2001 Mitsubishi Mirage Problems and Recalls (29 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage is Body / frame (17% of 29 owner reports). There are 5 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Body / frame — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 29 complaints · 5 recalls

What problems show up on the 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage?

5 of 29 filings named Body / frame (17% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Cruise / speed control (5 reports).

There are 5 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 2000 has 33 reports on file; this year has 29. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2001 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 5 campaigns on file below.
  2. Body / frame. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck.
  3. Cruise / speed control. Test cruise control and ask about unintended-acceleration reports on this year.
  4. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Body / frame. 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: Body / frame 5 complaints · 17.2% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 9
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2000 →
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 Body / frame (STRUCTURE) appears in 5 of 29 owner complaints (17.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 5 complaints, 17.2% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 5 · 17.2% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 5 complaints, 17.2% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 crash reports 5 · 17.2% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 4 complaints, 13.8% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 4 crash reports 4 · 13.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 10.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 3 · 10.3% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 6.9% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 · 6.9% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 2 complaints, 6.9% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 2 · 6.9% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 2 complaints, 6.9% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 · 6.9% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 1 complaints, 3.5% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 1 · 3.5% Steering (STEERING): 1 complaints, 3.5% of reports Steering (STEERING) 1 crash reports 1 · 3.5% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 21 complaints, 72.4% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 6 crash reports 21 · 72.4% 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)
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 5 17.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 17.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 4 13.8% 4 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 10.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 6.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 6.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 6.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 3.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 1 3.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 21 72.4% 6 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 Jul 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Nov 2001. 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2001 Oct 2022 Recall campaign 01V340001 ◆ Recall campaign 01V340001 Recall campaign 04V428000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V428000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000
  • Campaign 04V428000 was reported 1,111 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2004-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 3
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 01V340001
Recall campaign 1 04V428000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (5)

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 01V340001

    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:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES TO INSURE THAT THE BOLT IS TIGHTENED. FOR THOSE BOLTS NOT PROPERLY TIGHTENED, THE BOLT AND PULLEY WILL BE REMOVED AND INSPECTED FOR ANY INDICATION OF DAMAGE. COMPONENTS SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF DAMAGE WILL BE REPLACED AND THE BOLT TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 26, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AMERICA AT 1-888-648-7820.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 04V428000

    Safety recall 04V428000

    Report date
    Component:
    Unclassified NHTSA leftover
    Consequence:
    THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
    Remedy:
    MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN WILL MAIL A CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION LETTER CONTAINING A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION AND A GRAPHIC OF THE BI-LINGUAL DASHBOARD AIR BAG WARNING LABEL. IN ADDITION, ALL CURRENT 2000-2004 NATIVA OWNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT AIR BAG ALERT LABELS FOR THE SUN VISORS. THIS RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH OR APRIL 2005. THE NOTIFICATION TO THE NATIVA OWNERS IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL OR MAY 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-787-251-8715.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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 →

  4. 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 →

  5. 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 5 of 29 complaints · page 1 of 2
2022-12-13Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11497208
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt failed to retract, and the driver was unable to remove the seat belt from the buckle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a retraction failure and that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The seat belt was not repaired nor replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
2012-02-09SUSPENSION
NHTSA ODI 10447609
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REIMBURSE FOR REPAIRS RELATED TO STEERING, RATTLING AND RE-TORQUE OF WHEELS DUE TO SUSPENSION WORK.*TGW
2009-12-16Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10296120
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE APPX 105,000 MILES. PURCHASED MAY 2007. VEHICLE'S FUSE BOX CAUGHT FIRE AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TOTALING THE CAR. NO PRIOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS BEFORE THE EVENT OCCURRED. AFTER RUNNING ERRANDS I PULLED INTO MY APARTMENT COMPLEX'S PARKING LOT AND THE CAR SUDDENLY DIED. I TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE DID NOT EVEN TURN. I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND I SAW SMALL FLAMES COMING FROM THE FUSE BOX ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I CALLED 911 IMMEDIATELY AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE DESTROYED AND COMPLETELY MELTED THE FUSE BOX AND BATTERY AND DAMAGED THE COOLING SYSTEM. I FILED A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND MONDAY 12/14/2009 THE DAMAGE APPRAISER CAME AND EXAMINED THE DAMAGE AND TOTALED THE CAR. I HAVE HAD NO PRIOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND THERE WERE NO INDICATES THAT THE CAR WAS MALFUNCTIONING. *TR
2008-01-23Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10215748
CrashFireInjuryDeath
POOR MANUFACTURING LEADING TO EVENTUAL OPERATIONAL FAILURE. THE HOOD HINGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE HAS SEIZED UP. THIS HAS PLACED A GREAT AMOUNT OF STRESS UPON THE TINY BRACKET ATTACHED TO THE HOOD; CAUSING IT TO BEND AND STRUCTURALLY FAIL. A SIMILAR PROBLEM IS NOW BEGINNING TO PROPAGATE OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HINGE AND BRACKET. THIS MAKES OPENING AND CLOSING THE HOOD EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, ALONG WITH THE HOOD NOT PROPERLY CLOSING. ALSO, THE TOP HINGE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HAS ALSO SEIZED UP PLACING A SEVERE AMOUNT OF STRESS ON THE ATTACHED BRACKET AND BOTTOM HINGE. THE AMOUNT OF STRESS CAUSED BY THE SEIZED HINGE HAS FORCED THE BRACKET THROUGH THE DOOR; PIERCING THE METAL. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALSO CAUSED MISALIGNMENT WITH THE DOOR, RESULTING IN IT NOT CLOSING/SEALING PROPERLY AS WELL AS RUBBING AGAINST THE FRONT RIGHT QUARTER PANEL. THE COST OF THE DAMAGES WILL RESULT IN APPROX $700.00 IN REPAIRS FOR A VEHICLE A BIT OVER 6 YEARS OF AGE. CURRENTLY NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE DAMAGES. WE SPOKE WITH A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS RUDE AND PRETTY MUCH TRIED TO DEFLECT QUESTIONS WITH NO CLEAR ANSWERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE US AND MAKE US STOP BOTHERING HIM. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF APPEALING TO THE CORPORATE OFFICE TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE REGARDING THIS OBVIOUS (AS SHOWN ON THIS SITES MANY CONSUMER COMMENTS) MANUFACTURING FLAW. *TR
2007-07-16Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10196450
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN IS NOT WORKING. HE HAD TO PULL THE FUSE FROM THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT IF HE PRESSED THE HORN TOO HARD, IT COULD DAMAGE THE MECHANISM. IN ORDER TO HAVE THE DEFECT REPAIRED, THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH THE HORN AND THE AIR BAG MECHANISM. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $700. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 144,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,000. UPDATED 12/12/07

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Owners named Body / frame most often — 5 of 29 reports (17%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage?

NHTSA lists 5 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 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck. 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