2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution problems
NHTSA has received 116 complaints about the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and 51% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (9%) and transmission (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 116 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 51% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 14,000 miles 93 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 62 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 93 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 14,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 8,000 miles (44 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with enough data (101 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
My vehicle was clean title but then it was considered salvage title, it was involved in a car accident on 9/07/2023 . I never knew about the recall because I am not the first owner. how i found out about the recall was because I have to do brake and lamp inspection and it failed on 10/09/2024 so I took the vehicle to Hayward Mitsubishi on 10/15/2024 to get the recall fix and since then they have not contacted me in any way to give me an update I have called them several times and they told me that they have not…
There are pitted rust spots on the rear driverside quarter panel. Where the door meets the panel. Also there are surface rust on the rear of my bumper of my car.
The vehicle was taken to the dealer because the consumer thought there was a transmission problem. Upon further examination the dealer found that the clutch needed to be replaced.
Tl*- the contact stated that while parked and attempting to drive the 2003 mitsubishi lancer evolution he turned on the ignition while in neutral and the vehicle lunged forward and failed. The contact stated that the manufacturer stated everyone with the same vehicle had the same problem.