2002 Mitsubishi Lancer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 194 complaints
194
Total Complaints
64,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Top Issue
47
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

36,000 25th Percentile
64,000 Median Mileage
121,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
12
AIR BAGS
12
VISIBILITY
10
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8
SUSPENSION
8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
6
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
6

Severity Assessment

47
Crashes
1
Fires
30
Injuries
3
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED LIMIT APPLIED BRAKES AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION.*AK"
"THIS NOISE HASN'T GONE AWAY NO MATTER WHICH BRAND OF OIL FILTER OR WEIGHT/BRAND OF OIL I USE. THE DEALER SAYS IT'S A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS ENGINE. I TEST DROVE AN IDENTICAL VEHICLE AND IT PURRED LIKE A KITTEN. SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE STALLING AND BRUSHING ME OFF.*AK"
"THIS ENGINE HAS PISTON SLAP AND VALVETRAIN NOISE ON COLD STARTS. THE DISTRICT REP REFUSES TO ALLOW THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM.*AK"

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

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