2.3

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,900 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #10

Dec 132011

Lancer

  • 65,000 miles
My 2002 Lancers temperature control knob broke this morning while I was trying to engage the heat portion of the temperature gage to defrost my windshield. I did a little research on how to fix the problem on the internet and discovered that this a common issue with the Lancer. If this is such a common issue, Mitsubishi should be held accountable and issue an immediate recall on the system to fix it. Now I have no heat in the winter and the dealer wants $1000+ to fix the system that was never engineered properly.

- Falls Church , VA, USA

problem #9

Jun 012011

Lancer 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
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 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.

- Cordova, TN, USA

problem #8

Nov 012009

Lancer

  • 91,000 miles
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.

- Elmhurst, IL, USA

problem #7

Oct 272009

Lancer

  • 90,000 miles
The HVAC control unit in my 02 Mitsubishi Lancer has a mechanical flaw starting with the heat /ac knobs. The vacuum line behind the knob is too weak to activate the heater core lever and defrost controls making it very difficult to see when driving. The system as a whole needs to be replaced by Mitsubishi as I have read there are a lot of complaints in forums around the web.the defrost on the front windshield doesn't work because of these controls and visibility is really poor during fall and winter months and this is something I cant fix myself and I am posting to help other Lancer drivers as well as it is a persistent underlying problem.

- Lebanon, TN, USA

problem #6

May 012009

Lancer

  • 80,000 miles
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.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #5

Mar 232009

Lancer

  • miles
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.

- Cedar Falls, IA, USA

problem #4

Feb 082009

Lancer

  • miles
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.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #3

Jan 052009

Lancer

  • 140,000 miles
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.

- Lexington, TX, USA

problem #2

Oct 162008

Lancer

  • miles
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.

- Thermopolis, WY, USA

problem #1

Sep 102008

Lancer

  • 93,000 miles
The temperature control knob is very difficult to change from hot to cold. It seems to stick at one temperature in the middle position.

- Milliken, CO, USA