHEN I MENTIONED THE KNOB WAS STILL HARD. I CAN'T DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD SINCE I CANNOT CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE. MY WINDOWS GET ALL STEAMY AND I CAN'T SEE WHILE DRIVING. IF I TRY TO REACH UNDER THE DASHBOARD WHILE DRIVING TO MOVE THE PLASTIC PART THAT CONNECTS TO THE HEATER IS HAZARDOUS SINCE I HAVE TO BEND AND TRY TO REACH UNDER MY DASHBOARD. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL!! *KB
2003 LANCER OZ RALLY, STEERING COLUMN FELL DOWN IN MY LAP. FACTORY SAID TO BAD, OUT OF WARRANTY AND NO RECALL ISSUED. MY LOCAL DEALER WANTS 700+ DOLLARS TO FIX IT, THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS THE CAR ONLY HAS 64,000 MILES. *TR
I HAVE A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES. THE TEMPERATURE KNOB, WHICH WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING HAS NOW BROKEN OFF. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND HAVE COME ACROSS HUNDREDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT AND THIS IS WITH MINIMAL RESEARCH ON MY PART. INITIALLY SWITCHING THE TEMPERATURE KNOB FROM HOT TO COLD WAS DIFFICULT AT BEST. I OFTEN HAD TO REQUEST A GROWN MAN TO HELP ME JUST SO I COULD DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD. I DID BRING THE ISSUE UP TO THE DEALERSHIP NEAR MY HOME, WHICH HAS SINCE CLOSED, AND THEY INFORMED ME THE KNOB WOULD NOT BREAK. WELL.....THE KNOB BROKE AND NOW I HAVE TO USE A NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS TO CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AND IT BEGINS TO RAIN OR SNOW, ETC. AND YOU NEED TO ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE YOU CANNOT. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY IN HASTE BECAUSE MY WINDSHIELD IS FOGGING UP AND I NEED TWO HANDS IN ORDER TO SWITCH MY TEMPERATURE KNOB. MITSUBISHI HAS GOT TO BE AWARE OF THIS SINCE APPARENTLY A TECHNICAL REPORT HAD BEEN SENT TO THEIR MECHANICS ADVISING HOW TO FIX THIS PROGRAM. IN ADDITION I HAVE READ MITSUBISHI ACTUALLY HAS A REPAIR KIT FOR THIS PROBLEM AND APPARENTLY FOR THE CAR OWNER THE COST FOR THE TOTAL REPAIR IS $800-$900. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE THAT MITSUBISHI WAS ALLOWED TO SELL CARS IN 2002, 2003, AND 2004 GET AWAY WITH NOT REPAIRING THIS PROBLEM.
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. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TOP COAT OF CLEAR PAINT IS PEELING OFF OF THE DRIVER SIDE FENDER AND HOOD. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 36,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000. UPDATED 03-25-08 *BF UPDATED 03/25/08 *TR
CAR HAD MANUAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ROUGHLY AT 30K, TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AGAIN, NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. CAR IS RUSTING ON FRAME, ON EXTERIOR, CARPET INSIDE IS PAPER THIN, ROAD SALT HAD EATEN THROUGH IT - ALREADY HAVE VISIBLE RUST ON WHEEL WELL. THIS CAR IS PATHETIC, WOULDN'T GIVE THIS MAKE TO MY WORSE ENEMY. I WILL BE MAKING ANOTHER PHONE CALL TO MITSUBISHI MOTORS. DEFINITELY A LEMON IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. *NM
THE PAINT JOB ON MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES IS VERY POOR. A VERY LIGHT CONTACT MAKES A SCRATCH ON THE PAINT. I HAVE THIS CAR FOR ABOUT AN YEAR NOW BUT AFTER THE DEALER WASHED MY CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME, I CAN SEE THE SCRATCHES ON THE HOOD. THE DEALER IS NOT ACCEPTING THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. I WOULD SAY THE CAR OF THIS PRICE SHOULD HAVE MUCH BETTER PAINT AND SHOULDN'T SCRATCH THAT EASILY. *LA
CONSUMER OWNED A 2003 LANCER EVOLUTION VIII AND NOTICED VERY POOR PAINT QUALITY. ON A CAR THAT COST AS MUCH, AND WAS AS EXCLUSIVE AS THIS ONE , ONE WOULD THINK IT WOULDN'T CHIP AND SCRATCH SO EASILY.*AK
CAR IS RUSTING ON REAR BUMPER SUPPORTS, CAR HAS LESS THAN 1000 MILES ON IT, AND I HAVE HAD IT FOR JUST OVER 2 MONTHS. *JB
POOR PAINT QUALITY ON 2003 EVOLUTIONS. AFTER TWO MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL PAINT CHIPS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE CAR JUST BEFORE THE REAR WHEEL OPENING. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE SCRATCHES AND CHIPS ON THE FRONT BUMPER AND HOOD. THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS SEEM TO NOT HAVE BEEN CLEAR COATED, SINCE EVERY TIME I WAX THE CAR, THE PAINT COLOR APPEARS ON THE PAD. *AK
I HAVE THE 2003 OZ RALLY MITSUBISHI LANCER AND HAVE HAD A PROBLEM RIGHT AWAY WITH SMALL PAINT CHIPS OCCURRING WITH VERY LITTLE IMPACT AGAINST THE CAR, AND SCRATCHES TO THE CLEARCOAT ARE HAPPENING WITH LITTLE CONTACT... IF YOU BARELY BRUSH AGAINST THE CAR THE CLEARCOAT INSTANTLY DEVELOPS A WHITE SCRATCH MARK. THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO A CAR THAT IS BARELY 2 MONTHS OLD. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .