"How reliable is the 1996 Mitsubishi Mirage?"

"Based on 40 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Mitsubishi Mirage has a median complaint mileage of 0 miles. The most common issue is Frontal."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Mitsubishi Mirage?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Mitsubishi Mirage is Frontal, accounting for a significant portion of the 40 total complaints filed."

1996 Mitsubishi Mirage: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 40 complaints

Total Complaints

Frontal

Top Issue

Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Frontal

Gasoline

Wheels

Air Bags

Master Cylinder

Latch

Automatic Transmission

Pads

Macpherson Strut

Door

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAG IN FRONTAL COLLISION. *AK"

"DRIVER EXPERIENCES LOSS OF BRAKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE HWY WHICH WHICH LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT, EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE FRONT BRAKES PADS AFTER 8K MILES. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

VA: 11 CA: 7 FL: 6 PR: 3 TN: 3 MA: 3 GA: 2 MS: 1 MD: 1 UN: 1

Who Files Complaints?

27.5%

Original Owners

72.5%

Second+ Owners

Mitsubishi Mirage — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	37	-	Seat Belts	1
1991	45	-	Seat Belts	7
1993	91	101,000	Seat Belts	2
1994	69	-	Frontal	26
1995	93	-	Frontal	44
1997	105	94,806	Frontal	18
1998	53	71,250	Frontal	18
1999	74	59,429	Hinge And Attachments	20
2000	55	115,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	18
2001	51	51,000	Vehicle Speed Control	23
2014	63	29,000	Air Bags	18
2015	60	15,000	Service Brakes	9
2017	21	32,500	Air Bags	4

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28