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2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 80 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer, most often about the visibility and wipers (28% of complaints, typically around 71,500 miles). It is 5th of 17 Lancer model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer problems
Visibility and wipers
22 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 71,500 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Heat/AC switch stuck.can not get heat or defrost in cold and/or icy conditions, making for very unsafe driving.a tsb has been issued to Mitsubishi dealers. Their customer service will not help defray the repair cost claiming vehicle is out of warranty.the safety issue was ignored. I imagine thousands of this model…
Heater knob sticks, preventing AC adjustment to heat from cool. This prevents defogger system from effectively working hampering visibility, when it occurs while driving.
Air bags
19 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles.
: the contact stated while parked with the engine idling, the driver air bag deployed without warning. It was removed and an hour later while driving 45 MPH, the passenger side air bag deployed, which fractured the windshield. The vehicle was towed to the residence. Although the vehicle was not inspected, the dealer…
Recall on takata inflators. There is no Mitsubishi dealer in rochester, mn. I am 95 years old and cannot drive out of rochester, mn. What should I do to get the inflator replaced?
Engine
8 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle's cooling fan stayed on for the duration of the trip and continued to run after the vehicle was turned off. As a result, the vehicle overheated and the battery was completely drained. The failure occurred multiple times. The…
The heater knob won't move to heat on my 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer causing no heat to come from the heaters. This is a safety hazard because my windows ice up during winter and cannot defrost even on regular days.
Electrical
7 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 34,000 miles. Parts named most often: alternator/generator/regulator.
I purchased a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer ralliart sedan and paid it off in full upon reciept of the vehicle. In the past few years I have been experiencing numerous electrical issues, however my primary concern today is a sensor that is currently being replaced for the 5th time today. The sensor is called the app sensor.…
: the contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle's app sensor went out, which caused the vehicle to decelerate rapidly and not rev past 2500 rpms. The service department was contacted but could not find the cause of the problem. The app sensor was replaced 5 times. The contact had repair invoices available upon…
Transmission
7 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 55,000 miles. Parts named most often: clutch assembly, manual transmission.
A recall was issued in 2005 for a potential issue in the power train. The recall stated that if the vehicle had a check engine light, the repair was to first try reprogramming the power train. If the check engine light appeared afterwards, the catalytic converter was to be replaced. The car was taken to the dealership…
The headlight wires get shorter?... And the lights burn out all the time due to faulty wiring... Why won't Mitsubishi fix this for people???????? They're very wrong to not help people with this safety issue................ The transmission syncro gears are also worthless. The only real good thing on the entire car is…
Speed control
7 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
Whenever driving, my vehicle suddenly stops accelerating over 2500 RPM's. When on the highway, it causes my car to drastically slow down, and I am forced to quickly move to the side of the road to avoid a collision. Dealer has replaced the app sensor on the vehicle twice already within several months, and is currently…
: the contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle's app sensor went out, which caused the vehicle to decelerate rapidly and not rev past 2500 rpms. The service department was contacted but could not find the cause of the problem. The app sensor was replaced 5 times. The contact had repair invoices available upon…
Suspension
6 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: front.
Http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=231553&page=1&pp=15 some guys reported some problems with their front suspension on the Lancer ralliart. So far they have pics and info of 3 cases. They reported some metal sound before the failure. I have a 2004 Lancer sportback that have a strange metal sound in the…
The contact owns a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle independently stopped on a train track. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe, steering control arm, and tie rod failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the…
Other or unspecified
5 complaints · 6%The HVAC(knobs on the dash for AC unit) temperature knob has broken off. In the previous months it became increasingly more difficult to turn from hot to cold. Checking online I located a temporary fix involving reaching under the dash near the gas pedal and pull/pushing the flap that control warm/cold. Not being able…
Front internal bolt on k frame for the front a arm bolt broke free know way to fix this with out cutting a hole into the k frame . Did this going down the road .
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Mitsubishi Lancer recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Mmna will notify owners, and dealers will install a final replacement passenger side frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on april 26, 2018. Owners may contact mmna customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mmna's number for this recall is sr-18-005.
Full defect summary
Mitsubishi motors north america, inc. (mmna) is recalling certain 2004-2006 mitsubishi lancer vehicles that previously received a like-for-like passenger side frontal air bag inflator under recall 15v321 as interim remedy. Also recalled are 2004-2006 lancer vehicles located in guam or saipan that previously received or never received a new inflator under 15v321 or 17v569. These passenger side frontal air bag inflators may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to explode in the event of an air bag deployment.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with a different inflator, free of charge. The recall began on october 12, 2017. Owners may contact mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is sr-17-001. Note: this recall supersedes recall 15v-321.
Full defect summary
Mitsubishi motors north america, inc. (mitsubishi) is recalling certain 2004-2006 lancer and lancer evolution vehicles and 2004 lancer sportback vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Suspension: lower arm
Risk: A detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 member will be replaced with a new one that has a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began january 2017. Owners may contact mmna customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mmna's number for this recall is sr-16-003.
Full defect summary
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, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.
Equipment: labels
Risk: This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
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 nativa owners will also receive replacement air bag alert labels for the sun visors. This recall is expected to begin during march or april 2005. The notification to the nativa owners is expected to begin during april or may 2005. Owners should contact mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
Full defect summary
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 the size requirements of the standard.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
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 service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
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 service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Questions about the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: visibility and wipers (22 complaints, typically around 71,500 miles); air bags (19 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles); engine (8 complaints, typically around 47,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 5, 2018 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Mitsubishi Lancer?
- It is 5th of 17 Lancer model years by number of complaints, with 80 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.