1991 Mitsubishi Mirage Problems: Seat belts (37 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1991 Mitsubishi Mirage is Seat belts (38% of 37 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 37 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 1991 Mitsubishi Mirage?

14 of 37 filings named Seat belts (38% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Electrical (8 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 1990 has 33 reports on file; this year has 37. 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 1991 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. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  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 14 complaints · 37.8% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 0
All Mitsubishi Mirage years →
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 14 of 37 owner complaints (37.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 14 complaints, 37.8% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 crash reports 14 · 37.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 8 complaints, 21.6% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 8 · 21.6% Engine (ENGINE): 5 complaints, 13.5% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 5 · 13.5% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 3 complaints, 8.1% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 crash reports 3 · 8.1% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 2 complaints, 5.4% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 · 5.4% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 1 complaints, 2.7% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 fire reports 1 · 2.7% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 2.7% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 · 2.7% Tires (TIRES): 1 complaints, 2.7% of reports Tires (TIRES) 1 · 2.7% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 1 complaints, 2.7% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 crash reports 1 · 2.7% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 22 complaints, 59.5% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 crash reports 2 fire reports 22 · 59.5% 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) 14 37.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 8 21.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 5 13.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 8.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 5.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 2.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Tires (TIRES) 1 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 22 59.5% 4 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: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 1995-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1995 Apr 2012 Recall campaign 95V103004 ◆ Recall campaign 95V103004 Investigation EA95004 ● Investigation EA95004 Investigation PE96006 ● Investigation PE96006 Investigation EA96015 ● Investigation EA96015
  • Campaign 95V103004 was reported 29 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 1
1995-Q2 Owner reports 6
1995-Q3 Owner reports 1
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 3
1996-Q3 Owner reports 4
1996-Q4 Owner reports 4
1997-Q1 Owner reports 2
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 3
1997-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 1
1999-Q4 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 1
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 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 37 complaints · page 1 of 2
2012-06-28Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10463770
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CPSC#X11C0565A. CYLINDER HEAD. 1991 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. CONSUMER STATED HE PURCHASED THE PART FROM D&S LIGHT TRUCK AND AUTO PARTS, INC. HE STATED THE CYLINDER WAS BAD AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO REFUND HIS MONEY OR REPLACE THE PART. *LN
2012-01-06Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10443068
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CPSC#X11C0561A & XX11C0565A. 1991 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE CONSUMER STATED AFTER INSTALLING CYLINDER HEAD, HE NOTICED THE VEHICLE RAN ROUGH. *LN THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE VALVES NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE LEARNED THE CYLINDER HEAD WAS BAD. *JB
2004-06-04Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10068607
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER SMELLED PLASTIC/RUBBER BURNING AND SUDDENLY VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. *AK THE CONSUMER NOTICED A LEAKAGE. THE CONSUMERS DAUGHTER WAS USING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE IT CAUGHT FIRE. THE DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE BRAKE LIGHT WOULD COME ON INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT THE COMBO SWITCH ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *SC *JB
2004-01-22Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10055627
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER EXPERIENCED 4 BRAKE FAILURES WHILE DRIVING. AS A RESULT, ON TIME THE VEHICLE WENT INTO A DITCH. BRAKE PAD SEPARATED FROM THE CALIPER AND FELL OFF. THIS WAS DUE TO THE CASTING FOR THE BRAKE PAD HARDLY GOING INTO THE FLAT. ANOTHER TIME THE PROBLEM WAS WORSE WHEN THE PADS WERE NEW.*AK
2001-03-26Tires (TIRES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 884109
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TIRES HAD 30 THOUSAND MILES ON THEM. TIRE SIZE WAS 155R13. TIRES MOUNTED ON A MITSUBISHI, MIRAGE, 1991. WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR OVER THREE HOURS, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEWOUT. ALSO, THERE WERE SOME CRACKS AROUND RIM. TIRES WERE REPLACED.*AK *SLC
2000-08-25Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 728976
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I READ WITH INTEREST THE REPORTS OF PROBLEMS WITH MITSUBISHI AUTOMOBILES, AS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS REPORTED - A LOOSE CRANKSHAFT - IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM WE HAD WITH OUR CAR. I AM REPORTING THIS TO YOU AS THE NEWS ACCOUNTS I'VE READ TALK ONLY ABOUT CARS IMPORTED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AS POSSIBLY BE SUBJECT OF RECALL. I WONDER IF THE RECALL SHOULDN'T COVER CARS, LIKE OURS, A GOOD DEAL OLDER THAN THAT. OUR SPECIFIC PROBLEM OCCURRED IN 1996 WHEN THE CAR HAS ABOUT 70,000 MILES ON IT. THE CRANKSHAFT PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED BY PHIL LONG MITSUBISHI IN COLORADO SPRINGS. CO.
1999-11-05Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 714393
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE ENGINE STOPS UNPREDICTABLY. I HEAR A CLICK THAT SEEMS TO COME FROM UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT, THEN THE ENGINE STARTS AND WILL NOT RESTART IMMEDIATELY. USUALLY, AFTER SOME MINUTES, IT WILL RESTART. IT WILL EVEN STOP AT HIGH SPEEDS, AS IT DID WHEN I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE ON A LONG BRIDGE, AND COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE WAY OF ON-COMING SEMI-TRUCKS. AS THE DEALER ADVISED, I REPLACED BOTH THE COMPUTER AND THE RELAYS, YET THE PROBLEM PERSISTS.
1999-09-30Engine (ENGINE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 849527
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE HAS STALLED ON 3 OCCASIONS WITHOUT WARNING OR HESITATION ,CAUSING POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD. *AK
1997-12-05Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 818822
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE. OWNER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT EXCEED 35MPH. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPUTER A SECOND TIME, AND INFORMED OWNER THAT THE CLUTCH HAD A LEAK, AND THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE VEHICLE'S LOW SPEEDS. *AK
1997-10-16Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 513740
CrashFireInjuryDeath
INTERMITTENT STALLING DUE TO COMPUTER FAILURE. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1991 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 14 of 37 reports (38%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1991 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 1991 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