Mitsubishi Lancer Reliability by Year
Best & Worst Years, Problems & Recalls — NHTSA Data
Comparing used Mitsubishi Lancer options? We analyzed 10 model years (2008–2017) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
Model-year trends show patterns. Run a VIN check for the exact Mitsubishi Lancer you plan to buy.
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Mitsubishi Lancer has 454 owner complaints and 26 safety recalls across model years 2008–2017. The most reported issue area is POWER TRAIN. 2009 drew the most complaints; 2013 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Mitsubishi
- Model
- Lancer
- Model years analyzed
- 2008–2017 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 454
- Safety recall campaigns
- 26
- Crash-related complaints
- 39
- Fire-related complaints
- 10
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2009 (121 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2013 (5 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- POWER TRAIN
- Reliability signal
- Poor
Mitsubishi Lancer: Which Years to Avoid & Which to Buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
⭐ NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
What the Complaint Data Suggests
PoorThe MITSUBISHI LANCER has 454 NHTSA complaints and 26 recalls on record. 39 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 454 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 26 federal recall campaigns
- 39 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
🔔 NHTSA Safety Recalls
26 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2008–2017. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
🔧 Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 454 NHTSA complaints.
📋 NHTSA Complaint Reports
454 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
While driving the car we began hearing a rattling noise. We took it to the dealer to get it checked. They informed us that the control member was beginning to rust out causing the control arms to become loose. This is the exact problem related to a recall in other states for this car.
The car started flashing a warning sign and loosing power. When trying to accelerate it stops. Eventually it puts the car into a limp mode and will stall altogether. This happens any long distance trip. My car year and model is not the only Lancer being effected by this computer glitch. It’s very dangerous due to the fact that the cars loosing power while you’re driving. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of the highway it will just stop working. All research I have done points to an error within the computer that tells the car when to cool down the transmission. I have seen many blogs, forums and actually know another Lancer owner who’s model is a 2012 and has the exact same issue. I don’t know why this hasn’t been addressed yet when it’s affecting more than just one Lancer here or there. Bad for the engine bad for the transmission bad for my travel. And the worst part is that any mechanic is unable to detect the issue unless the car is actively coding. I’ve had this car for 3 years now and I feel it’s a big safety concern and needs to looked into. First occurrence was on a trip down to a local lake car stalled on the side of a highway this was in 2018. Now any trip further than over 30 miles or more the car will throw this code it looks like a gear and it has a exclamation point in the middle. It’s progressively getting worse and effecting the over all performance more each time I wish to travel. Please find out why this issue is occurring in multiple years of the same model of car because it inconvenient and dangerous. I would hate for myself and my kids to get killed in an accident due to not being able to get out of the way of a bigger vehicle or a truck.
ALL MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION X MODELS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE AYC ACD PUMPS, THIS AFFECTS THE STABILITY AND THE HANDLING OF THE VEHICLE SPECIALLY IN BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS BECAUSE THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY IN CASE OF A SLIPPERY OR BAD ROAD. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS PUMPS BEGIN WITH IT'S LOCATION BECAUSE IT RECEIVES DIRT,WATER, SNOW AND OTHER ELEMENTS THAT HARM THE PUMP. THIS SHOULD HAVE A RECALL FROM MITSUBISHI BECAUSE IT FAILED DUE TO A BAD DESIGN AND LOCATION OF IT AND IT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS FOR DRIVERS SPECIALLY IN BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS, I WILL LIKE THIS CONCERN COULD BE TAKEN IN CONSIDERATION FOR ALL OF US THAT ARE MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION OWNERS, THANKS
WARNING MESSAGE "TOO HOT SLOW DOWN" APPEARS WHEN INCLINING UPHILL IN ABOVE 70 DEGREES (F) AT 45MPH OR MORE. TRANSMISSION BEGINS TO LOSE POWER, DECELERATION OCCURS, TEMPERATURE GAUGE READS NORMAL ON DASHBOARD MENU, VEHICLE TRANSMISSION RUNS ON HIGH RPM ABOVE 3000, TRANSMISSION SOUNDS ARE LOUDER THAN NORMAL, AND WHEN VEHICLE REACHES COMPLETE STOP, VEHICLE WARNING MESSAGE DOES NOT GO AWAY. WHEN VEHICLE IS MANUALLY SHUT OFF, MESSAGE WILL STILL APPEAR. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON TO ELECTRICAL ONLY, MESSAGE WILL STILL APPEAR. AFTER 5 MINUTES OR MORE IN POWER OFF, VEHICLE WILL RESTART LIKE NORMAL, MESSAGE IS CLEARED, AND GAUGES FOR TEMPERATURE AND OIL PRESSURE IS NORMAL RANGE. NO ERROR CODES ARE DISCOVERED WHEN PULLING CODES WHEN ISSUE OCCURS. EMISSIONS IS OKAY AND VEHICLE IS REGULARLY MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO VEHICLE'S SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE PLANS. ISSUE HAS BEEN A RECURRING ISSUE FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT RESPONDED WITH A SUGGESTED RESOLUTION OR ADVISEMENT ON THE ISSUE. *TR
THE MITSUBISHI DEALER TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T FIX ONE OF THE RECALLS BECAUSE IT WAS AN "AFTER MARKET PART". *TR
MY ABS AND ASC LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ON FOR A WHILE. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT WASNT A PROBLEM, JUST A FAULTY ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. ONE DAY, I WAS COMING OFF AN EXIT RAMP TRYING TO BRAKE SO I COULD TURN BUT MY BRAKES WOULDNT ENGAGE SO I SLAM ON MY BRAKE AND THEY LOCKED UP AND MY CAR SLID AND CRASHED INTO A MEDIAN. TIRED TO STEER AWAY BUT IT WOULDNT TURN.
I HAD SOME WARNING LIGHTS COME ON FOR THE ASC AND ABS SYSTEMS BEING DISABLED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE ABS PUMP WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR OVER $3000. I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE OF THE BRUSHES IN THE ABS PUMP STICKING. THAT SAME ABS PUMP IS USED IN SOME BMW AND JEEP MODELS WITH NUMEROUS PEOPLE REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE. THE ASC AND ABS SYSTEMS SEEM LIKE CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEMS THAT SHOULD BE COVERED FOR REPAIRS DUE TO THE FAILURE OF A DEFECTIVE COMPONENT. I WOULD APPRECIATE SOMEONE LOOKING INTO THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THANK YOU.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION. WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS ABOVE 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BECAME VERY UNSTABLE AND 'FOUR WHEEL DRIVE DISABLED' DISPLAYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NIMAY MITSUBISHI (1011 KENNEDY AVE, KILOMETER 2.5, 787-622-0200) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALL WHEEL CONTROL HYDRAULIC UNIT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.
HELLO NHTSA, I HAVE A 2011 MITSUBISHI LANCER RALLIART SPORTBACK. I HAVE JUST CAME ACROSS A CRACK IN MY EXHAUST MANIFOLD WHICH IS CAUSING EXHAUST FUMES TO ENTER THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE IF MY WINDOWS ARE UP. I DON'T SEEM TO BE THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR/ENGINE THAT HAS A CRACK IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. MY CAR IS NOT MODIFIED IN ANY WAY THAT EFFECTS THE PERFORMANCE THAT COULD CAUSE SUCH A CRACK TO HAPPEN. THIS ALSO APPEARS TO BE THE CASE FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND OTHERS. I HAVE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE INTO MITSUBISHI WHO HAS CONFIRMED THE CRACK AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY OR HOW THIS HAPPENED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD FROM MY LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP AND THE NEXT CLOSEST ONE THAT THEY CAN REPLACE THE MANIFOLD FOR $2K. I HAVE CONTACTED MITSUBISHI USA WHO HAS TOLD ME THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD SHOULDN'T CRACK AND HAS GOTTEN NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ISSUE. THERE ARE SEVERAL THOUSAND POSTS WITH PHOTO PROOF THAT I AM NOT ALONE WITH THIS ISSUE. MITSUBISHI HAS HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE WITH THEIR ALL WHEEL DRIVE PUMP WHERE THERE WAS A DEFECT OF SOME SORT AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 100,000K. I HAVE ALREADY HAD MY ALL WHEEL DRIVE PUMP FAIL AND REPLACED UNDER THAT WARRANTY. WHEN I SPOKE WITH MITSUBISHI USA A SUPERVISOR NAMED JENNIFER INFORMED ME TO PUT IN A COMPLAINT HERE. SINCE MITSUBISHI HAS NOT HAD ANY INTERNAL TESTING ON THE MANIFOLD GOING THIS ROUTE MAY SPEED THE PROCESS UP. THIS ISSUE IS QUITE SERIOUS SINCE WITH THE CRACK - PHOTO ATTACHED: IT CAUSES CARBON MONOXIDE TO ENTER THE CABIN IF THE WINDOWS ARE UP OR IF THE AC IS ON AND THE CAR IS AT A STAND STILL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
MY COMPLAINT IS ON THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE PUMP/MOTOR ON 2010 MITSUBISHI LANCERS. IV READ ALOT AND TALKED TO ALOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THIS ISSUE WHERE AT ANYTIME THE CAR ENDS UP HAVING A LOW OR BAD BATTERY, AND OR ANY OTHER ISSUES CAUSING LOWER THEN NORMAL VOLTAGE. IT SENDS A CODE TO THE ABS MODULE CAUSING IT TO FAIL. MAKING YOUR ABS AND ENGINE LIGHT COME ON THE DASH. WITH THAT FAILURE IT STORES THE CODE AND EVEN AFTER THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ARE FIX YOU STILL CAN NOT CLEAR THE ABS/BRAKE CODE. THE ONLY FIX TO GET RIDE OF THE LIGHTS AND TO GET YOUR ABS PUMP/MOTOR WORKING AGAIN IS TO REPLACE IT WITH A BRAND NEW UNIT COSTING ALMOST $3,000 DOLLARS TO MITSUBISHI. HEARING FROM OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS ISSUE, IT IS A DEFECT FROM MITSUBISHI. THIS PROBLEM OCCURED TO ME WHEN MY CAR WAS IS PARK RUNNING, BUT HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN TO OTHER PEOPLE JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD OR HIGHWAY ( IN MOTION & STATIONARY ) ALSO WITH OUT THIS FIX YOU CANT NOT GET YOUR VEHICAL PASSED IN A STATE INSPECTION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER. WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
2010 LANCER RECALL NUMBER SR-18-003. WHILE DRIVING FROM TEXAS TO CALIFORNIA AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE SERVICE THE SUNROOF BLEW OUT AND RIPPED AWAY AT FROM THE CAR WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH AND IT WAS IN A CLOSED AND LOCKED POSITION. CALLED MITSUBISHI AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT IS SAME MODEL AND YEAR AS THOSE AFFECTED AND HAD THE SAME EXACT ISSUE THAT WAS STATED IN THE RECALL, DOWN TO THE INCREASED HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE BEING THE PROBABLE CULPRIT FOR THE FAILURE. HAD THAT SUNROOF HIT AND KILLED SOMEONE, THEY WOULD BE FOUND LIABLE I'M SURE AFTER THEY TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT TO THE COURT THAT IT WAS NOT ONE OF THE DEFECTIVE PARTS. THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO COVER THIS FAILURE. I MEAN REALLY.... WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT THE EXACT SAME YEAR AND MODEL WILL HAVE THIS BIZARRE FAILURE AND IT NOT BE PART OF THE SAME "IDENTIFIED" PROBLEM BY THE MANUFACTURER. I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO DETER ANYONE FROM ANY AND ALL OF THEIR PRODUCTS, TO INCLUDE SOCIAL MEDIA BOYCOTTING AND TELLING PEOPLE TO BEWARE AND STAY AWAY FROM THEM. I WILL CALL THE FTC AND MY STATES ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE NEXT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BOLTS TO THE I-BEAM CONNECTING ROD BECAME LOOSE AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (KELLY MITSUBISHI, 536 STATE AVE, EMMAUS, PA) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ABS AND ACS WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY AND CALLED WANTAGH MITSUBISHI AT (516) 785-4300 (LOCATED AT 3460 SUNRISE HWY, WANTAGH, NY 11793) AND AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,409. *TT
ON-DASH WARNING LIGHT OF "4WD SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED" CAME ON. THIS WARNING IS INDICATIVE OF A ACTIVE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL (ACD) PUMP FAILURE, GENERALLY DUE TO CORROSION FROM TREATED WINTER ROAD SURFACES AND/OR THE INABILITY TO HANDLE COLD-WEATHER CLIMATES. CAR WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED UNDER A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) TO DELAY ACTIVATION OF THE ACD PUMP FOR THIS EXACT REASON 2 YEARS PRIOR TO FAILURE. MITSUBISHI HAS YET TO CORRECT THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND IS CURRENTLY REFUSING TO HONOR WARRANTY SERVICE OF FAILED PUMPS UNDER THEIR 5-YEAR / 36,000-MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY, STATING THAT THE PUMP IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THE VEHICLE TO OPERATE SAFELY AND PROPERLY. IN CONTRAST, A WORKING ACD PUMP DIRECTLY EFFECTS THE VEHICLE'S HANDLING, TRACTION & STEERING - AND ALL 3 DRIVING PARAMETERS IMMEDIATELY BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY WHEN THE PUMP SHUTS DOWN IN SELF-PROTECTION MODE OR HAS FAILED COMPLETELY. THIS VEHICLE HAS A DRIVER-SELECTED SETTING FOR TARMAC (PAVEMENT), GRAVEL/RAIN & SNOW CONDITIONS - THESE SETTINGS ARE COMPLETELY DISABLED WHEN THE ACD PUMP HAS FAILED, OR IS FAILING (ON-DASH WARNING WITH PUMP IN SELF-PROTECTION MODE). THIS ISSUE EFFECTS SEVERAL MODELS (LANCER, LANCER EVOLUTION, RALLIART, ETC.) FROM MODEL YEAR 2008 TO 2014, AND HUNDREDS OF INSTANCES OF THIS ISSUE HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED IN ONLINE FORUMS (AND PROBABLY SEVERAL-FOLD THAT AMOUNT THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DISCUSSED ONLINE). PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE IMMEDIATELY, THANK YOU.
