"How reliable is the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer?"

"Based on 26 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer has a median complaint mileage of 55000 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer is POWER TRAIN, accounting for a significant portion of the 26 total complaints filed."

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 26 complaints

Total Complaints

55,000mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

27,500 25th Percentile

55,000 Median Mileage

80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

STEERING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY/WIPER

AIR BAGS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MITSUBISHI LANCER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY RAN OUT OF GASOLINE FUEL. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE LOW FUEL IN THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE FUEL GAUGE READING THREE QUARTERS OF A TANK FULL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER F..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MITSUBISHI LANCER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE AND STALLED WITH NO WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CENTRAL COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REP..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MITSUBISHI LANCER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND MAKING A TURN, A SQUEAKING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER SIX TIMES FOR THE SAME MALFUNCTION. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE OR DUPL..."

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