Owners have filed 515 complaints on the Mitsubishi Mirage, covering 1985–2024. The system named most often is Air Bags (98 reports). Worst years by volume: 1993, 1997, 1995; cleanest: 1985, 2016, 2020. 121 reports describe a crash, 13 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 3.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mitsubishi Mirage
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 515 Mirage complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 98 Read
I had a very serious accident last week while driving my 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage. The front of my vehicle was significantly impacted, but none of the airbags were deployed. I can't believe that this nearly brand-new car, which had all the inspections and services at the manufacturer's centers, has this problem. This is…
Air bags didn't deploy after impact in crash. Safety of driver was put at severe risk due to such malfunction of deployment of air bags. Vehicle has been inspected by the police and the insurance company. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. AEB didn't engage…
On [XXX], I was traveling back to Colorado from Missouri. The weather conditions turned poor while I was traveling just west of Topeka, Kansas. I lowered my speed to below the speed limit and continued. At one point, the car lost control. At this time, it veered to left and hit hard against median. Smashing the driver…
Seat Belts 88 Read
Attorney is writing on behalf client who was involved in a serious personal injury precipitated by a defective takata seat belt in a 2000 mitsubishi mirage he rented from enterprise rent-a-car. The buckle locked shut, making the seat belt unusable. However, the police report stated that the driver was not wearing a…
Driver was involved in a rearend collision in which the two front seats released from the upright position. *ak consumer states the retractor also failed, there were three injured people in the accident
Hit patch of ice slid under semi hit dollie support bar air bag did not deploy. Tt
Service Brakes 59 Read
The vehicle's brakes failed. When the brake pedal was pressed there was a delay before the brakes engaged. This condition caused extended stopping distance. *nm as a result of the brake failure the driver hit a pillar. The driver and two passenger's were injured
I was in rush hour traffic at a red light. The light turned green. Approx. 100 - 150 yrds beyond the intersection the vehicle 3 cars ahead of me slammed on their brakes. This caused the two vehi les between them and me to slam on their brakes. I hit my clutch and brake to stop, but the brakes never engaged. I never…
I was in rush hour traffic at a red light. The light turned green. Approx. 100 - 150 yrds beyond the intersection the vehicle 3 cars ahead of me slammed on their brakes. This caused the two vehi les between them and me to slam on their brakes. I hit my clutch and brake to stop, but the brakes never engaged. I never…
Engine And Engine Cooling 53 Read
While holding brake pedal enigine suddenly accelerated into a pole. This has happened twice. Second time a garage door was hit. Air bags did not deploy in either incident. *ak there was a recall ( 00V311001) for possible loose crank shaft pulley bolt and the dealer reinstalled it
While driving, the vehicle engine caught fire. Please describe
Engine fire
Electrical System 43 Read
Engine caught on fire parked and not running in my driveway
2001 mitsubishi mirage appx 105,000 miles. Purchased may 2007. Vehicle's fuse box caught fire and caused extensive damage totaling the car. No prior mechanical problems before the event occurred. After running errands I pulled into my apartment complex's parking lot and the car suddenly died. I tried to restart the…
My name is [xxx]. And I am requiring about the safer car recall.. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
Power Train 39 Read
Every once in awhile when stopped at a stop sign or light and you hit the gas to go the car will do multiple jumps like manual transmission car. Very uncomfortable and worried that there is something wrong
The contact owns a 2018 mitsubishi mirage. While driving various speeds, the vehicle shook and the engine revved. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to schumacher mitsubishi (4047 okeechobee blvd, #200, west palm beach, fl 33409, 561-935-4302) where it was determined that the vehicle…
My automatic shift does not go into shift smoothly its very hard to move shift drive or to reverse @ times
Structure 21 Read
I was given a 1999 mitsubishi mirage by my insurance company after an accident in my 1997 mirage. When I received the car, the passenger side door was difficult to open. Over time, the door became increasingly difficult to close and it eventually became misaligned, dropping when it was opened. In july 2002, the door…
Driver's and passenger's seats were not locked or anchored into place when vehicle was rearended by another vehicle. This caused the seats to go forward. Driver had seat belt on but hit steering wheel. The frame of the vehicle's structure went out of alignment
This car was bought on 05/03/2015. Between 05/07/2015 and 05/29/2015 I noticed small brown spots appear along the paint's surface of the vehicle (hood, roof, between doors). Although the spots can be removed with wax and polish process, the spots re-appear within days. Under the suspicion for corrosion, I inspected…
Vehicle Speed Control 18 Read
The contact owned a 2015 mitsubishi mirage. While reversing the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated backwards at full speed. As a result, the vehicle went over a ravine and crashed into trees. The contact lost consciousness and was awakened in the rear seat of the vehicle. The contact…
The car was parked on a quiet neighborhood street and there was nothing remarkable about the weather conditions. After starting the engine and putting the car in drive, the engine accelerated spontaneously and uncontrollably in very little time, causing the car to crash into a building after only a few seconds. The…
When applying very little pressure to the gas pedal (such as when leaving or entering a parking space) the car accelerates and surges forward or backward depending on which gear it is in. This defect in my car has caused an accident that has resulted in costly damage and an increased premium on my insurance policy.…
Mirage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Forward Collision Avoidance | — | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | — | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2016 | Exterior Lighting,air Bags,unknown Or Other | 1 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 12 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 9 | 1 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 9 | 1 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 9 | 1 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 20 | 1 | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 14 | — | |
| 1993 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1992 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 4 | 2 | |
| 1990 | Electrical System | 1 | 1 | |
| 1989 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1988 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 3 | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1985 | Power Train | — | — |
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 | 349 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 3.8 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 7. 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
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 Mirage?
By complaint volume, 1993, 1997, 1995 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 Mirage years are the cleanest?
1985, 2016, 2020 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mitsubishi Mirage have?
515 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1985–2024. Of those, 121 describe a crash and 13 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.