1992 Mitsubishi Expo Problems: Seat belts (41 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1992 Mitsubishi Expo is Seat belts (54% of 41 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Seat belts — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 41 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 1992 Mitsubishi Expo?

22 of 41 filings named Seat belts (54% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Transmission / driveline (5 reports).

There are 2 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Transmission / driveline. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 1992 Mitsubishi Expo

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 2 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  4. Body / frame. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Seat belts. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Seat belts 22 complaints · 53.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
All Mitsubishi Expo years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) appears in 22 of 41 owner complaints (53.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 22 complaints, 53.7% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 22 · 53.7% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 5 complaints, 12.2% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 5 · 12.2% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 5 complaints, 12.2% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 5 · 12.2% Engine (ENGINE): 2 complaints, 4.9% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 · 4.9% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 2.4% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 · 2.4% Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE): 1 complaints, 2.4% of reports Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE) 1 crash reports 1 · 2.4% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 1 complaints, 2.4% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 · 2.4% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 1 complaints, 2.4% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 · 2.4% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 30 complaints, 73.2% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 30 · 73.2% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 22 53.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 5 12.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 5 12.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 2 4.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Parking brake (PARKING BRAKE) 1 2.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 30 73.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 1997. 1995-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1995 Jul 2019 Recall campaign 97V063001 ◆ Recall campaign 97V063001 Recall campaign 98V168000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V168000 Investigation EA98002 ● Investigation EA98002
  • Campaign 97V063001 was reported 806 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V168000 was reported 838 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 1
1995-Q2 Owner reports 1
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q3 Owner reports 1
1997-Q2 Owner reports 2
1997-Q3 Owner reports 2
1997-Q4 Owner reports 5
1998-Q3 Owner reports 1
1998-Q4 Owner reports 1
1999-Q1 Owner reports 4
1999-Q2 Owner reports 1
1999-Q3 Owner reports 1
1999-Q4 Owner reports 2
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 3
2000-Q4 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 97V063001
Recall campaign 1 98V168000
Defect investigation 1 EA98002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Transmission / driveline.

  1. Recall campaign 97V063001

    Safety recall 97V063001

    Report date
    Component:
    Unclassified NHTSA leftover
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DOOR LATCH SWITCH.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 98V168000

    Transmission / driveline

    Report date
    Component:
    Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR ADEQUACY OF THE TRANSFER CASE OIL VOLUME, TRANSFER CASE OIL LEAKAGE, AND OPERATIONAL DEGRADATION OF THE TRANSFER CASE MECHANISM. IF OIL VOLUME IS INSUFFICIENT, THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF OIL WILL BE ADDED. IF THERE IS TRANSFER CASE OIL LEAKAGE, AFFECTED COMPONENTS WILL BE REPLACED. IF THE TRANSFER CASE SHOWS OPERATIONAL DEGRADATION, THE TRANSFER CASE WILL BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 41 complaints · page 1 of 2
2019-09-07Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11253908
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TRANSMISSION GOES OUT IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY HAD TO PUSH CAR TO SAFETY AND WAS ALMOST RUN OVER NO WARNING THIS WAS GONNA DO THIS.
2007-07-13Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10196258
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 MITSUBISHI EXPO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COMPUTER THAT REGULATES THE IGNITION AND FUEL HANDLING IS DEFECTIVE. HE SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC AS HE WAS DRIVING AND REALIZED THAT THE COMPUTER HAD BURNED. HE STATED THAT A SQUARE INCH OF THE SYSTEM HAS BURNED OFF AND THE COMPOSITOR IN THE COMPUTER LEAKS OUT ONTO OTHER UNITS. THIS FAILURE COULD CAUSE A CIRCUIT TO BURN AND LEAD TO ENGINE STALLING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO, BUT WERE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD LEAD TO SEVERE INJURIES AND/OR DEATH. HE HAS NOT DRIVEN THE VEHICLE SINCE THE FAILURE BECAUSE THE PARTS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 160.
2004-05-20Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10067407
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 97V063001 CONCERNING SEAT BELT FAILURE. WHEN VEHICLE WAS STARTED AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS DID NOT ENGAGE. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT SLIDE ON THE RAIL PROPERLY. THIS VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL ONCE, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED.*AK *LA
2002-12-31Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10000665
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE TRANSMISSION HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED SINCE 1992 WHEN THE AUTOMOBILE WAS PURCHASED. IN BOTH CASES WE WERE TOLD THE TRANSMISSION WAS DAMAGED DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION. NEITHER WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND DUE TO THIS BEING A REAR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE WE WERE NOT INFORMED OF THE RECALL.
2002-11-15Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8022814
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER STATES THE PASSENGER SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT DISENGAGES WHILE DRIVING. ALSO THE SAME BELT WILL INTERMITTENTLY NOT ENGAGE WHEN VEHICLE IS STARTED. TS
2002-06-25Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 763449
CrashFireInjuryDeath
FRONT DRIVER SIDE PASSIVE RESTRAINT SEATBELT WILL NOT WORK. THE MOTOR IS OUT AND THE SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT RETRACT PROPERLY. THE CAR HAS ALREADY BEEN SERVICED FOR THE "SEAT BELT LATCH SWITCH RECALL" WHICH WAS ISSUED IN 1998 (SERVICED FEB. 1999). AFTER RECALL FIX IS WHEN THIS SYSTEM COMPLETELY FAILED.*AK
2002-04-15Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8007620
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER'S SEAT SHOULDER BELT IS STUCK IN FORWARD POSITION, THERE IS A RECALL BUT THIS VEHICLE IS NOT AFFECTED.*AK RECALL CAMPAIGN 97V063000, DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE RECALL COMPONENT. *TT
2002-03-08Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 8005223
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP SEAT BELT RELEASES AND CAME FORWARD. SOMETIMES WHEN FASTENING SEATBELT IT DOES NOT RETRACT ON DRIVER'S SIDE. *AK
2002-02-06Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 757848
CrashFireInjuryDeath
PER RECALL NOTICE SR-97-002, VEHICLE PRESENTED TO MANUFACTURER WHO ADVISED NECESSARY PART(S) UNAVAILABLE; MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION; PART NEVER RECEIVED; WORK NEVER DONE; DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER BELT NOW ALSO MALFUNCTIONING. *AK
2001-01-26Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 739978
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1992 Mitsubishi Expo?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 22 of 41 reports (54%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1992 Mitsubishi Expo?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Transmission / driveline. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1992 Mitsubishi Expo?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources