Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||||
| 0342B001 | 07/01/2003 | 10002915 | Water entry into vehicle interior. *tt | 10/01/2003 | |
| 0242A016 | 10/01/2002 | 10000287 | Partial welded panel replacement. *tt | 02/21/2003 | |
| 85 | 08/01/2002 | 636860 | Bulletin review regarding tsb-02-42a-010 - provides new body repair information to be added to body repair manual. *tt | 11/14/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 01/08/2011 | 64000 | ||
| 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 64000 miles. | |||
| 10/12/2003 | 10 | 1 | |
| 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. | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 35000 | 1 | 10/22/2004 |
| 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 | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 12/28/2002 | 4000 | 1 | 09/24/2002 |
| 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 | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 1 | 06/27/2003 | |
| 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 | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 1 | 05/19/2003 | |
| 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 | |||
| 06/01/2003 | 1 | 04/15/2003 | |
| 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 | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - BUMPERS | |||
| 10/05/2003 | 950 | 1 | 08/02/2003 |
| 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 | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||