NHTSA — Power Train: Manual Transmission Problems

6.8

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,346 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer transmission problems

transmission problem

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2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Owner Comments

problem #5

May 092008

Lancer

  • 10,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Knocking noise coming from the clutch area. Every time I release the clutch on my car I hear this knocking noise, when I depress the clutch the noise goes away.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #4

Oct 152005

Lancer 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
Car had manual transmission problems roughly at 30K, transmission problems again, needed to be replaced, not covered under warranty. Car is rusting on frame, on exterior, carpet inside is paper thin, road salt had eaten through it - already have visible rust on wheel well. This car is pathetic, wouldn't give this make to my worse enemy. I will be making another phone call to Mitsubishi motors. Definitely a lemon in every sense of the word.

- Mentor, OH, USA

problem #3

Mar 232003

Lancer 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 2,500 miles
The transmission in my 2003 evolution is sometimes very rough going into second gear. The tranny feels as if the gears are grinding for a second before engaging; I have brought this up to the attention of mitusbishi corporate and several service depts and they do not appear to be concerend. This is an issue that a lot of evolution owners are experiencing.

- Ft Laduderdale, FL, USA

problem #2

Jan 052004

Lancer

  • 30,000 miles
While driving transmission slipped gears. This caused a distraction to the consumer. Dealership's mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

- Murrieta, CA, USA

problem #1

Dec 162003

Lancer 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 4,229 miles
At 1000 miles the clutch in my 03 Lancer evo began to slip occasionally. I brought this to the attention of the Mitsubishi service department and they explained that they could not help me unless the problem could be recreated. At 3000 miles the transmission began to grind into 5th gear occasionally. Again I was told not to bring it in until it could be recreated. At 4000 miles I was able to recreate the condition. Mitsubishi agreed to repairing the transmission under the terms of the warranty. A convenience inspection of the clutch was also performed at this time. The initial response from Mitsubishi was that they were not going to repair the clutch even though it showed signs of slippage, and they attributed it to abuse. The claim was unfounded and eventually reversed by the district parts representative for Mitsubishi and the repairs were covered under warranty. My concern is that without my diligence my claim would not have been resolved and more importantly had I not convinced them to perform the inspection the inevitable failure of the clutch may have manifested itself in such a manner to cause a serious accident. The failure rates for the drivetrain of this vehicle seem very suspect to me and may warrant an independent investigation into the reliability of those components. These items should not fail so early in their service life or with such frequency unless there was a mechanical defect that required a recall. I am also suspicious that the service departments seem to have received instructions to dismiss claims regarding warranty drivetrain repairs. I was warned numerous times throughout the service that if any sign of abuse was present my warranty would be voided and all the charges associated with the inspection and repair would be my responsibility. This felt more like a tactic to deter or scare me into continuing to drive a vehicle that was potentially dangerous.

- Antelope, CA, USA

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