8.3

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,000 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 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer:

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

problem #2

Aug 272003

Lancer 4-cyl

  • 1,000 miles
Continuing cruise control failure. 1. ever since I purchased this car in 2003 it has had a problem with the cruise control. While driving at highway speeds with the cruise control set and then suddenly increasing your speed while say passing or speeding up, once you let off the gas to return to the cruise control speed the engine will suddenly rev and will not stop increasing speed until you release the cruise control by hitting the brake or the button on the steering wheel to disengage the control. 2. it has happened every time I set the cruise control for extended periods of time then increase speed for short distances and try to return to the cruise control speed. Since I purchased the vehicle 3. I took the car to the dealer multiple times but they said they were unable to replicate the problem. I explained that the would need to drive say 20 miles on the highway to make it happen, they said they didn't have enough time and told me that the car didn't have a problem. I reported the issue to Mitsubishi at the time of purchase on their website and customer service number.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #1

Jul 012003

Lancer

  • Manual transmission
  • 7,000 miles
Lancer oz rally edition: Within 6 months of ownership, noticed problems with cruise control, occuring at any speed in which cruise control function is used: When vehicle was in cruise control and accelerating at set speed, car would accelerate excessively for very minimal inclines. When using the coast function, vehicle would slow down until you let off the switch, and then speed would rapidly increase beyond previous position, before finally settling back to the reduced speed chosen. When using the accelerate option, vehicle would speed up when switch used and would continue fast acceleration after release of switch. Would increase about 2-3 miles per hour past release of the switch and then finally settle back to the faster speed chosen. Notified local dealership of this problem. They told me they test drove the car and could not duplicate the problem, therefore, it was not an issue. Vehicle continues to do this and when trying to coast with the cruise control I have had to apply breaks rapidly to avoid car from speeding to fastly, possibly hitting slow moving vehicles infront of me. Also, local dealership did not provide me with a reciept showing that the vehicle was in for said problem, or that any thing had been done to check for it....I only had the word of the service writer.

- Concrete, WA, USA