2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER Electrical System Problems

THE AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATER CONTROLS KNOBS ON DASHBOARD. DO NOT TURN. CAN'T. ADJUST TEMPERATURE ELECTRICAL CERCUIT IN THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM HAS LOW VOLTAGE THAT CAUSES THE ENGINE.LIGHT TO CPME ON AND TURN OFF AT RANDOM. THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY WEEK IN LUMINS. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND CITY STREETS , THE CAR ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN WITHOUT. ME PUSHING. ON THE FOOT PEDEL.. THE SUNROOF MOTER CAME UNATTENDED ON IT OWN.

Mileage: 165,000

AIRBAG HORN DOESN'T WORK I CHANGED THE CLOCK SPRING BUT STILL DOESN'T WORK, SUSPENSION IS TERRIBLE I FELL LIKE I AM GOING TO CRASH. THE HEATER ALSO DOESN'T WORK AND THE CONTROL KNOB IS NOT WORKING. *JS

Mileage: 137,000

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. *TR

Mileage: 180,000

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 . *TR

Mileage: 60,000

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

Mileage: 65,000

TEMPERATURE KNOB WAS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO TURN, THEN IT BROKE COMPLETELY OFF. NOT A PROBLEM FOR THE SUMMER (IT'S STUCK ON COLD) BUT NEEDS TO BE FIXED FOR THE WINTER SO THAT THE CAR CAN DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. TECHNICIAN SAID IT WOULD BE BETWEEN $1500-2000 TO REPAIR BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE DASHBOARD AND REPLACE THE ENTIRE KNOB PANEL PLUS FIX THE REAL PROBLEM WHICH IS THE "AIR MIX DOOR LEVER". APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MISTUBISHI OWNERS AND THE COMPANY HAS NOT DONE A RECALL TO FIX IT; THEREFORE OWNERS ARE DROPPING $1000S OF DOLLARS TO GET THEIR CAR OPERATIONAL FOR SEASONAL TEMP CHANGES. ISN'T IT A SAFETY HAZARD IF YOUR DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK??? *TR

Mileage: 130,000

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. *TR

Mileage: 86,000

I HAD JUST LEFT MY HOME. I HAD NOT BEEN DRIVING FOR MORE THAN 2 MINUTES WHEN MY FRONT SPEAKERS SHUT OFF. I THEN START TO NOTICE A BURNING SMELL. I SEE THE INTERIOR START TO FILL UP WITH SMOKE. I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ENGINE FIRE AT FIRST UNTIL I NOTICED A FIRE IN MY PASSENGER DOOR SPEAKER. I PULLED OVER BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES. I MADE A CALL TO 911 TO SEND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THANKFULLY THE FIRE HOUSE WAS VERY CLOSE AND WAS ABLE TO PUT THE FIRE OUT BEFORE IT DAMAGED MORE THAN JUST THE DOOR. I HAVE THE DOOR AND SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE SCHEDULED TO BE REPAIRED AUG 18TH 2008. I HAVE NOT TAKEN APART, REPLACED, OR UPGRADED ANY DASH, RADIO OR ELECTRICAL COMPONENT OF THE CAR. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS. ADDITIONALLY I AM ALSO MISSING THE HEAT AND A/C KNOB AS IT BROKE OFF LAST WINTER. *TR

Mileage: 186,000

SENSOR ONE HAD AN INTERNAL FAILURE. MITISUBISHI SERVICE TECH STATED IT WAS DUE TO THE BAD GAS IN NORTH CAROLINA. ACCORDING TO THAT IT WOULD BE MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. BUT WAS TOLD SINCE NO RECALLS, WOULD HAVE TO PAY $400 PLUS TAX TO HAVE IT FIXED. IF NOT FIXED WOULD AFFECT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND WOULD CAUSE THE CAR NOT TO RUN. *TR

WHEN I FIRST GOT THE LANCER IN 2003 ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I NOTICED THAT THE KNOB FOR THE AIR AND HEAT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT TO TURN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS JUST A LITTLE STICKY , AND IF I KEPT TURNING IT WOULD WORK ITSELF OUT AND BE FINE. I AVOIDED USING IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT NEVER GOT BETTER. A YEAR OR SO LATER I HAD TO TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR A FACTORY RECALL, AND DURING THAT VISIT I ONCE AGAIN ASKED ABOUT THE KNOB. THE TECHNICIAN LOOKED UNDER THE PANEL AND SAID IT WAS JUST STICKING A BIT AND PUT SOME GREASE ON THE GEARS AND SAID TO JUST WORK IT, TURN IT BACK AND FORTH, AND IT WOULD WORK ITSELF OUT. IT WAS FINE FOR A COUPLE DAYS BUT WENT BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS SHORTLY THERE AFTER. FINALLY, A FEW WEEKS AGO, WHILE ON MY WAY TO THE AIRPORT TO PICK UP A FRIEND, I WENT TO TURN THE HEAT ON AND THE KNOB JUST SNAPPED OFF. THIS TIME WHEN I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER THEY TOLD ME SINCE THE ROD THAT CONNECTED THE KNOB TO THE GEARS INSIDE WAS WHAT SNAPPED IT WOULD BE ABOUT $500-$600 TO REPAIR. HE EVEN ASKED WHY I NEVER HAD IT LOOKED AT AND FIXED BEFORE IT SNAPPED OFF. I TOLD HIM I DID NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAS BLOWN OFF EACH TIME. BUT NOW THAT IT WAS AN ACTUAL PROBLEM . THEY WERE WILLING TO FIX IT FOR A FEE OF COURSE. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH I REALIZED THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR LANCERS, AND HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS TRYING TO GET IT FIXED. THIS WAS THE CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT. THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO FIX IT. WHEN I MENTIONED THE PROBLEM NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. NOW THIS HAS TURNED INTO A COSTLY PROBLEM THAT I BELIEVE IS A DEFECT IN THE VEHICLES. *AK

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. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION IN A RAINSTORM, I ENCOUNTERED A SEVERE LOSS OF ACCELERATION MULTIPLE TIMES. RESULTING IN ERRATIC BEHAVIOR OF THE CAR.*AK OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN THEIR LANCER EVOLUTIONS DOCUMENTED HERE: HTTP://FORUMS.EVOLUTIONM.NET/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=&THREADID=34867

Mileage: 1,800