2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER — Owner-Reported Problems
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 89 complaints · 5 recalls
Verdict & Safety Summary
Most-reported system: SUSPENSION (17 complaints · 19.1%)
Safety signals:
- Crashes 8
- Fires 2
- Injuries 6
- 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | 17 | 19.1% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| ENGINE | 16 | 18.0% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 9 | 10.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 8 | 9.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 6 | 6.7% | 4 crashes · 0 fires |
| STRUCTURE | 5 | 5.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STEERING | 4 | 4.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| WHEELS | 4 | 4.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 3.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 25 | 28.1% | 1 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 09V077000 was reported 252 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 09V435000 was reported 260 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 14V562000 was reported 2,340 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V071000 was reported 274 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V279000 was reported 4,262 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V077000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V435000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V562000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V071000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V279000 |
Safety Recalls (5)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09V077000
- Report date
- Component:
- SERVICE BRAKES, AIR
- Consequence:
- THIS MAY TEMPORARILY INCREASE THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE AND THEREFORE INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09V435000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- THIS COATING OVER TIME MAY CAUSE CORROSION OF THE SENSOR. IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH OF THE TYPE THAT WOULD DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS THIS TYPE OF SHORT-CIRCUIT MAY CAUSE A DELAY IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS WHICH COULD RESULT IN DRIVER OR PASSENGER INJURY.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FRONT AIRBAG SENSORS THAT HAVE IMPROVED CORROSION RESISTANCE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER RELATIONS DEPARTMENT AT 1-888-648-7820.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 14V562000
- Report date
- Component:
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
- Consequence:
- If the drive belt detaches, the battery may discharge, resulting in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the drive belt with a rubber belt. Drive pulleys that are excessively worn will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 15, 2014. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-14-009.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 18V071000
- Report date
- Component:
- VISIBILITY
- Consequence:
- If the sunroof glass detaches from the assembly while driving, it can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof glass assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-003.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 20V279000
- Report date
- Component:
- STRUCTURE
- Consequence:
- A detached front control arm can result in a loss of vehicle control, 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. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2020. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-20-003.
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 89 complaints · page 1 of 4
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.