"How reliable is the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer?"

"Based on 96 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer has a median complaint mileage of 60000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 96 total complaints filed."

2004 Mitsubishi Lancer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 96 complaints

Total Complaints

60,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

34,000 25th Percentile

60,000 Median Mileage

85,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

VISIBILITY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT

SUSPENSION

EQUIPMENT

POWER TRAIN

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DASHBOARD UPPER FIREWALL SUPPORT MALFUNCTIONED. *AK"

"1. AFTER DRIVING VEHICLE FOR AN HOUR OR LESS (DEPENDING ON ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS) A SPARK/STATIC DISCHARGE OCCURS BETWEEN THE EXTERNAL METAL SURFACE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE FIRST OCCUPANT EXITING VEHICLE. *AK 2. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY IGNITE FUMES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS REFUELING OR IN PRESENCE OF OT..."

"WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH THE CLUTCH POPPED, AND DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO CHANGE GEARS. DEALER WILL REPAIR AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE.*AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 19 complaints

25th: 40,700 mi Median: 45,000 mi 75th: 92,500 mi

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM 10 complaints

25th: 62,125 mi Median: 79,250 mi 75th: 131,250 mi

VISIBILITY 7 complaints

25th: 60,000 mi Median: 67,500 mi 75th: 75,000 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 complaints

25th: 15,100 mi Median: 39,500 mi 75th: 50,250 mi

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 complaints

Median: 34,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 11 CO: 8 AZ: 7 IL: 5 TX: 5 SD: 5 NY: 4 NC: 4 HI: 3 MA: 3

Who Files Complaints?

26%

Original Owners

74%

Second+ Owners

Mitsubishi Lancer — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2002	194	64,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	47
2003	241	52,000	VISIBILITY	17
2005	27	85,000	AIR BAGS	3
2006	52	99,000	AIR BAGS	10
2008	126	33,000	SUSPENSION	12
2009	139	70,000	ENGINE	23
2010	66	70,000	ENGINE	7
2011	51	58,250	ENGINE	3
2012	26	55,000	POWER TRAIN	7
2014	23	57,500	POWER TRAIN	7
2015	36	5,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	9
2016	38	60,000	POWER TRAIN	1

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