Your vehicle report
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 199
- Received Feb 2003 to Jun 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Heater blows cold air, defroster fails44 complaints · 22% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips15 complaints · 7.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Manual clutch wears out or fails early15 complaints · 7.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #16V458000Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 Lancer, 2004 Lancer Wagon, 2003-2006 Lancer Evolution, 2003-2006 Outlander and 2007-2013 Outlander V-6 vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.
- Recall #04V428000Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 1 fire, 13 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 15 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 27 |
| 2004 | 29 |
| 2005 | 13 |
| 2006 | 8 |
| 2007 | 22 |
| 2008 | 8 |
| 2009 | 16 |
| 2010 | 28 |
| 2011 | 14 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 199 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 44 | 22% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 15 | 7.5% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 15 | 7.5% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 8 | 4.0% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 7 | 3.5% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 7 | 3.5% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 5 | 2.5% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 4 | 2.0% | – | NHTSA recall #16V458000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 3 | 1.5% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #16V458000June 23, 2016194,674 vehicles affected
suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 Lancer, 2004 Lancer Wagon, 2003-2006 Lancer Evolution, 2003-2006 Outlander and 2007-2013 Outlander V-6 vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.
A detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross member will be replaced with a new one that has a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-003.
NHTSA recall #04V428000September 1, 2004100,432 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Remedy
Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label. In addition, all current 2000-2004 nativa owners will also receive replacement air bag alert labels for the sun visors. This recall is expected to begin during march or april 2005. The notification to the nativa owners is expected to begin during april or may 2005. Owners should contact Mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN