The Dodge LANCER is a midsize car built from 1981 to 1989. Most were assembled in the United States — 100% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the LANCER is
The Dodge LANCER is a midsize car that Dodge built from 1981 to 1989 — 9 model years. It has been offered with 4-cyl power. Its closest siblings in the Dodge range: Challenger, Dart, Avenger.
Where the LANCER is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 19 LANCERs on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 1B3 | 1985-1989 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Dodge VIN decide which of these 1 lines your LANCER belongs to. What every character in a LANCER VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Dodge LANCER adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Dodge LANCER tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment LANCER owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Dodge LANCER have? Power & range
The Dodge LANCER is offered with 1 powertrain — 2.2L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 1 for the Dodge LANCER, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-cyl | 2.2L · 4-cyl | Manual 5-spd | FWD | Regular |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The LANCER by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Dodge LANCER. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | LANCER | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 14 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 29 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 3.5 / 5 | Best and worst years |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Dodge LANCER?
The LANCER is a midsize car, built from 1981 to 1989. Engines offered: 4-cyl.
Where is the Dodge LANCER made?
Across 19 cars in our records the split is: the United States (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
What is the Dodge LANCER warranty?
New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the LANCER reliable?
It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific LANCER?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
More in Dodge
| Model | Years | Recalls | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Charger | 1983–2026 | 133 | 98 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Dodge Ram | 1994–2012 | 188 | 17 mpg | 3.5/5 |
| Dodge Challenger | 1981–2026 | 77 | 23 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Dodge Durango | 1995–2026 | 160 | 21 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Dodge Viper | 1992–2017 | 45 | 16 mpg | 3.5/5 |
| Dodge Caravan | 1984–2008 | 208 | 35 mpg | 3.5/5 |
Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.