2005 MITSUBISHI LANCER — Owner-Reported Problems
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 23 complaints · 6 recalls
Verdict & Safety Summary
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (9 complaints · 39.1%)
Safety signals:
- Crashes 2
- Fires 0
- Injuries 1
- Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 9 | 39.1% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 8.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 8.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 8.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 1 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STEERING | 1 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STRUCTURE | 1 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | 34.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 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.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 17V569000 was reported 3,643 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V220000 was reported 3,846 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E023000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E064000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E025000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V458000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V569000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V220000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE14016 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA15001 |
Safety Recalls (6)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E023000
- Report date
- Component:
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Consequence:
- WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E064000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09E025000
- Report date
- Component:
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Consequence:
- DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 16V458000
- Report date
- Component:
- SUSPENSION
- Consequence:
- A detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross member will be replaced with a new one that has a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-003.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 17V569000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with a different inflator, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2017. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-17-001. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V-321.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 18V220000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a final replacement passenger side frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on April 26, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-005.
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Showing 0 of 23 complaints · page 1 of 1
No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.