1997 Mitsubishi Mirage Problems and Recalls (73 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage is Engine (22% of 73 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Engine — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 73 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage?

16 of 73 filings named Engine (22% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Airbags (14 reports).

There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Engine and Lights. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 1996 has 28 reports on file; this year has 73. 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 1997 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 4 campaigns on file below.
  2. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  3. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  4. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Engine. 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: Engine 16 complaints · 21.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 13
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 11
  • 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 Engine (ENGINE) appears in 16 of 73 owner complaints (21.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. Engine (ENGINE): 16 complaints, 21.9% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 16 · 21.9% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 14 complaints, 19.2% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 10 crash reports 14 · 19.2% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 12 complaints, 16.4% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 12 · 16.4% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 5 complaints, 6.8% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 5 · 6.8% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 5 complaints, 6.8% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 5 · 6.8% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 4 complaints, 5.5% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 4 · 5.5% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 4 complaints, 5.5% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 4 · 5.5% Tires (TIRES): 3 complaints, 4.1% of reports Tires (TIRES) 3 · 4.1% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 2.7% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 2 · 2.7% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 52 complaints, 71.2% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 12 crash reports 52 · 71.2% 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)
Engine (ENGINE) 16 21.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 14 19.2% 10 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 12 16.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 5 6.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 5 6.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 4 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 4 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Tires (TIRES) 3 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 2.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 52 71.2% 12 crashes · 0 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 1997; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2000. 1997-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2000-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 1997 Oct 2009 Recall campaign 00V311001 ◆ Recall campaign 00V311001 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000
  • Campaign 00V311001 was reported 467 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1997-Q2 Owner reports 2
1997-Q3 Owner reports 3
1997-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q1 Owner reports 3
1998-Q2 Owner reports 2
1998-Q3 Owner reports 5
1998-Q4 Owner reports 3
1999-Q1 Owner reports 2
1999-Q2 Owner reports 5
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q4 Owner reports 2
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q2 Owner reports 4
2000-Q3 Owner reports 6
2000-Q4 Owner reports 4
2001-Q1 Owner reports 8
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2003-Q4 Owner reports 3
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 00V311001
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (4)

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

In short, these campaigns were filed about Engine and Lights.

  1. Recall campaign 00V311001

    Engine

    Report date
    Component:
    Engine (ENGINE)
    Consequence:
    THE CONDITION CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    ON THE MIRAGE VEHICLES, THE DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW, IMPROVED CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT ON THE OLDER ENGINES. ON NEW ENGINES WHICH ALREADY HAVE THE IMPROVED BOLT, THE DEALER WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT TO THE CORRECT TORQUE SPECIFICATION. ON THE MONTERO MODELS, DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT TO THE CORRECT TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS. IF THE BOLT IS DAMAGED, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 06E026000

    Safety recall 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 09E012000

    Safety recall 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Recall campaign 09E025000

    Lights

    Report date
    Component:
    Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    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 73 complaints · page 1 of 3
2009-11-25Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10293522
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. THE CLIPS THAT SECURES THE FLOOR-MATS TO THE FLOORBOARD HAS FRACTURED. THIS CONDITION CAUSES THE FLOOR-MAT TO SHIFT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THERE WAS NOT A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,831 THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 01/20/10 *BF UPDATED 01/22/10.*JB
2008-02-24Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10219020
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I SAW THE RECALL ID 00V311001 BUT I HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THE FIX OF MY CAR BECAUSE I DIDN'T SAW THE RECALL WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THE MONEY I PAID TO A MECHANIC I SPED $700.00 DOLLARS ON THE REPAIRS I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME THANKS. *TR
2007-06-07Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10192677
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, AN UNKNOWN INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. A LOCAL MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WOULD COST $2,200 TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THE # OF CYLINDERS, PURCHASE DATE, AND MILEAGE INFORMATION WERE UNKNOWN.
2005-03-28Suspension (SUSPENSION)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10117312
CrashFireInjuryDeath
LEFT FRONT CONTROL ARM RUSTED THROUGH ON THE CONSUMER'S 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE.*MR *NM
2004-06-17Tires (TIRES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10078399
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DUNLOP SP 20 TIRES SIZE 185/65-14. ONE TIRE SEPERATED AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. IN ADDITION OTHER 3 TIRES ON VEHICLE WERE WELL ON WAY TO SEPERATION. HAD TO PURCHASE 4 TIRES. *JB
2003-10-15Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10043980
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 00-V-311-001 NOTICE FROM MANUFACTURER. IT HAD BEEN OVER 2 MONTHS, AND NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. *AK
2003-10-10Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10034405
CrashFireInjuryDeath
RECALL 00-V-311-001: MIRAGE MODEL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.5L ENGINES; THE BOLT SECURING THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY CAN BECOME LOOSE AND THE PULLEY COULD FALL OFF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER WON'T HONOR THE RECALL.*AK THE BOLT HOLDING CRANSHAFT PULLEY BECAME LOOSE AGAIN. *TS *NLM
2003-10-01Airbags (AIR BAGS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 827411
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE HIT A DRAIN IN THE YARD AT 5 MPH AND BOTH FRONTAL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. DEALER CAN'T FIND REASON FOR PROBLEM. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK MECHANIC WROTE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OR REAR OF THE VEHICLE TO MAKE THE AIR BAGS DEPLOY. *PH *JB
2003-06-12Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10022931
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS INOPERATIVE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
2003-04-17Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10016069
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT RACHET FAILED WHICH RESULTS IN THE BELT BEING LOCKED IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. *NLM

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Owners named Engine most often — 16 of 73 reports (22%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Engine and Lights. 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 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise. 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