Problems · NHTSA complaints

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution problems

Owners filed 45 complaints about the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with NHTSA between Oct 2011 and Nov 2022. The most-cited component is power train (13).

Complaints
45
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train13
  2. Engine8
  3. Electrical system6
  4. Structure4
  5. Seat belts4
  6. Electronic stability control (esc)4
  7. Steering3
  8. Suspension3
  9. Fuel/propulsion system3
  10. Engine and engine cooling3
  11. Exterior lighting2
  12. Air bags2
  13. Visibility/wiper2
  14. Visibility1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20112
20123
20135
201410
20156
20162
20173
20183
20196
20201
20212
20222

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

13 reports1 related recall
“AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN YOUR FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR OR HOLDING IT STEADY AND YOU APPLY THE PEDAL DOWN TO GO FORWARD THERE IS A DELAY AS IF THE TRANSMISSIONS TRYING TO FIND A SPEED TO GO TO. MY MECHANIC CHECKED OUT THE ENGINE ALL COMPUTERS SYSTEMS ARE GOOD AND THE ENGINE RUNS FINE HE IS LINKING IT TO THE TRANSMISSION BEING A CVT AND POSSIBLY A DEFECTIVE OR BAD DESIGN. THIS LONG DELAY HAS RESULTED IN CAUSING AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WOULD TRY TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR WOULD STALL OUT FOR THAT AMOUNT OF TIME THE ENGINE THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM IT'S THE TRANSMISSION”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 17, 2019Power trainODI 11170650

Engine

8 reports
“THE VEHICLE WAS CHOSEN FROM A WEBSITE CALLED HTTPS://DRIVEYOURDREAM.TRUECAR.COM THERE WAS A SELECT A DEALER PAGE THAT FORWARDED THE PRICE AND PAYMENT PLAN TO THE SELECTED DEALER. THE CAR WAS IN EXTREMELY STRANGE CONDITION MOST LIKELY WAS SITTING A LONG TIME INTO A SOME KIND OF A VEHICLE STORAGE. SO FAR THE CAR IS WORKING OK WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE TRANSMISSION, ENGINE, GAS PEDAL, GEAR-SPEED-CLUTCH STICK, ARE NOT FUNCTIONING AS EXPECTED BY THE STANDARDS APPROVED BY MITSUBISHI AUTOMOTIVE USA. THE CAR CANNOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY AND IT IS CONSUMING TOO MUCH GASOLINE AND ENGINE OIL. THERE WERE SEVERAL RECALLS ABOUT THE CAR AND THEY WERE DONE BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM REGARDING ACCELERATION HAS NOT EVEN BEEN CONSIDERED AS A RECALL YET AS FAR AS I KNOW.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 31, 2019Structure, Service brakes, EngineODI 11240763

Electrical system

6 reports
“While driving the vehicle the headlights will turn off at random intervals. The passenger side rear tail light is out and remains out despite changing the bulb. Water leaks through a gap in the body into the light and the trunk. Headlights need to be reliable in order to ensure safety and visibility, especially at night and during inclement weather. My father is a retired auto mechanic and has been doing his best to troubleshoot the problem. I am experiencing financial hardship at the moment and I cannot afford to bring my vehicle anywhere that would charge. There are no warnings, the lights just stop working periodically and the tail light stopped working about a week ago.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 22, 2022Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 11494649

Structure

4 reports
“I got a service needed warning for the electric power steering and I lost all power steering... As it turned out, the rack and pinion was bad because the subframe rotted out where the rack and pinion mounts up and a custom built subframe and rack and pinion had to be installed on the car at a cost of almost $5,000...”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 15, 2022Steering, StructureODI 11484709

Seat belts

4 reports1 crash
“"TAKATA RECALL" MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBERSR-18-001 NHTSA RECALL NUMBER18V069 RECALL STATUSRECALL INCOMPLETE SUMMARY DUE TO REPETITION OF HIGH LOAD OPERATIONS, THE FLANGE OF THE DRIVE BELT AUTOMATIC TENSIONER MAY CRACK, CAUSING THE DRIVE BELT DETACHMENT. SAFETY RISK IF THE DRIVE BELT DETACHES, THE ALTERNATOR WILL NOT CHARGE THE BATTERY, CAUSING ENGINE STALL, AND/OR THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WILL BE DISABLED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. REMEDY OWNERS OF ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES WILL BE NOTIFIED AND ENCOURAGED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN TO REPLACE THE AUTO TENSIONER WITH A COUNTERMEASURE UNIT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 2, 2018Seat belts, EngineODI 11155408

Electronic stability control (esc)

4 reports
“THE AYC PUMP FAILED BY DISPLAYING A BLINKING TARMAC LIGHT. IT CONSTANTLY FLASHES WHILE DRIVING. THE AYC PUMP CORRELATES WITH THE STEERING AND STABILITY CONTROL FOR THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. THIS IS A BIG HAZARD. THE AYC PUMP SHOULD BE RELOCATED TO THE TRUNK COMPARTMENT SO IT IS NOT EXPOSED TO WEATHER CONDITIONS LIKE SNOW AND RAIN. THIS WILL PROTECT THE AYC PUMP FROM FAILING. THE WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THIS FAILED PUMP AT ALL. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 26, 2014Power train, Vehicle speed control, Electronic stability control (esc)ODI 10650095
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.