This is a health issue for us because my husband has ms and is sensitive to heat especially, but also can be sensitive to cold. The heater knob on my vehicle broke. It had been sticking for a while. I had to turn the knob pretty hard to push from cold to hot or hot to cold. In researching a way to fix it I was appalled by the number of people that had the same problem with the 2003 mitsubishi lancer but no recall has been initiated by mitsubishi. At this point we just need to replace one small shaft for the knob to slip onto, but the dealership claims we have to buy the whole unit - $215 plus shipping and labor. With my husband having ms, we are always paying medical bills. We went to a salvage yard and the heater assembly was missing from the only lancer on the lot and according to one person every lancer he saw come through had the left knob broken off the heater temp controller. Now it is cold in the mornings and warm in the afternoons and we cannot adjust the temperature at all. We had been using pliers but now cannot move it at all. Please look into this because it is a health issue for those with ms and other neurological and autoimmune disorders.
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer visibility complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 76, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The temperature knob will not turn from cool to heat resulting in the failure to heat the windshield. In turn, any frost, ice, or fog will not be removed and hinders vision.
Since we purchased the car we have been complaining; but told that the knobs are a little hard to turn and there is no problem. The controls finally became inoperable; which puts our safety at risk. Hvac controls have been designed with a mechanical flaw which makes the defrosting, heating, and AC components difficult to operate and eventually become inoperable. Tsb 055-003 has been issued putting the repair on the consumer for a design flaw which put motorist at risk especially in inclement weather.
2003 mitsubishi lancer. Temperature control knob doesn't work properly. I can't turn the heat on. When I turn the knob from cold to hot there is a lot of tension and I've already broken one knob trying to force it to turn the heater on when it's cold out. The only way to turn the heat on is to look for a lever to the right of the gas pedal and manually turn the heat on. This is not safe while driving. Also, the windshield won't defrost if the heater isn't on. This has been ongoing for about two years after I bought the car and has progressively gotten worse. I have been the only owner of the vehicle.
Climate control knob broke off on mitsubishi ,found to happen on lots of these cars, cant defrost window. Cant see. Safety hazard?
Temperature knob of mitsubishi lancer doesn't go towards heating.
In the 2003 mitsubishi lancer es the climate control switch that controls the heat/cold is faulty. The switch has always been hard to turn and eventually broke off. Making the car owner unable to switch from hot to cold. This poses a problem in the winter months especially since the car owners will be unable to defrost their windshield. Making it a hazard. The dealership says there isn't a recall for this problem. This is the exact quote I received from the dealership on the repair. "to repair this properly we need to remove the dash and repair the heater box. If that is not done than you will damage the new heater knob. The parts for the repair are $520.00 and the labor to do the repair is $756.00" I've seen numerous complaints about this problem over the internet.
Unable to turn temp control switch from heat to A/C. Unable to defrost windows. Mitsubishi quoted $1200 to fix. Have had to pull car off the road to wipe down windows because the windows have fogged up while driving and there is no way to turn dial without crawling under the dash and manually pulling it from A/C to heat.
2003 mitsubishi lancer purchased in fall of 2003, AC/heater control knob was difficult to turn & eventually broke off. Since the unit is now stuck on A/C the defogging system does not work properly making it hazardous to drive the vehicle in winter months. I find the inoperable of the AC/heater control knob to be a life threatening risk. Will a life have to be lost before a recall is considered? How many more complaints will go unheard? The consumer should not be expected to fork up $900-1200 for a temporary fix to only have the issue reoccur.
Hvac dash control unit-mitsubishis lancer 2003 the knob that controls the hot and cold broke,it is stuck in the cold position. Now unable to regulate the heating functions. It also hinders the de-fogging feature from working. I live in nyc and the weather has now changed. With the climate change I have no heat nor can I use the de-fogging if I am driving in the rain. Part is not repairable by dealer because it is not a defect in the car. I have researched and found that every owner of this type of vehicle since 99/00 has had this happen. Each owner has stated that mitsubishi does not recognize it as a recall. It is a safety issue for people like myself who live where the climate changes, as well if someone lives in a warm climate/cold climate year round. I think mitsubishi needs to admit to this defect and fix it for all owners of this model. Being that this happens so frequent there is no way to acquire the part second hand. Only at the dealer.
