59 of the
1,139 complaints filed about the Mitsubishi Lancer
are about the other systems —
5% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2003.
The front subframe on the drivers side of the vehicle broke while maneuvering a right turn at a safe speed. This incident caused additional damage to the vehicle, with noticeable damage to the quarter panel. Additional damage is expected and may include the tie rod, wheel bearing, struts, sway bar link, etc. The driver and passenger were put at risk due to the severity of the break and the inability to move the vehicle. The speed of the vehicle may have prevented further risk to the driver and passenger at the time of the incident. The issue with the subframe was confirmed by an independent service center due to the lack of a Mitsubishi dealer is proximity. However, a Mitsubishi dealer was contacted but no response was received. It is believed that this issue is associated with the discovered Unrepaired Recalls associated with this VIN. A police officer arrived at the incident and a tow truck was ordered by the officer due to the danger of remaining in the location of the incident. The issue with the subframe first appeared on Sunday, May 31st 2026 with a noise produced by the vehicle while driving on unsmooth roads and through turns. The vehicle was inspected by an independent service center on Thursday, June 4th 2026 and significant erosion was discovered on the front subframe. A Mitsubishi dealer was contacted on Friday, June 5th 2026 and a voicemail was left. No contact was received. The incident occurred on Saturday, June 6th 2026. The vehicle and associated parts are available for inspection upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11742724 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I've had the vehicle for 7 years and after inspection performed by the dealer, there is so much subframe rot that my car will not pass the next inspection due in April. I've contacted Mitsubishi and they said there is nothing they can do as there isn't any recall. This model of Mitsubishi has had recalls on many different previous years, such as 2005, 2010 and many online reports of 2014 with the same problem.
NHTSA complaint #11607451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was working on my 2015 Mitsubishi this weekend when i noticed how bad the rear subframe is rusted away. It actually has a crack along it from rusting. I do know there was a recall on the from crossmember for the same exact reason. If that were to break it could be fatal on a highway. I am currently trying to figure out what to do now since it is very unsafe.
NHTSA complaint #11544052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11536394 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2016 SE 2.4L AWC. Purchased car in February 2022 at 66k miles. In December of 2022 at 78k miles, car lost majority power while traveling at 40 MPH, threw 'Tranmission Servie Required' warning light. Drove 3 blocks home, parked for 2 hours. Turned car on and drove normally without lights. Previous event happened x3 before changing transmission fluid in February 2023. From February to May, roughly 500 miles, no codes occured. However, occasional hesitation when accelerating from a stop. Then, in May 2023, while traveling 80 MPH, RPMs shot to 6000, car began to lose power. Pulled to shoulder, turned car off and on, and was able to travel home without issue, another 15 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11524258 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our 2016 lancer has suddenly started hesitating/ taking seconds to shift from park to reverse/drive. Also while driving vehicle its rpms fluctuate causing a shudder and surge in power or acceleration. This is a very alarming problem as it puts mine and my kids safety as it hesitates to shift and while driving it loses power and then powers up by itself. We have taken to a transmission shop (HIgH TECH Transmission) and now a dealer (Mission Mitsubishi) and both have replicated problem and pulled code but dealer will not honor recall or repair it. There was a safety recall for 2016 lancers with a cvt8 (SR-16-006) that produces a code P084A as well which and that if both were present a replacement transmission should be approved. All information was pulled from Mitsubishi website, and I called them and spoke to Carla did not give a last name and she advised me that our lancer doesn’t have a recall and I said well is it possible you’ll missed some vehicles that have the same problem from the recalls you’ll have already put out? And she got snappy and said to contact safer car.gov; so here I am, presenting facts to you'll that my 2016 lancer may and hopefully is part of a recall which in result to not being identified or checked out caused more damage as stated it would on the manufacturers website. And needs to be fixed due to not being identified in recall so preventive measures could have been taken. Please our vehicle is experiencing the problem as a recall Mitsubishi put out but failed to identify our lancer and now is experiencing hesitation in CVT trans, and shudder/surge in transmission.
