Mitsubishi Lancer
Registered from 1996 to 2021.
About this model
The Mitsubishi Lancer is an automobile that was produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors from 1973 until 2024.
From the Wikipedia article Mitsubishi Lancer, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2010 2.0 diesel. 422 of 1,307 tests failed, 32%.
Better than 4% of 2010 cars. The typical one fails 24%, across 955 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 54% | 229 |
| Lights and electrics | 38% | 159 |
| Brakes | 36% | 152 |
| Steering | 27% | 116 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 18% | 76 |
| Body and structure | 17% | 70 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- Exhaust system leaking or insecure
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Where it stands out against its peers
- Steering: failed more often than 95% of 2010 cars — 27% of its 422 failed tests, where an ordinary 2010 car has 5%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 54% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
- Brakes — 36% of its failures
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Steering — 27% of its failures
- A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
- Exhaust and emissions — 18% of its failures
- Exhaust system leaking or insecure
- Lights and electrics — 38% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Body and structure — 17% of its failures
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
When it starts failing
At 160–180k miles this one fails 39% of its inspections, against the 28% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–60k miles | 30% | 19% | 53 | |
| 60–80k miles | 30% | 22% | 140 | |
| 80–100k miles | 30% | 25% | 262 | |
| 100–120k miles | 32% | 27% | 323 | |
| 120–140k miles | 36% | 28% | 260 | |
| 140–160k miles | 32% | 28% | 160 | |
| 160–180k miles | 39% | 28% | 64 |
1,262 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 100k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 1.8 petrol · 139 hp · 1426 kg · 2554 mm wheelbase · 7.3 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2010 | 2.0 diesel · 1520 kg · 2635 mm wheelbase · 6.2 L/100km (NEDC) |
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
A12/00893/21
The NADI (non-azide driver inflator) type airbag may have improper sealing that could allow moisture to enter into the propellant.If the propellant afterwards dries out, it could lead to decreased density resulting in a too high burn rate. Consequently the airbag may not deploy as designed and provide less protection, increasing the risk of injury. The product does not comply with the requirements laid down in the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/0412/14
Unwanted soot / carbon deposits on the piston rings might cause the piston rings to get stuck in the piston groove. As a result, this can cause increased blow-by gas to directly enter the crank case which in turn may cause the piston to overheat and melt. As a consequence, the engine may stall.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/1301/15
The passenger side airbag inflator might release fragments during deployment which could injure the passenger.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/1723/18
Due to temperature and humidity, the adhesive material between the sunroof glass and its outer frame may weaken. As a consequence, the sunroof glass might detach from the outer frame and come off.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/1724/18
The flange area of the engine's multi-belt auto tensioner may crack under high-load driving conditions, which may cause the drive-belt to fall off. If this occurs, the engine warning light will illuminate, there will be a loss of power steering assistance, the battery will discharge and the engine may overheat and stall.
Recall of the product from end users