Temperature knob wont turn. Can not move the knob from AC to heat. Can not remove fog of the windshield.
We have a 2003 mitsubishi lancer and the hot/cold switch broke off. In trying to research this, I found 100's of online complaints about this problem, please see the attached website http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2003/mitsubishi/lancer. It is also not possible to get the windows to defrost in the vehicle due to this problem. That is a huge safety issue. The company should be doing a recall fix on these...
2003 mitsubishi lancer oz ralley . The heater hot and cold selector will not switch from hot to cold. You have to reach under the drivers side dash and move it from hot to cold. If not the selector switch will break. I have already replaced it once. No solution in sight. By the way I am a mechanic by trade with 20 years of experience. Also the plug coming off the dash harness has seemed to have gotten hot and as a result the plastic is deteriorating allowing a short between the wires. Which in turn causes the fuse for the heater control lights as well as the right front and rear marker lights to burn out.
We have a 2003 mitsubishi lancer and the hot/cold switch broke off. In trying to research this, I literally found 100's of online complaints about this problem. We live in mn, and it is not possible to get the windows to defrost in the vehicle due to this problem. That is a huge safety issue. The company should be doing a recall fix on these...since getting it fixed doesn't fix the problem at all, the switch behaves the same way after about 90 days of use.
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.
2003 mitsubishi lancer oz rally - heater control knob not properly working. Purchased vehicle used in march 2007, noticed control knob hard to turn. Took into dealership to fix a recall on exhaust manifold & gaskets, had them also check the A/C temp knob because it was hard to turn from heat to cold. Warranty did not cover, was still operable, so did not get replaced. Eventually the knob completely broke off in december 2007, paid to replace heater control assy #mn185137hb (luckily warranty covered partial - total cost 347.27, warranty covered 247.27, paid 100.00) after knob was replaced the heater was working fine. Again,eventually the temp control knob would not stay on heat, would return midway between hot & cold. Dealership suggested replacing: heater blend door (7801a360 - $80.22) & link & lever (7801a110 - $30.03), with an additional 8 hours of labor would be $850 + tax. After reviewing other complaints, I have noticed many others have had same problem. This is a safety issue, specifically due to not being able to use defroster. This issue should be reviewed.
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.
I have the same problem with the heat/cold knob and the vent knob. I complained to the dealer and they quoted me almost $1900 to fix. Yeah right!!! This is a solution.... Not a complete fix but I get heat in the winter and A/C in the summer. I have to reached up under the dash and move the controls at the heater box. If you still have a knob turn it while you are moving the plastic arm from underneath. The vent control is a little harder to get to but it's up there, just a little higher and it's smaller so it's harder to get leverage. Hope this helps all of you. Look under from the driver side. You'll see the cables and they're connected to a plastic rotary arm thing. It works... Yes it's a pain... Beats dishing out major bucks for something that's not our fault.
At night driving in heavy rain, unable to turn off air conditioner and switch on windshield defrost because heater, temperature dial broke off.
Add my bumble bee to the growing list of lancers with broken off heater/a.c. Knobs due to the badly designed and faulty component coupled with in an inept service department. Should have made this complaint when it first happened instead of just waiting for the recall that never happened.
Heater control knob turns very hard and now does not work at all.
Knob on AC/heater control broke, now stuck on AC. Can not use car in cold weather as windshield fogs up making the car unsafe to drive. This is a 2003 miisubishi lancer.