NHTSA complaint #11438417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I GOT RECALL ABOUT LOWER CONTROL ARMS FOR MY MITSUBISHI 2009 LANCER. IT SAID THAT IT APPLIES TO ALL CARS IF EXPOSED FOR LONG TERM TO SNOW MELT WATER AND ANTI-FREEZING AGENTS. IT SAYS IN THE RECALL THAT A DETACHED FRONT CONTROL ARM CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF CRASH. MY CAR WAS EXPOSED TO SNOW MELT AND ANTI-FREEZING AGENTS FOR TWO YEARS IN SOUTH KOREA, ONE TEAR IN MISSOURI, AND SEVEN YEARS IN NEW YORK. OAHU DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO HELP AND SAID THAT THIS RECALL APPLIES TO THE CARS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN JAPAN ONLY. I CALLED NJ DEALERSHIP WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR AND THEY SAID THAT WE SHOULD BRING THE CAR IN IMMEDIATELY AND THEY WILL HELP WITH THIS SAFETY RECALL. CURRENTLY I LIVE ON OAHU, HAWAII AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE CAR AND IGNORE THIS SAFETY RECALL. WHY ONE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF THE CAR AND AWARE OF SAFETY RECALL WHILE OTHER IN HAWAII WHERE I CURRENTLY LIVE, REFUSING TO FIX IT. PLEASE HELP
NHTSA complaint #11349586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE FAILED INSPECTION DUE TO RUST ON CROSS MEMBERS WHIHC IS A RECALL ITEM SR-20-003 FOR LANCERS. CURRENTLY MY WEHICLE IS NOT LISTED AS A PART OF THIS BUT SHOULD BE. SAME PROBLEM AS RECALL SAME YEARS....
NHTSA complaint #11331534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MASTER CYLINDER CLUTCH IS FAULTY CAUSING THE PROBLEMS IN SHIFTING OUT OF PARK. AN ARTICLE ONLINE STATED THERE WAS A RECALL FROM 2008-2013 REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WHY IS MY VIN NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. PER WEB ARTICLE RETRIEVED 06/10/2020 : HTTPS://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/CAR-NEWS/2008-13-MITSUBISHI-LANCER-EVOLUTION-RECALLED-BECAUSE-CLUTCH-MASTER-CYLINDER-CAN-FAIL.HTML, WRITTEN BY [XXX] 10/28/2013 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11328225 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN YOU GO TO YOU PRESS ON THE GAS IT STARTS TO STALL OUT. THIS STARTED 24 HOURS AFTER I DRIVE OFF FROM USED CAR LOT. AND UPON FURTHER REVIEW, IT DID HAVE A RECALL AND THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT. HOWEVER IT'S DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL STATES.ITS DANGEROUS AND I HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO GETTING HIT BECAUSE THE CAR STALLS OUT.
NHTSA complaint #11258649 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE HAS OVERHEATED ON THE HIGHWAY,. ONCE IT DID TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY MORE OFTEN, EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERIES WERE STILL GOOD. THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH DIAGNOSTIC CODE P0420, IT SEEMS TO BE THE CATALYST CONVERTER AND 02 SENSORS IN TAKE AND OUT TAKE. WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON THE VEHICLE MAKES A LOUD CLICKING NOISE AND SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE TURNS OFF. WHEN I REVERSE, THE VEHICLE ALSO TURNS OFF.
NHTSA complaint #11257261 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THIS IS REGARDING MULTIPLE RECALLS FOR MY VEHICLE. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN ST.THOMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS FROM BUDGET RENT A CAR IN 2013. THERE HAS BEEN 3 RECALLS FOR MY VEHICLE SINCE THEN I WAS NOT NOTIFIED, ONLY THROUGH RESEARCH I FOUND OUT. I'VE CALLED THE BUDGET DEALER, ESSENTIALY TOLD ME ITS MY PROBLEM, CALLED MITSUBISHI, THEY HAVE NO CONTACT NUMBER BUT GAVE ME A URL FOR THE GLOBAL WEBSITE, WHICH HAS NO CONTACT INFO. I'M AT A LOSS AND HAVE NO OPTIONS LEFT. I PERSONALLY DO NOT KNOW IF ALL THESE RECALLS PERTAIN TO MY VEHCILE, BUT NUMEROUS MECHANICS TOLD ME THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE AROUND THE BELT AREA. I HOPE THIS REACHES SOMEONE THAT CAN ASSIST.
NHTSA complaint #11219758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST MITSUBISHI THAT HAS DONE THIS. MY EX'S 2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE ALSO HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT REGISTER. I NEED TO KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING.
