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Engine & cooling

Mitsubishi Lancer Engine problems by year

156 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Mitsubishi Lancer's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Engine complaints by model year

YearEngine complaintsCrashesInjuriesRecalls
20163000
20155000
20143000
20132000
20126101
201112002
201025002
200930002
200816001
20061120
20051000
20048000
200318000
200225410
19961000

Engine recalls

Engine and engine cooling: belts and associated pulleys

18V069000141,053 vehicles affected

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Lancer, 2008-2012 Outlander, 2010-2012 Lancer Sportback, and 2011-2012 Outlander Sport vehicles equipped with either a 4B11 or 4B12 engine. The drive belt automatic tensioner flange...

Engine and engine cooling: belts and associated pulleys

14V562000165,923 vehicles affected

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Lancer, Lancer Evolution, and Outlander; 2009-2011 Lancer Sportback, Lancer Rilliart, and Lancer Sportback Ralliart; and 2011 Outlander Sport vehicles. The affected...

Latest Lancer engine complaints

2015 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

Needs a new motor. I know other 2015 Mitsubishi lancers were recalled for the same reason and this one should be also.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11602757
2016 Mitsubishi LancerTransmission & drivetrainEngine & cooling

2016 SE 2.4L AWC. Purchased car in February 2022 at 66k miles. In December of 2022 at 78k miles, car lost majority power while traveling at 40 MPH, threw 'Tranmission Servie Required' warning light. Drove 3 blocks home, parked for 2 hours. Turned car on and drove normally without lights. Previous event happened x3 before changing transmission fluid in February 2023. From February to May, roughly 500 miles, no codes occured. However, occasional hesitation when accelerating from a stop. Then, in May 2023, while traveling 80 MPH, RPMs shot to 6000, car began to lose power. Pulled to shoulder, turned car off and on, and was able to travel home without issue, another 15 miles.

Filed Incident Power train · Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 11524258
2008 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

The dealership that is repairing the drive belt recall, is attempting to charge me for the replacement of a damaged pulley.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11520768
2010 Mitsubishi LancerElectrical systemAcceleration & cruise controlEngine & cooling

The car started flashing a warning sign and loosing power. When trying to accelerate it stops. Eventually it puts the car into a limp mode and will stall altogether. This happens any long distance trip. My car year and model is not the only Lancer being effected by this computer glitch. It's very dangerous due to the fact that the cars loosing power while you're driving. It doesn't matter if you're in the middle of the highway it will just stop working. All research I have done points to an error within the...

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computer that tells the car when to cool down the transmission. I have seen many blogs, forums and actually know another Lancer owner who's model is a 2012 and has the exact same issue. I don't know why this hasn't been addressed yet when it's affecting more than just one Lancer here or there. Bad for the engine bad for the transmission bad for my travel. And the worst part is that any mechanic is unable to detect the issue unless the car is actively coding. I've had this car for 3 years now and I feel it's a big safety concern and needs to looked into. First occurrence was on a trip down to a local lake car stalled on the side of a highway this was in 2018. Now any trip further than over 30 miles or more the car will throw this code it looks like a gear and it has a exclamation point in the middle. It's progressively getting worse and effecting the over all performance more each time I wish to travel. Please find out why this issue is occurring in multiple years of the same model of car because it inconvenient and dangerous. I would hate for myself and my kids to get killed in an accident due to not being able to get out of the way of a bigger vehicle or a truck.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Vehicle speed control · EngineNHTSA 11485374
2016 Mitsubishi LancerElectrical systemEngine & cooling

The contact owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 50 MPH, the RPM increased from 2,000 to 5,000. Additionally, speedometer became inoperable, he brake was not working as designed, and the Service Transmission message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the dealer. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated the failure was similar to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V609000 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 11482208
2015 Mitsubishi LancerSeats & seat beltsEngine & cooling

About 3 weeks ago I notice that the driver seat belt didn't wanted to click to fasten the seat belt. I notice for sometime now that the car sometimes. Kind of stall then you have to step on the gas pedal to proceed and I'm afraid someone will hit me from the back because it doesn't go when it's suppose to also like when you turn it stalls and then you give it gas and it goes then

Filed Incident Seat belts · EngineNHTSA 11471081
2012 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

I own a 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer and I have been experiencing issues with the engine. The check engine light comes on constantly then disappears for about 2 weeks and then comes back soon after. This has been a ongoing thing since i got the car a few months ago. Also, my battery light will come on (with noise and notice) then quickly turn off and not come back on. This happens on and off also. I did some research and I believe it is a belt issue.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11432087
2012 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

NHTSA safety report 06/2021 - while driving approximately 45-50 mph, the ABS warning light and traction control light suddenly came on the display so I reduced speed and had planned to proceed to the next service station which was approximately 1.5 miles away. However, when I was approximately 1/2 mile from the station the engine stalled, the vehicle slightly jerked, and the the engine died. At this point, I shifted into neutral and cruised a couple hundred feet to a safe pull-off point. Upon inspection of the...

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vehicle, the battery was completely dead and would not hold a charge when jumped. This prompted me to check the alternator where I noticed the loose belt and broken tensioner which I had repaired at my own expense the following day.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11422594
2012 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

Approximately May, 2020, prior to getting the vehicle inspected, code P0420 indicated a faulty catalytic converters. At this time, the vehicle had an estimated 170,000 miles on it so I replaced the catalytic converter, not thinking much of it. The we're not further issues for about a year until June, 2021, when, once again, the computer started reading a P0420 code. Having only 30,000 - 40,000 miles, on it, and seeing no leaks in the exhaust or anything else that should cause a catalytic converter to go bad prematurely, there is clearly something else causing this issue.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11422587
2005 Mitsubishi LancerSuspensionLightsEngine & cooling

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mitsubishi lancer. The contact stated that the cup from the ball joints, the front end, tie rod, unknown wiring harness and the driver's side headlight failed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown mitsubishi dealer however, was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the warranty. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired out of pocket. Additionally, the instrument panel was also replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Incident Suspension · Exterior lighting · EngineNHTSA 11341985
2010 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

Warning message "too hot slow down" appears when inclining uphill in above 70 degrees (f) at 45mph or more. Transmission begins to lose power, deceleration occurs, temperature gauge reads normal on dashboard menu, vehicle transmission runs on high rpm above 3000, transmission sounds are louder than normal, and when vehicle reaches complete stop, vehicle warning message does not go away. When vehicle is manually shut off, message will still appear. When the vehicle is turned on to electrical only, message will still...

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appear. After 5 minutes or more in power off, vehicle will restart like normal, message is cleared, and gauges for temperature and oil pressure is normal range. No error codes are discovered when pulling codes when issue occurs. Emissions is okay and vehicle is regularly maintained according to vehicle's suggested maintenance plans. Issue has been a recurring issue for the last 4 years and the dealership has not responded with a suggested resolution or advisement on the issue. *Tr

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11330819
2014 Mitsubishi LancerEngine & cooling

Belt tensioner is bad and when accelerating makes noise especially when the vehicle is cold in the morning

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11288443

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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