Problems · NHTSA complaints
2001 Mitsubishi Mirage problems
Owners filed 31 complaints about the 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage with NHTSA between Aug 2001 and Dec 2022. The most-cited component is vehicle speed control (7).
Complaints
31
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
7
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Vehicle speed control7
- Structure6
- Electrical system4
- Air bags4
- Seat belts3
- Equipment3
- Steering2
- Service brakes, hydraulic2
- Power train2
- Suspension1
- Tires1
- Fuel system, other1
- Seats1
- Engine and engine cooling1
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
1
8
4
1
7
3
2
2
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 8 |
| 2003 | 4 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
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
Vehicle speed control
7 reports2 crashes
“I PUNCHED OUT FROM MY JOB AND GOT INTO MY CAR. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 8 MINUTES AWAY.I WAS IN MY CAR WAITING FOR THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TO CHANGE TO GREEN. THERE WERE ABOUT 4 OR 5 CARS AHEAD OF ME.I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN MY CAR TOOK OFF LIKE A RACE CAR (VERY FAST).I APPLIED MY BRAKE AND IT FELT AS THOUGH IT DIDN'T WANT TO HOLD.I THEN APPLIED BOTH FEET TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN AN ALMOST STANDING UP POSITION TRYING TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP.IT EVENTUALLY STOPPED. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED EITHER ON DECEMBER 20TH OR DECEMBER 21ST. THE REASON I DIDN'T GIVE A DEFINITIVE DATE IS THAT MY RECEIPT IS IN MY CAR. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME IN MY LIFE, IT HAPPENED AT AN INOPPORTUNE TIME BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED OVER TIME THAT WEEK; BUT DUE TO MY CAR NOT BEING FINISHED (FIXED) UNTIL 4:00 P.M. I LOST A DAY OF WORK. VERY NEXT MORNING I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE ON ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MANAGER AND HE SAID TO ME "MAAM WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE HERE THAT CAN FIX THAT PROBLEM", THE MANAGER THEN SAID THAT HE HAS READ SOMEWHERE WHERE THAT HAS HAPPENED TO SOME VEHICLES. HE SAID THERE MAYBE A RECALL AND THEN ADVISED ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE…”
Structure
6 reports
“POOR MANUFACTURING LEADING TO EVENTUAL OPERATIONAL FAILURE. THE HOOD HINGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE HAS SEIZED UP. THIS HAS PLACED A GREAT AMOUNT OF STRESS UPON THE TINY BRACKET ATTACHED TO THE HOOD; CAUSING IT TO BEND AND STRUCTURALLY FAIL. A SIMILAR PROBLEM IS NOW BEGINNING TO PROPAGATE OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HINGE AND BRACKET. THIS MAKES OPENING AND CLOSING THE HOOD EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, ALONG WITH THE HOOD NOT PROPERLY CLOSING. ALSO, THE TOP HINGE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HAS ALSO SEIZED UP PLACING A SEVERE AMOUNT OF STRESS ON THE ATTACHED BRACKET AND BOTTOM HINGE. THE AMOUNT OF STRESS CAUSED BY THE SEIZED HINGE HAS FORCED THE BRACKET THROUGH THE DOOR; PIERCING THE METAL. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALSO CAUSED MISALIGNMENT WITH THE DOOR, RESULTING IN IT NOT CLOSING/SEALING PROPERLY AS WELL AS RUBBING AGAINST THE FRONT RIGHT QUARTER PANEL. THE COST OF THE DAMAGES WILL RESULT IN APPROX $700.00 IN REPAIRS FOR A VEHICLE A BIT OVER 6 YEARS OF AGE. CURRENTLY NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE DAMAGES. WE SPOKE WITH A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS RUDE AND PRETTY MUCH TRIED TO DEFLECT QUESTIONS WITH NO CLEAR ANSWERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE US AND MAKE US…”
Electrical system
4 reports1 fire
“2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE APPX 105,000 MILES. PURCHASED MAY 2007. VEHICLE'S FUSE BOX CAUGHT FIRE AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TOTALING THE CAR. NO PRIOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS BEFORE THE EVENT OCCURRED. AFTER RUNNING ERRANDS I PULLED INTO MY APARTMENT COMPLEX'S PARKING LOT AND THE CAR SUDDENLY DIED. I TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE DID NOT EVEN TURN. I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND I SAW SMALL FLAMES COMING FROM THE FUSE BOX ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I CALLED 911 IMMEDIATELY AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE DESTROYED AND COMPLETELY MELTED THE FUSE BOX AND BATTERY AND DAMAGED THE COOLING SYSTEM. I FILED A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND MONDAY 12/14/2009 THE DAMAGE APPRAISER CAME AND EXAMINED THE DAMAGE AND TOTALED THE CAR. I HAVE HAD NO PRIOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND THERE WERE NO INDICATES THAT THE CAR WAS MALFUNCTIONING. *TR”
Air bags
4 reports4 crashes
“2001 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE INVOLVED IN HEAD-ON COLLISION WITH 1994 FORD EXPLORER. BOTH VEHICLES ESTIMATED TO BE TRAVELING 35 MILES PER HOUR. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN 2001 MITSUBISHI. VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS. ADJUSTERS FOR BOTH INSURANCE COMPANIES INVOLVED COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE SURPRISED THAT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONTACTED MITSUBISHI BECAUSE OF MY CONCERN THAT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ASKED IF THEY COULD HAVE REPRESENTATIVE INSPECT VEHICLE. THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY TOO LITTLE IMPACT TO DEPLOY AIR BAGS. WHEN I EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS THEY SAID I COULD DO WHATEVER I WANTED AT MY OWN EXPENSE AND THEY WOULD SEND ME A BROCHURE ON AIR BAGS.”
Seat belts
3 reports1 crash
“The contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt failed to retract, and the driver was unable to remove the seat belt from the buckle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a retraction failure and that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The seat belt was not repaired nor replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Equipment
3 reports1 related recall
“UPON INITIAL PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE IT WAS NOTED THAT EXTENDED USE OF THE CD PLAYER CAUSED THE PLAYER TO OVERHEAT AND SHUT DOWN. THE ORIGINAL PLAYER WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP AND THE REPLACEMENT HAS AN IDENTICAL PROBLEM. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. THE CLUSTER WOULD WORK ON START-UP AND CONTINUE WORKING UNTIL EITHER THE CAR WARMED UP OR THE CAR WAS SHUT DOWN TO REFUEL. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STOPPED WORKING AND NO REMEDY HAS BEEN SOUGHT YET.*JB”
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.