NHTSA Complaint #10333924 — 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER

MITSUBISHI 2003 LANCER ES PROBLEM: AC KNOB WON'T SWITCH ALL THE WAY OVER TO HEAT?IT KINKS. IF YOU TURN IT TOO HARD, IT BREAKS AND YOU REQUIRE TO CHANGE THE WHOLE CONSOLE WHICH COSTS AROUND $388.00 PLUS THE LABOR REQUIRED TO INSTALL IT, THEN THE TOTAL WILL BE AROUND $675.00! THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2008 BUT IT WORSENED WITH TIME TO THE POINT OF BREAKING RECENTLY. THE TWO OUTSIDE KNOBS ON THE HVAC UNIT (THE KNOBS THAT CONTROL THE TEMPERATURE AND WHERE THE AIR FLOWS OUT FROM) ARE CONNECTED TO THE HEATER CORE VIA METAL WIRES. WHEN YOU TURN THE TEMPERATURE KNOB TO THE RIGHT THE WIRE PUSHES OUT AND WHEN YOU TURN IT BACK TO THE LEFT THE WIRE PULLS IN. THIS WIRE IS CONNECTED TO A PIECE OF PLASTIC ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE HEATER CORE. THIS PIECE OF PLASTIC IS CONNECTED TO A GEAR AND IS SUPPOSED TO WORK HARMONIOUSLY WITH THE PIECE OF PLASTIC THE AIRFLOW KNOB (RIGHT OUTSIDE KNOB ON HVAC UNIT) IS CONNECTED TO. THAT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS. THESE TWO PIECES OF PLASTIC, BLEND LINK AND LEVER, WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO SLIDE BACK AND FORTH WITH THE TURNING OF THE KNOBS, DON'T WORK WELL AND THE WIRE ISN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO FORCE THE PIECE INTO THE HEAT POSITION. THE RESULT IS THE WIRE OFTEN KINKS. ON THE DRIVER SIDE, UNDER THE DASH, UP AND TO THE RIGHT THERE ARE TWO PIECES OF WHITE PLASTIC, ONE CLOSER TO THE FIREWALL THEN THE OTHER. THERE IS A METAL WIRE CLIPPED TO EACH. THIS IS THE PART YOU HAVE TO TURN TO CHANGE IT TO HEAT. THE 'BOTTOM' IS THE TEMPERATURE KNOB. YOU CAN EITHER GRAB THE WIRE OR THE PIECE OF PLASTIC IT CONNECTS TO AND TURN IT TOWARD THE FIREWALL MOST PEOPLE SIMPLY TURN THE DEVICE BY HAND NOW BUT THAT?S NOT SAFE TO DO WHILE DRIVING! I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECTIVE DESIGN BY MITSUBISHI THAT RESULTS IN A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN THE WIND SHIELD FOGS UP AND YOU CAN?T TURN THE KNOB BECAUSE IT KINKS. MITSUBISHI NEEDS TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT?S HAPPENING TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. *TR