Owners have filed 743 complaints on the Mitsubishi Lancer, covering 2002–2017. The system named most often is Power Train (156 reports). Worst years by volume: 2003, 2002, 2009; cleanest: 2007, 2013, 2017. 71 reports describe a crash, 11 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 6.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mitsubishi Lancer
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 743 Lancer complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 156 Read
I bought my 2014 mitsubishi lancer in nov. 2014 at long lewis ford in florence, al, where I received all regular maintenance and service performances for it. On sept. 15, 2017, I was driving down the road in my 2014 mitsubishi lancer and experienced complete engine failure (while in motion), creating a safety hazard.…
Received vehicle at 10km, after 2 oil changes, at 16000km miliege dropped from 700km on a tank of gas to 300km tank of gas. At 24000km heavy transmission and engine noises occurred. Gears slipping out while accelerating causing rpms to shoot up to 6000-7000 while vehicle not moving. Timing belt and pulleys not working…
Traveling on freeway in number 3 lane, front drive train locked up. Car skidded for approx 60 feet and than veered to the left and was struck in the number 1 lane
Air Bags 79 Read
The contact owns a 2004 mitsubishi lancer. While the contact was driving out of her driveway the vehicles front passenger side airbag deployed without warning filling the inside of the vehicle with white smoke. Due to the deployment of the airbag which blocked the vision of the contact the vehicle crashed into a…
I was in 2 auto accidents within the same vehicle within the last month and the airbags didn't deploy either time
Accident that resulted in the car being declared total loss. The car was hit in the upper front and side area of drivers side. During the accident the air bags did not deploy. Resulted in injuries, of course. The car was making left handed turn from residential area onto a busy main street. And the other vehicle was…
Visibility 70 Read
I was driving down the freeway at 65 mph, when I heard a very loud sound, like a gunshot, and my sunroof shattered. There was no rock or impact to my car, it just spontaneously exploded with glass raining everywhere. When I took it to the dealership, they told me it was clear that there was no rock impact to the…
The contact owns 2011 mitsubishi lancer. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the defogger failed to operate as air stopped flowing through the vents. The contact stated that the heater, air conditioner and defogger failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be…
The contact owns a 2010 mitsubishi lancer. While driving 70 mph, the windshield wipers failed to operate. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the windshield wiper actuator needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired, but the issue…
Suspension 64 Read
Son was driving vehicle rear ended a vehicle, at 35 mph, rolled mitsubishi 8 to 9 times, sled on roof about 50 feet before coming to a stop up side down. Airbags never deployed. Not even when the tow truck flipped car right side up
My car was recently wrecked going around the corner in the snow is it slid off the road into a telephone pole and the fire hydrant the airbags did not go off when we impact we were doing about 40 miles per hour. The car also did not turn itself off like it should have
Our car crashed after getting off the highway in NJ. This appears to be related to Safety Recall Report 20V-279. The cross member has completely rusted and the driver side control arm came off, crashing the car and severely damaging the car, with loss of control. I have contacted Mitsubishi Motors but have received no…
Electrical System 50 Read
The headlights on the 15 lancer are ridiculously dim! I purchased my 15 lancer in october 15 and hit two deer within two months of having it! I had never hit anything since I started driving, over 8 years now, and all of a sudden when I get the lancer, I hit not one, but two deer! Something isn't right! I can barely…
I have an 09 mitsubishi lancer es sport with the sun and sound package. The amplifier, which is under my drivers side seat, for the soundsystem started smoking and sparking. I took it to the dealership, who replaced it a month ago, and a week ago, while I was driving, it started smoking and sparking again, but stops…
My SRS light just started coming on a few years ago before we were in an accident. When we took it to the dealer to check it, they said it was a costly repair and is only to remove the light...but that the airbags would still deploy if we were in an accident. Since then, we've been in an accident where we were…
Engine 49 Read
The contact owns a 2010 mitsubishi lancer. The contact stated that burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. The contact received a notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14V562000 (engine). However, the parts needed were not available. The contact mentioned that the manufacturer had exceeded the reasonable amount of…
The contact owns a 2015 mitsubishi lancer. While driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The contact indicated that the failure occurred with a half tank of fuel in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified…
Needs a new motor. I know other 2015 Mitsubishi lancers were recalled for the same reason and this one should be also
Steering 43 Read
The contact owns a 2014 mitsubishi lancer. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, smoke started to emit from the engine compartment without any warning. The vehicle was towed to the authorized dealer for further inspection, diagnosis and repair. The contact stated that the failure was directly related to NHTSA…
The front subframe(cross member) blew out, due to excessive corrosion. Causing the control arm to dismount as well as separation of the CV axle from the transmission, while traveling down the road losing complete steer of the vehicle. Luckily I was coming to a stop sign and not traveling on the highway. My vehicle was…
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.…
Service Brakes 39 Read
The contact owns a 2009 mitsibushi lancer gts. The contact stated that at 60 mph he applied pressure to the break pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. As a consequence the vehicle rolled over, and caught on fire. The vehicle was completely destroyed, and he sustained injuries. She has a copy of the police report.…
2009 lancer mitsubishi - brake failure & transmission failure while driving about 60 miles per hr. Ended up on the side of the road and the car caught on fire. Reported - inspected but unable to hold mitsubishi liable because they did put out notice in may or june of the recall on the brake system
The contact owns a 2010 mitsubishi lancer. The contact was a passenger in the vehicle as the driver was traveling 35 mph. The brakes were applied to attempt a turn but did not respond and the driver engaged the parking brake. The vehicle proceeded to crash into a guardrail on the side of the highway, damaging the…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags,electronic Stability Control (esc),engine | — | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 9 | 3 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 5 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 9 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 18 | 1 |
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 | 338 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.2 |
| Worst single series | 11 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.0 years |
A model average of 2.2 hides a worst series at 11. 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
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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, 2003, 2002, 2009 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?
2007, 2013, 2017 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mitsubishi Lancer have?
743 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2002–2017. Of those, 71 describe a crash and 11 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.