Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (air conditioning, heater, defroster, HVAC controls).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 - $215 plus shipping and labor. With my husband having ms, we are always paying medical bills. We went to a salvage yard and the heater assembly was missing from the only Lancer on the lot and according to one person every Lancer he saw come through had the left knob broken off the heater temp controller. …
The A/C knob on this car has been an ongoing problem and has now broke off. It has always been very stiff when going from A/C to heat and now due to being used with such force repeatedly it has broke off, the vent selector has never been an issue its smooth and transitions easily after all these features are supposed to make the vehicle more comfortable and safe and warm on cold nights... I just went to a site where at least 150 people complained of the same problem. The part is over 200$ from a dealer and the dealer charges over 700-800$ to replace the part(talk about a racket) and yet with soooo many complaints I feel bad for people with serious health problems that are stuck in this vehicle driving under miserable and yes unsafe conditions especially for those who can't defrost their windshield or people who have a hard time maintaining body temperature... …
I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Approx 4 years ago the temp control knob for the heating/ac became very hard to turn from cold to hot and vice versa. Shortly thereafter the whole knob and stem snapped off and broke. I replaced the whole heater/ac control but the problem still persisted. I have learned to live with this inconvenience in the southern ca climate. Now my son needs to have this vehicle in philadelphia, pa where he needs to be able to use the heater/defroster. As I have been researching this issue, this seems to a design problem that Mitsubishi has known about since March, 2004 with TSB-04-55-003 and TSB-04-44-003. As I am well out of warranty, I asked Mitsubishi service advisors if they will help with the cost of $700 - $1100 for repairs. I also contacted Mitsubishi customer service but none are willing to help. …
Purchased vehicle brand new July 2003. Heat/ac knob has always been difficult to turn. It is now stuck on A/C. I am located in an area that acquires freezing temperatures, and evidently, will need to be able to defrost the windshield. Upon researching this issue, I have come across thousands of Mitsubishi owners with the same problem. Since most of the U.S. Experiences freezing temperatures this should, without a doubt, be a recall because it is affecting so many driver's visibilities. The other safety aspect to be considered pertains to: young children, the elderly, and the ill. Car windows open or not, how is it safe to have the young, elderly, or ill in a car over 100 degrees or under 32 degrees? This is simply unacceptable, irresponsible, and unsafe. Please advise a recall.
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.
The heater control knob is broken. I can't rotate the knob from cold to heat. It began getting really difficult to turn about a year ago, until I could no longer rotate it about a month ago. The consequences of this are you can't switch the air from cool to warm in case you're driving somewhere at night and need to turn on the heater for a little while. Your windows fog up. Nothing has been done to fix the problem, other than my mechanic messed with the cable inside and now my knob is permanently stuck on heat, whenever I turn the fan on. A new part from Mitsubishi is over $500. Are they going to issue a recall? I know there are hundreds of other Mitsubishi Lancer owners with this same situation on their hands.
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.
Temperature knob was always difficult to turn, then it broke completely off. Not a problem for the summer (it's stuck on cold) but needs to be fixed for the winter so that the car can defrost the windshield. Technician said it would be between $1500-2000 to repair because you have to remove the dashboard and replace the entire knob panel plus fix the real problem which is the "air mix door lever". Apparently this is a common problem for mistubishi owners and the company has not done a recall to fix it; therefore owners are dropping $1000s of dollars to get their car operational for seasonal temp changes. Isn't it a safety hazard if your defroster does not work???
After purchasing my vehicle I noticed two things, one that is troublesome and the other a major inconvenience. One day after stepping out of my vehicle while the vehicle was running with the A/C on I heard a loud rattling sound every time the A/C kicked on. I took it into a dealership while I was having them check my temperature control knob (the other problem) and told them about it. They just put grease on the knob and told me that the A/C is supposed to sound like that. Well, just this last fall my A/C compressor (I think it is the compressor) blew out and started smoking. I thought that the freon was empty but it is not. Is this legitimate for a complaint?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated that the heat control knob would turn but would not engage the heat. The contact stated that air would blow through the vents but would not get warm. The vehicle was not inspected for the failure or repaired. The contact stated that the defroster was also working but heat would not expel from the vents. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 73,000.
AC & Heater complaints in other Lancer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are ac & heater problems on the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the a/c & heater of the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, 22% of the model year's 199 complaints. The component named most often is defroster/defogger/hvac system (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer ac & heater problems?
No. NHTSA lists no a/c & heater recall for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer ac & heater problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.