2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Problems, Recalls & Reliability
242 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 81/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Visibility & wipers leads the reports, typically around 75,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2011, 2015–2016.
Avoid
Where 2003 sits among all Lancer years
What owners report
“The temperature knob broke easily because it was hard to turn making the defroster impossible to use which is a safety hazard. Furthermore the cruise control was always faulty to begin with but now it isn't even usable. Automatic transmission also loves to lurch into 3rd gear while slowing down at…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Lancer
“Mitsubishi lancer evolution clutch has been making loud squeeling noises since 4000 miles. It now has 8300 miles on it and is getting worse. The other day i went to start the vehicle, (clutch fully depressed and in 1st gear) and the car lurched forward about 6 inches before the clutch disengaged!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Lancer
“The lower control arm became detached resulting in the inability to deive the car! I contacted the dealerships and they have basically been incorporated to helping fix the recall!!!! I do notbdrive the car because i loose control of it”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Lancer
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 151 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 57,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 16,539 and 99,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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,…
Fix: 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…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108,…
Fix: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
CERTAIN ALFAOTTO COMBINATION HEADLAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS,…
Fix: ALFAOTTO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ALFAOTTO AT 626-656-2992 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALFAOTTO.COM.
CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS,…
Fix: ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
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…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Technical service bulletins
77 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and engine — are on file for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 Lancer TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer reliable?
The 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer drew 242 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 81/100, scored against the model's worst year (2002).
What are the most common 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer are visibility & wipers (77 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (53), and other (32).
At what mileage do 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer problems around 57,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 16,539 and 99,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.