I purchased a 2003 mitsubishi lancer es brand-new from a dealership in the summer of that year. Shortly after purchase, I realized the temperature-control knob was stiff and would have to be forced to switch from heat to cool and vice versa. I took it into the dealership, where a service technician oiled it. That helped for a few months before it started sticking again. Basically, it would feel as it the knob was stuck between hot and cold. It would have to be forced beyond that point. Once forced, it would either not stick in the most extreme temperature setting (I.e. Max AC or highest heat setting) or it would not move much at all. It would often feel as if it were on the verge of breaking. I took it back to the dealership in 2005, where I was told it was a common complaint among 2003 lancer owners. The service tech at that time told me it would cost $800 to fix but that so long as the heating and AC worked most of the time, it would be smarter to hold off until mitsubishi issued a recall. He indicated that a recall was imminent because of the number of complaints he was aware of. The knob on my car officially broke last week. There is still no recall on the part, but a service technician I spoke to this morning said that mitsubishi recently released a fix-it kit to repair the problem. According to him, that is the good news. The bad news is that it would cost $1,000 to repair, because the entire dash has to be removed to make the repair. Total estimated repair time is about 8 hours. It's my belief that this problem is common enough to warrant a recall on the temperature control knob and company-paid repair.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi lancer. The adjuster knob for the defroster was very difficult to turn and eventually failed. The dealer stated that the temp control cable needed to be replaced. There is a tsb the federal safety agency item number 10006466. The failure mileage was 27,000 and current mileage was 29,200.
I bought the mitsubishi lancer in june 2004 with 29,361 miles. November 24 2004 with 31,952 miles we took the car (which is my daughters) to sanbernardino mitsubishi for a fan controller recall # c0409zxx invoice # 152167 and explained it was hard to turn the heater controll knob the service adviser # 25 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 but he would have it looked at. We were told they oiled it and sent us on our way. My daughter turned the knob only when she had to because she didn't want it to break. We took the car back to san bernardino mitsubishi on february 1 2006 with 37,320 miles for a reflash recall # c0505jxx PCM invoice # 164087. We told the service adviser carlos gonzalez we are again having problems with the heater controls knob being hard to turn.and he said they get this compliant all the time. Invoice # 164167 he had the heater control link part # 7801a110 and # mn185137hc control replaced on february 3 2006. Per dsm. On october 30 2007 with 51,391 miles I called san bernardino mitsubishi 909‑884‑7700 and spoke to mike smith in service department and told him of my recurring problem with heater control knob not working.he told me it would be $900 dollars to fix the problem I was given the phone number for mitsubish north america customer service 888‑648‑7820. I called and spoke to linda would not give her last name and she said that the replaced controller which was done 18 months ago only had a 12 month warranty there was nothing they could do. I have read numerous complaints about this exact recurring problem on the federal safety agency web site. This is without a doubt a design problem of mitsubish?s. What is a peson to do? Just not buy a mitsubishi?
I took our 2003 oz rally lanser to the dealer for a recall. I told them the heating and cooling knob was hard to turn from hot to cold and from cold to hot. I felt like it would break if you force it. They put oil on the knob and said they are all like that on this model. It is now so hard to turn we try not to because it will break. I have read all the complaints on this model and it sounds like a lot of people are having the same problem, but some of them have broken the knob stating that it cost them 500-900 dollars to get fixed. I fell that this should be a recall if that knob was to break in a ice storm you would not be able to turn the defroster or heater on. In the mid-west that could be a safety issue.
Heater control knob broke, as in every mitsubishi lancer, and no recalls yet.
Heater selector from hot to cold does not work properly. After a short time, did not work at all; bent cable. Purchased new cable, bent new cable. Found problem to be not in knob, but in the actual lever/gear the cable turns. Estimate it needs a new heater core (best guess from service shop).
When I first got the lancer in 2003 one of the first things I noticed was that the knob for the air and heat was really difficult to turn. I took it into the dealer and was told that it was "just a little sticky" and if I kept turning it, 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 take my vehicle in for a factory recall and during that visit I once again asked about the knob. The tech 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, turning 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 connects 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 is an actual problem they are willing to fix it, for a fee of course. Upon doing some research I realized that other people have had this problem with their lancers and have had similar problems trying to get it fixed. This is 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.
Heater knob does not turn to hot and no heat.... Cold weather in canada
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