Mitsubishi Lancer
Owners filed 865 complaints across 18 model years of the Mitsubishi Lancer. The 2003 drew the most (199).
Which Mitsubishi Lancer years should you avoid?
Going by 865 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Mitsubishi Lancer years to avoid are 2003.
- 2003199 complaints, 2.5× a typical Lancer year, most often about the visibility.
Better bets: among years old enough for a low count to mean something, the 2016 and 2011 drew the fewest complaints without an unusual share of serious ones.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Mitsubishi Lancer model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2016 | 30 | 2 | — | 1 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2015 | 23 | 1 | — | 5 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2014 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 3 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | — | — | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2012 | 19 | 1 | — | 3 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2011 | 34 | 3 | — | 1 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2010 | 51 | 6 | 1 | 5 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2009 | 98 | 8 | 3 | 11 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2008 | 91 | 5 | 2 | 8 | Suspension | Routine | |
| 2007 | 2 | 3 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2006 | 37 | 7 | — | 5 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2005 | 24 | 6 | — | 3 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2004 | 80 | 7 | 3 | 7 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2003Avoid | 199 | 6 | 1 | 13 | Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System | Routine | |
| 2002 | 148 | 4 | 1 | 32 | Air Bags › Frontal | Fatalities reported | |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Child Seat › Tether › Strap/Webbing | Routine | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.