2003 Mitsubishi Lancer: Reliability Data
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Severity Assessment
Sample Complaint Reports
"WHEN I DRIVE MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES AT 20 MPH AND WANT TO INCREASE THE SPEED AND PRESS THE GAS PEDAL, THE RPM OF THE CAR WILL INCREASE AND THE SPEED OF THE CAR WILL DECREASE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE SPEED WILL INCREASE AS IF THE GEARS IN THE AUTO TRANSMISSION JUST ENGAGED. I ALMOST GOT INTO AN..."
"PAINT CHIPS AND CRACKS EASILY; TREE SAP AND BIRD DROPPINGS EAT THROUGH PAINT EVEN IF WASHED OFF WITHIN A FEW HOURS; THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON A 6-MONTH OLD VEHICLE. *NLM"
"PAINT SWIRLS AND SCRATCHES EASILY. CAR HAS LESS THAN 1500 MILES AND HAS ALREADY ACQUIRED SEVERAL SCRATCHES IN PAINT. *NLM"
Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.
When Were Complaints Filed?
Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.
When Does Each Component Fail?
Median mileage at complaint for top components.
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
Who Files Complaints?
Mitsubishi Lancer — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.
Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.
Data through: 2026-03-28
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