There are 6 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WAS GOING TO THE GAS STATION TO GET GAS AND CAR ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN. THEN ENGINE SEIZED. THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING THEN. RAN INTO A DITCH. CAR STARTED SMOKING FROM ENGINE. I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE RECALLS ON THESE CARS OR I WOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT ONE. BIGGEST PAIN I'VE EVER OWNED! THE ENGINE IS WRECKED. I SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS CAR. I HAVE NO CAR NOW, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI LANCER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH; APPROACHED A TRAFFIC STOP LIGHT. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO REV; AND VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. DURING BRAKING THERE WAS DIFFICULTY TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,120. UPDATED 11/16/10. *LJ
I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE IN 2003 AND WAS HAPPY WITH IT'S PERFORMANCE UP UNTIL SEPTEMBER OF 2005. ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE CAR MAKING A FUNNY NOISE AND ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN. I TOOK THE CAR TO HAVE IT SERVICED AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE REPAIR PERSON THAT NO ONE HAD EVER REPORTED HAVING A PROBLEM OF THIS KIND. SINCE I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT. I BOUGHT ALL NEW TIRES BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT MY TWO FRONT TIRES WERE STARTING TO BALD. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE CAR COULD BE IDLED TOO HIGH OR SOMETHING. SINCE I DO NOT KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE. IF MITSUBISHI DOES NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT THERE WOULD BE NO WAY THAT I WOULD EVEN HAVE A CLUE. I HAD MY VEHICLE SERVICED BY MITSUBISHI IN SEPTEMBER 2002. I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DUE FOR SOME COMPUTER UPGRADES WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM THAT I EXPERIENCED WITH MY VEHICLE. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT SINCE I HAVE HAD THE CAR SERVICED IT STILL FEELS AS THOUGH IT IS ACCELERATING WHEN I AM TRYING TO SLOW DOWN. I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO PAY OFF THE VEHICLE SO THAT I CAN TRADE IT IN FOR ANOTHER MAKE/MODEL. BEFORE THIS PROBLEM AROSE I HAD ANTICIPATED TRADING MY LANCER IN FOR THE NEW ECLIPSE. I GUESS THAT I DO NOT HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT MISUBISHI WILL BE LOSING ME AS A CUSTOMER. MY VEHICLE IS A MITSUBISHI LANCER ES 2002. *JB
WHILE APPLYING BRAKES VEHICLE ACCELERATED. IN ORDER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN CONSUMER HAD TO ENGAGE THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL, AND SHUT THE IGNITION OFF. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TOT HE DEALER AND PUT ON THE DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER. THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT NO CODES WERE DISPLAYED INDICATING A PROBLEM. *NM
THE ENGINE REVVED, AND THEN EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. *JB
WITH THE AIR CONDITION ON, THE WINDOWS FOGGED UP, WHICH WAS BELIEVED TO BE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE WINDOWS, ALSO THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DESIGNED TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. SCC *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026