1987 Mitsubishi Mirage Problems: Seat belts (3 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1987 Mitsubishi Mirage is Seat belts (67% of 3 owner reports). There are 1 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 3 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 1987 Mitsubishi Mirage?

2 of 3 filings named Seat belts (67% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Electrical (1 reports).

There are 1 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Seat belts. 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 1987 Mitsubishi Mirage

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 1 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  4. Skim a few owner reports below for Seat belts. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  5. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Seat belts 2 complaints · 66.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
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 2 of 3 owner complaints (66.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 2 complaints, 66.7% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 · 66.7% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 33.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 1 · 33.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 3 complaints, 100.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 fire reports 3 · 100.0% 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) 2 66.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 33.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 3 100.0% 0 crashes · 1 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 Apr 1995; the first recall shown was reported in May 1995. 1995-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1987 Jan 1997 Recall campaign 95V103004 ◆ Recall campaign 95V103004 Investigation PE88003 ● Investigation PE88003 Investigation EA93017 ● Investigation EA93017 Investigation EA95004 ● Investigation EA95004
  • Campaign 95V103004 was reported 5 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 95V103004
Defect investigation 1 PE88003
Defect investigation 1 EA93017
Defect investigation 1 EA95004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (1)

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

In short, these campaigns were filed about Seat belts.

  1. Recall campaign 95V103004

    Seat belts

    Report date
    Component:
    Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
    Consequence:
    THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES AND CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUGGING ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS SECURELY LOCKED, AND THEN PRESSING THE RELEASE BUTTON. THE LATCH PLATE SHOULD POP OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. IF EITHER RELEASE BUTTON SHOWS A SIGN OF BREAKING OR CRACKING OR IF EITHER BUCKLE FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY, OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CONTACT THEIR AUTHORIZED DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE BUCKLE REPLACED OR REPAIRED, FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING A REMEDY DESIGNED TO PREVENT FAILURE OF THE BUTTONS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BROKEN.
    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 3 of 3 complaints · page 1 of 1
1997-03-20Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 810229
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE WAS PARKED, DRIVER STARTED VEHICLE UP AND VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. *AK
1996-05-17Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 984586
CrashFireInjuryDeath
FLOOR MOUNTED SHOULDER HARNESS DOES NOT RETRACT PROPERLY. *AK
1995-05-19Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 965589
CrashFireInjuryDeath
FRONT PASSENGER'S SHOULDER/LAP BUCKLE WOULD NOT HOLD; SEPARATED IT MINIMUM PRESSURE; MALE PORTION PULLED OUT WITHOUT USING RELEASE BUTTON. TT

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1987 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 2 of 3 reports (67%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1987 Mitsubishi Mirage?

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts. 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 1987 Mitsubishi Mirage?

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