1990 Mitsubishi Mirage Problems: Seat belts (33 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage is Seat belts (58% of 33 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 33 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage?

19 of 33 filings named Seat belts (58% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Engine (6 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 1989 has 6 reports on file; this year has 33. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1990 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. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  4. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  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 19 complaints · 57.6% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 3
  • 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 19 of 33 owner complaints (57.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 19 complaints, 57.6% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 crash reports 19 · 57.6% Engine (ENGINE): 6 complaints, 18.2% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 fire reports 6 · 18.2% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 6.1% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 2 · 6.1% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 3.0% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 · 3.0% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 1 complaints, 3.0% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 · 3.0% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 1 complaints, 3.0% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 · 3.0% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 1 complaints, 3.0% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 1 · 3.0% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 20 complaints, 60.6% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 2 fire reports 20 · 60.6% 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) 19 57.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 6 18.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 6.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 1 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 20 60.6% 0 crashes · 2 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 May 1995. 1995-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1995-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1995-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1996-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1995 Oct 2013 Recall campaign 95V103004 ◆ Recall campaign 95V103004 Investigation EA95004 ● Investigation EA95004 Investigation PE96006 ● Investigation PE96006 Investigation EA96015 ● Investigation EA96015
  • Campaign 95V103004 was reported 96 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 4
1995-Q2 Owner reports 4
1995-Q3 Owner reports 3
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 5
1996-Q3 Owner reports 3
1997-Q1 Owner reports 1
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 1
1997-Q4 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 1
1999-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 95V103004
Defect investigation 1 EA95004
Defect investigation 1 PE96006
Defect investigation 1 EA96015
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 10 of 33 complaints · page 1 of 2
2013-11-18Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10552763
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED SPORADICALLY AT INITIAL START-UP OR WHEN DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 82,000. ## VIN PASSED ## MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 1990 ##
2003-05-02Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10016887
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ECU FAILURE, THEN MPI CONTROL RELAY, THEN DISTRIBUTOR CAP, COIL & ROTOR, THEN NEW DISTRIBUTOR. *NL
2002-11-18Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8022915
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE ONLY DOOR THAT WILL OPEN NORMALLY IS THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WILL ONLY OPEN FROM INSIDE, AND BOTH PASSENGER REAR DOORS WON'T OPEN FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS VERY UNSAFE IF YOU NEED TO EXIT QUICKLY IN AN EMERGENCY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFOMATION. TS
2001-03-13Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 882916
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL GEAR WAS ON DRIVE, THEN JUMPED INTO REVERSE, MAKING VEHICLE ROLL BACKWARD, HAPPENED TWICE.*AK
2000-07-19Engine (ENGINE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 553101
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ENGINE FIRE DUE TO POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *MJS
1999-08-10Engine (ENGINE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 709810
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CAR ALSO CUTS OFF IF THE AIR IS ON
1998-11-09Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 830443
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THERE IS A STRUCTURAL DEFECT WITHIN THE SECOND ENGINE CYLINDER--LOST COMPRESSION LEADING TO FAILURE 3 TIMES, 3RD TIME CYLINDER CRACKED. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK *ML
1997-10-28Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 818915
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHEN DRIVING AT VARIES SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL/DIE OUT FOR NO REASON. WOULD RESTART VEHICLE & IT WOULD STALL AGAIN. TOOK TO DEALER. MECHANIC GAVE IT A TUNE UP. THE STALLING STILL EXISTS AFTER TUNE UP. *AK
1997-10-15Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 523759
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) REPLACED DUE TO VEHICLE STALLING. CONSUMER ALSO COMPLAINS OF NOT HAVING A WARNING INDICATOR TO NOTIFY DRIVER OF FAILURE.
1997-08-12Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 815290
CrashFireInjuryDeath
BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELTS ARE INOPERATIVE DUE TO THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT NOT RETRACTING. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 19 of 33 reports (58%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1990 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 1990 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