NHTSA complaint #11153665 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
IN 2015 MY 2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER DID NOT PASS CA STATE SMOG. MY LOCAL MECHANIC DID THE NECESSARY TESTS AS DIRECTED BY THE LOCAL STATE REFEREE, THEY SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE 02 SENSOR. ENDED UP BEING DIRECTED BY REFEREE TO MITSUBISHI OF EL CAJON AND PAID $125.00 FOR THEM TO TEST IT. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THEN WAS TOLD TO MAKE APPT WITH THE REFEREE ON YET ANOTHER DAY FOR THEM TO TEST IT AND ENDED UP RECEIVING A 2YR PASS BECAUSE THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT COMPLETE RUN TEST. REPORT STATES: FAILED DUE TO VEHICLE OBD SYSTEM HAS NOT SET THE READINESS MONITOR(S). I DID NIT HAVE TJE MONEY TO FIX THE ISSUE IN 2015 SO HAD TO KEEP IT PARKED UNTIL NOV 2016 FROM WHICH POINT THE ABOVE WAS DONE. NOW ITS 2YRS LATER IT'S STILL NOT PASSING. REFEREE HAS ONCE AGAIN REFERRED ME TO MITS MOTORS, NOTING THAT RECENTLY ALL OTHER TYPES OF MITS MODELS WITH SAME ISSUE HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED AND THAT THEY WILL NOT ISSUE ANOTHER PASS TO ME EVEN THO MY CAR WASN'T ON A RECALL LIST THAT BECAUSE SO MANY OF MITS MODELS HAD THIS SAME ISSUE, THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE. MITS STATES THAT TODAY, ON THIS DAY OF OCT. 8TH 2018 THAT I MUST STILL PAY ANOTHER $125.00 FOR INSPECTION. IF AND ONLY THEY FIND THAT THIS SAME ISSUE FROM ACTUALLY 3YRS AGO IS ON A TBS LIST, THAT ONLY THEN WILL THEY COVER PARTS AND SERVICE. I LIVE ON A VERY TIGHT BUDGET AND HAD TO DRIVE CLEAR FROM OCEANSIDE TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AGAIN. I FEEL LIKE IM GETTING THE RUN AROUND AND BEING COMPLETELY SWINDLED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP DEALING WITH THIS SAME ISSUE WITH I KEEP MY CAR TOTALLY MAINTAINED ON A REGULAR BASES AND ALL OIL CHANGES EVERY 3 MONTHS. THIS PROBLEM WAS ON THE THE TSB LIST FOR MANY OF MITSUBISHI'S OTHER MODELS AND THEY WERE DIRECTED BY THE STATE TO FIX THE ISSUES FREE OF CHARGE. BUT IM STILL REQUIRED TO CONTINUE JUMPING THRU HOOPS AND PAYING OUT OF POCKET. WHY? CAR RUNS FINE!
NHTSA complaint #11139030 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB BROKE OFF. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. THE ARM INSIDE CAN BE TURNED WITH A NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS, BUT ONLY TOWARDS THE COLD/AC SIDE. IT STOPS WHEN TURNED TOWARDS THE HEAT SIDE AND WILL NOT GO- FEELS AS THOUGH IT COULD BREAK IF IT WAS FORCED. THIS IS EXTREMELY CONCERNING AS IT IS ABOUT TO BE WINTER IN MINNESOTA AND WITH NO HEAT, THERE IS NO DEFROSTER FOR WINDSHIELD OR REAR WINDOW. I AM VERY WORRIED. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION ONLINE WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THE 2003 LANCER, I FOUND OUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND I AM LEAD TO BELIEVE IT IS A PROBLEM WITH MITSUBISHI'S DESIGN THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. IF I DO NOT HAVE A DEFROSTER I AM IN DANGER AND I AM VERY WORRIED. IT IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE IN THIS STATE TO NOT HAVE HEAT. TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW -10F DEGREES EVERY YEAR AND OFTEN AS LOW AS -30F. I AM CALLING ON THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THE NHTSA FOR HELP. WINTER IS COMING AND I NEED MY DEFROSTER. PLEASE HELP ME.
NHTSA complaint #11138804 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
PURCHASED 2011 LANCER IN 2011. IN MARCH 2013 MITSUBISHI ISSUED A TECH SERVICE BULLETIN AND REVISED IT IN JUNE OF 2013. THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT COMES ON AND MUST BE TAKEN TO DEALER FOR SERVICE. MITSUBISHI DOES A SIMPLE SOFTWARE UPGRADE TO THE ECM AND RESETS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IS MITSUBISHI IS SIMPLY LETTING THESE VEHICLES GET TO THIS FAILURE POINT AND VEHICLES CAN GO INTO LIMP MODE (MEANING DRIVE NO FASTER THAN 45MPH) RATHER THAN PROACTIVELY AVOIDING THE PROBLEM. FURTHER, THEY ARE KNOWINGLY ALLOWING VEHICLES TO GET PAST THE WARRANTY PERIOD WITHOUT REPAIR THUS FORCING CUSTOMERS TO PAY TO HAVE THIS KNOWN ISSUE RESOLVED. TO ADD TO THE PROBLEM IS MITSUBISHI WILL NOT ALLOW NON-MITSUBISHI SERVICE CENTERS, MECHANICS OR REPAIR SHOPS TO UPDATE THE ECM AND I AM FORCED TO TAKE IT TO AN AUTHORIZED MITSUBISHI DEALER FOR FIXING. BECAUSE THESE VEHICLES HAVE HAD OTHER SAFETY RECALLS AND WARRANTY REPAIR WORK, THEY SHOULD HAVE SIMPLY TAKEN 15 MINUTES TO UPGRADED THE ECM SOFTWARE AND RESET AT THE TIME TO AVOID THIS FROM HAPPENING RATHER THAN LETTING THE WARRANTY EXPIRE AND CHARGING ME TO FIX A KNOWN ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11121215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.