BAD INJECTOR CAUSED CYLINDER FAILURE OR VALVR CONSTANT VALVE TICK. BLOWN SPARK PLUGS CAUSED PISTON MELTDOWN CAUSING FOR THE PISTONG ROD TO SHOOT THROUGHT THE BLOCK CAUSE A FIRE TO THE ENGINE.. LUCKLY I STOP THE FIRE TOOK IT TO A DELAERSHIP TO VERIFY THE CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE BUT THE TECHNICINAS TOLD ME THAT THERES NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THE BATTERY DIE THERE FOR IT RESET THE COMPUTER MODULE ERASING ALL THE DATA WITH THE PROBABLE CAUSE AND NOTHING WAS DONE AFTER THAT.. BOUGHT A NEW ENGINE AND NOW AFTER 20,000 MILES I GET THE SAME ISSUE BUT MITSUBISHI DOSE NOT WANNA BE RESPOSIBLE FOR A REPLACE ENGINE TO WHICH THEY REPLACE.
MY LANCER 2010 HAS ONLY 30,400 ORIGINAL MILES, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON, THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHT IS ON, STABILITY CONTROL DISABLED BY THE ANTI LOCK LIGHT ON, SOMETIMES THE LIGHT GOES OFF AND TURNS ON WHEN TURNING SHARP RIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THE LIGHT COMES ON WITH THE VEHICLE NOT MOVING. TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALER, THEY SAID THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE PUMP IS DEFECTIVE AND SAID IT COSTS $1,800 TO REPLACE AND SAID THE AIR BAG PROBLEM IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY IN PUERTO RICO ALL LANCER OWNERS THAT I KNOW HAVE FRONT WHEEL SENSORS ISSUES ALSO. THE DEALER TOOK CARE OF 3 RECALLS, 1. ENG BELTS AND TENSIONER, 2. ETACS ECU, 3. INTERIOR BLOWER MOTOR AND I NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES. I HAVE READ A LOT ABOUT THESE DEFECTS AND MANY SAY THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT AND AIR BAG WILL TURN THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHT ON IF THERE IS A DEFECT PRESENT. AND MANY SAY THAT MITSUBISHI REFUSES TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL THESE ISSUES.
2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE FAILS EMISSIONS DUE TO SERVICE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT INDICATES CATALYTIC CONVERTER/SENSOR CIRCUIT SLOW RESPONSE MALFUNCTION ALSO PASSENGER WINDOWS AND KEY FOB BATTERY PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE 02 SENSORS AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE PASSENGER'S WINDOW WAS INOPERABLE. THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW WAS SLOW TO OPEN. THE KEY FOB ALSO IS INOPERABLE. UPDATED 06/21/2017*JS
2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER (RED) CLEAR COAT PROTECTION OVER PAINT BEGAN PEELING 3 YEARS AGO. SINCE, THE CLEAR COAT PROTECTION HAS SPREAD FROM HOOD TO ROOFTOP, AND AROUND WINDSHIELD. MANY DISCUSSION THREADS HAVE ADDITIONAL OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM.
SUNROOF EXPLODED FOR UNKNOWN REASON. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY. TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. NO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME.
Showing 20 of 454 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Before You Buy, Check the Exact Mitsubishi Lancer
These pages show model-year patterns across 10years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
📖 Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Mitsubishi Lancer has 454 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Mitsubishi Lancer has 26 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 39 of the Mitsubishi Lancer's 454 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Mitsubishi Lancer has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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