2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 50 complaints · 6 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: ENGINE (17 complaints · 34.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 4
  • 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)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 17 of 50 owner complaints (34.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 17 complaints, 34.0% of reports ENGINE 17 · 34.0% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 5 complaints, 10.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 10.0% · 2 crash reports VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 10.0% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 10.0% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 4 complaints, 8.0% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 8.0% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 6.0% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 6.0% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 3 complaints, 6.0% of reports STEERING 3 · 6.0% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 4.0% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 4.0% AIR BAGS: 1 complaints, 2.0% of reports AIR BAGS 1 · 2.0% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 1 complaints, 2.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 1 · 2.0% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 13 complaints, 26.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13 · 26.0% · 1 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

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)
ENGINE 17 34.0% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 5 10.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 10.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 8.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 6.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 3 6.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 4.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 1 2.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 1 2.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13 26.0% 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

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2010; the first recall shown was reported in Sep 2014. 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2015-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2010 Jul 2023 Recall campaign 14V562000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V562000 Recall campaign 15V232000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V232000 Recall campaign 15V233000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V233000 Recall campaign 18V069000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V069000 Recall campaign 18V071000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V071000 Recall campaign 20V279000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V279000
  • Campaign 15V233000 was reported 1,652 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V069000 was reported 1,185 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V071000 was reported 2,664 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V279000 was reported 1,257 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 14
2015-Q1 Owner reports 6
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 3
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 14V562000
Recall campaign 1 15V232000
Recall campaign 1 15V233000
Recall campaign 1 18V069000
Recall campaign 1 18V071000
Recall campaign 1 20V279000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V232000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    Unstable voltage could result in intermittent failure of the vehicle's head lights, tail lights, and windshield wipers. If the headlights and/or windshield wipers fail, the driver could have reduced visibility. If the tail lights fail, the vehicle could be less visible. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected ECU, free of charge. The recall began on June 15 ,2015. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-15-002.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V233000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    Failure of the blower motor may reduce the performance of the windshield defroster, diminishing the driver's visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace a suspect blower motor, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-15-003.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V069000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    If the drive belt detaches, the battery will discharge and the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the belt tensioner with one that has an improved shape, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 27, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-001.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  6. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
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
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 50 complaints · page 1 of 2

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
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.

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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.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources