The Lemon IndexAll carsMitsubishiLancer
Mitsubishi Lancer reliability.
Is it reliable? Mostly. About as many complaints as the average car.
About average · 2005–2010
20108th generation
What owners say on YouTube
Looking at a 2011 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2011 best.
Engines & versions
Fewest complaints
2010.
Only 4 Mitsubishi Lancer years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2010 drew about average.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Show 4 older years (2002–2007, YouTube reviews only, no complaint data)
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 9 Mitsubishi Lancer years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/mitsubishi-lancer/" title="Mitsubishi Lancer reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="307" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/mitsubishi-lancer/">Lemon Index</a> (Mitsubishi Lancer reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 388 YouTube videos about the Mitsubishi Lancer, 2002 to 2017, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2006. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Mitsubishi Lancer.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Mitsubishi Lancer reliable?
Mostly. It draws about as many complaints as the average car, and YouTube owners sound happier with it than with most cars its age. Fewest complaints: 2010.
Is the Mitsubishi Lancer a good car?
It is about average, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2005-2010: Lemon Index 104; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2010 drew the fewest complaints since 2010.
What are the best Mitsubishi Lancer years to buy?
Only 4 Mitsubishi Lancer years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2010 drew the fewest complaints (about average).
What Mitsubishi Lancer years should you stay away from?
Only 4 Mitsubishi Lancer years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the Mitsubishi Lancer have?
49 safety recalls across the 12 model years we track. Most: 2009 (9), 2005 (7), 2006 (7). Each year's page lists them, and every Mitsubishi Lancer recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Mitsubishi Lancer problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name transmission & drivetrain, engine and electrical most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | too few complaints to score | 16 | service brakes, hydraulic (19%) | 7 | — | 19–26 |
| 2006 | 157 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 23 | transmission & drivetrain (30%) | 7 | — | 18–26 |
| 2008 | 85 | somewhat fewer complaints than the average car | 50 | transmission & drivetrain (18%) | 7 | — | 18–24 |
| 2009 | 142 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 23 | service brakes, hydraulic (30%) | 9 | — | 18–24 |
| 2010 | 108 | about average | 26 | transmission & drivetrain (46%) | 7 | — | 18–26 |
| 2011 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 21 | transmission & drivetrain (43%) | 4 | — | 19–28 |
| 2012 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 8 | transmission & drivetrain (38%) | 1 | ★★★★☆ | 19–28 |
| 2013 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 2 | transmission & drivetrain (50%) | 1 | ★★★★☆ | 19–28 |
| 2014 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 10 | transmission & drivetrain (50%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 19–28 |
| 2015 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 16 | electrical (31%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 19–29 |
| 2016 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 5 | transmission & drivetrain (80%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 25–30 |
| 2017 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 1 | wipers & visibility (100%) | 0 | ★★★★☆ | 26–30 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: goodcarbadcar.net. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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