Problems · NHTSA complaints
2011 Mitsubishi Lancer problems
Owners filed 49 complaints about the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer with NHTSA between Oct 2011 and Nov 2022. The most-cited component is power train (16).
Complaints
49
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train16
- Engine9
- Electrical system6
- Steering4
- Structure4
- Seat belts4
- Electronic stability control (esc)4
- Suspension3
- Fuel/propulsion system3
- Engine and engine cooling3
- Exterior lighting2
- Air bags2
- Visibility/wiper2
- 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 6, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
3
5
11
8
3
3
3
6
1
2
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 11 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 2 |
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.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
16 reports
“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”
Engine
9 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.”
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.”
Steering
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...”
Structure
4 reports
“Routine service at 112 Mitsubishi Dealer/Service Center noted that my front crossbar was severely corroded and “coming apart in chunks”. They noted that this defect is known and was recalled on later model years of my car, but not my 2011. Considering it was recalled already and is the same issue, I would recommend and hope the 2011 model year can also be included in the recall. It is available for inspection through mid September when I expect to repair it. There were no warnings leading up to this discovery of the defect, as it is structural. I am not an expert, but I would expect this advanced corrosion could fully compromise the car structure in a catastrophic way, resulting in an accident and/or injury.”
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.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 6, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.