Owners have filed 20 complaints on the Dodge LANCER, covering 1985–1989. The system named most often is Fuel System (5 reports). Worst years by volume: 1986, 1987, 1989; cleanest: 1985, 1989, 1987. 1 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire. On average the car was 10.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Dodge LANCER
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 20 LANCER complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Fuel System 5 Read
Return line to gas tank leaked, causing fire
The vehicle caught on fire due to the fuel system.tt consumer took vehicle to dealership twice to complain about the gas odor, but on both occasions they stated they fixed the oil leak, consumer is still having problems with the gas hose staying on to the line
Consumer was driving with children in car caught on fire . Tt
Engine And Engine Cooling 3 Read
Effect began 07/26/1999 and occurs 3+ times per month. May clear after reaching full operating temperatue at 60+ mph (20 minutes). Dealer very helpful, and reset idle speed register several times. "test drove, chk ais motor o.k., high idle remains o.k.; reset all values" in registers. (inv. Docs90153). For 20 mins. Or…
While driving consumer noticed black thick smoke blowing out of the exhaust unit. Consumer stated there was a problem trying to start the vehicle up
Front engine mount broke causing engine to rock back & forth while switched between reverse & drive, engine shook severely & banged under side of hook when in reverse
Steering 3 Read
Steering column is loose due the fact that bolts came loose, in for repair, dealership will replace bolts
Power steering mounting bracket connection at the engine became extremely loose
Welds between heating core and hose attachingtubing failed, causing coolant to leak into vehicle.also, front brake caliper pins were bent/when vehicle put into reverse,it shakes/power steering mounting bracket became loose, and front engine mount broke, causing engine to rock back and forth
Seats 2 Read
Upon impact, during rear end collision at approx. 25mph, driver's seat back rest broke then collapsed rearward. Tt
Battery drains preventing vehicle from starting, must recharge battery to start vehicle
Power Train 2 Read
Rear axle beam failed twice
5 speed manual transmission failed causing the vehiicle to shake, cluth chatter when vehicle is put into reverse, when vehicle is moving the gear selector cannot be put into first gear until the vehicle is nearly stopped
Service Brakes 2 Read
Caliper pins on both sides were bent & needed to be replaced during a brake pad change
Front brakes locked up. Fluid return valve in master cylinder plugged. Replaced pads, rotors, master cylinder
Suspension 1 Read
The contact stated that a used vehicle was recently purchased and has had many immediate problems. There are problems with vehicle stalling and the front left alignment. The vehicle was towed to dealer where the following services were performed; tune up, oil change and a new battery was replaced. The front alignment…
Structure 1 Read
Rusted k-member which mounts lower control arm and steering rack and pinion. Tt
LANCER years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1 | |
| 1987 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 1 | |
| 1986 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 1 | |
| 1985 | Seats | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 14 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 3 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 10.3 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 3. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the LANCER?
By complaint volume, 1986, 1987, 1989 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which LANCER years are the cleanest?
1985, 1989, 1987 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Dodge LANCER have?
20 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1985–1989. Of those, 1 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.