Mitsubishi Lancer - Problems, Statistics, and Analysis

Mitsubishi Lancer owners have reported a total of 1,551 problems for their cars built in the 18 model years listed in the chart below. The chart shows the number of problems reported across all service years for each given model year of the Mitsubishi Lancer. The 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer cars have the most problems reported (354 problems).

Table 1. Total number of problems by model year for Mitsubishi Lancer

Model Year	Number of Problems
2017 Lancer	8
2016 Lancer	38
2015 Lancer	41
2014 Lancer	37
2013 Lancer	16
2012 Lancer	35
2011 Lancer	73
2010 Lancer	117
2009 Lancer	173
2008 Lancer	211
2007 Lancer	3
2006 Lancer	89
2005 Lancer	52
2004 Lancer	112
2003 Lancer	354
2002 Lancer	190
2000 Lancer	1
1996 Lancer	1

🔍 Common problems of Mitsubishi Lancer

The following chart shows the 25 most common problems for Mitsubishi Lancer cars. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's power train (335 problems). The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling (167 problems).

Table 2. Common problems of Mitsubishi Lancer

Problem Category	Number of Problems
Power Train	335
Engine And Engine Cooling	167
Visibility	150
Air Bag	122
Electrical System	101
Equipment	101
Suspension	91
Service Brakes	79
Structure	77
Steering	60

Vehicle Speed Control	53
Electronic Stability Control	48
Exterior Lighting	37
Unknown Or Other	28
Seat Belt	23
Other Fuel System	19
Gasoline Fuel System	18
Tire	17
Wheel	12
Seats	5
Air Brake	3
Child Seat	2
Latches/locks/linkage	1
Forward Collision Avoidance	1
Interior Lighting	1

📉 Compare Reliability Across Model Years Using PPMY Index

It would not be fair to compare the Mitsubishi Lancer of an older model year to newer model years since older vehicles have been in service longer and thus are expected to have more problems. In order to compare the reliability across Lancer model years, we use the PPMY index which is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. A smaller PPMY index indicates greater reliability of the given model year cars.

PPMY = P / S / Y * 1000,

where P = total problems reported during the life of a Mitsubishi Lancer model year; S = total units sold of the model year; Y = years since the debut of the model year (the age of the vehicle).

The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Use PPMY Index to Compare Reliability Across Lancer Model Years

Lancer Model Year	Problems	Sales [1]	Vehicle Age	PPMY Index
2017	8	13,379	9	0.07
2016	38	9,859	10	0.39
2015	41	18,459	11	0.20
2014	37	14,895	12	0.21
2013	16	12,166	13	0.10
2012	35	11,495	14	0.22
2011	73	23,094	15	0.21
2010	117	22,856	16	0.32
2009	173	36,442	17	0.28
2008	211	39,220	18	0.30
2007	3	2,351	19	0.07
2006	89	36,246	20	0.12
2005	52	27,095	21	0.09
2004	112	37,643	22	0.14
2003	354	68,951	23	0.22
2002	190	74,221	24	0.11

📊 Number of Problems Reported During the First Year

Another way to measure the reliability across the model years of the Mitsubishi Lancer is to use the total number of problems reported during the vehicle's first year in service, as shown in the Table 4.

Table 4. Number of problems in vehicle's; first service year

Model Year	Problems Reported
2016 Lancer	1
2015 Lancer	3
2014 Lancer	6
2012 Lancer	3
2011 Lancer	5
2010 Lancer	2
2009 Lancer	15
2008 Lancer	30
2006 Lancer	1
2005 Lancer	7
2004 Lancer	7
2003 Lancer	48
2002 Lancer	22

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