Home · 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer · Complaints

What 49 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (49)Crash / fire / injury (2)Transmission & drivetrain (16)Engine (9)Electrical system (6)Body & structure (4)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (4)Seat belts (4)Steering (4)Engine & cooling (3)Fuel system (3)Suspension (3)

6 of 49 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters

Nov 22, 2022Electrical systemLights

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.

NHTSA ODI 11494649

Dec 1, 2019Electrical system

CAR WAS PARKED ON THE PARKING SPOT IN THE EVENING. NEXT MORNING CAR DID NOT START FOR NO REASON. ETAC ECU FAILURE CAUSED A RETURN SIGNAL TO BE BLOCKED ON A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL WIRE. ALSO WHAT WAS FOUND LATER AFTER A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL WIRE CONNECTIONS CLEAN UP, THAT A COOLING FAN STARTED TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY ALL THE TIME EVEN WHEN THE CAR ENGINE SHUT OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11283069

Aug 12, 2019Electrical systemFuel system

I SMELL FUEL IN MY CAR FAIRLY OFTEN, ALSO I HAVE A RECALL ON MY CAR AND THE DEALERSHIP WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. I RAN CODES AND THEY ALL POINT BACK TO AN ISSUE WITH TH COMPUTER. WHEN I'M DRIVING IT WILL JUST START SMELLING LIKE FUEL. I AM USUALLY ON A CITY STREET OR FREEWAY. THE LAST THING TO HAPPEN TO ME IS THE CAR DROVE LIKE IT WANTED TO START AND STOP, I WAS ON A STREET TURNING TO THE NEXT ONE. THE TRANSMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED POPPED ON.I TURNED THE CAR OFF THEN OFF AGAIN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN ANY GEAR.

NHTSA ODI 11243385

Jul 21, 2015Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

ACD/AYC PUMP HAS COMPLETELY STOP WORKING IN MY VEHICLE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO BE SERVICE AND THE PERSON WHO WAS DOING THE SERVICE ON MY CAR TOLD ME THAT THE ACD/AYC PUMP HAS GONE OUT AND I NEED A REPLACEMENT. I FOUND THAT WEIRD, BECAUSE I HAVE NOT DRIVEN MY CAR FOR ROUGHLY ABOUT A MONTH AND FOR AN ISSUE TO POP UP WAS VERY WEIRD. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I SEEMS THAT MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WERE THESE PUMPS GO OUT UNEXPECTED. THERE ARE ONLY 1400-1600 OF THESE CARS MADE YEAR IN THE STATES AND TO SEE MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD MIND BOGGLING TO MANY OF US. MITSUBISHI NEEDS TO FIND ANOTHER SOLUTION OR REMEDY TO THIS ISSUE. SINCE I LIVE IN THE SOUTH, MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS NOT WANTING TO COVER THIS AND I TRAVEL ALONG THE EAST COAST WITH MY CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10735401

Jun 4, 2014Electrical systemLights

LETTER FROM SENATOR TOOMEY ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE 2011 MITSUBISHI (ATTN: ROBERT SIMPSON). *SMD ACCORDING TO THE INVOICES, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, AND THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER ON FOUR OCCASIONS. *JB

NHTSA ODI 10594068

Jun 4, 2013Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

ACD PUMP FAILED AND DEALERSHIP WOULDN'T COVER IT CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY!! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10514953

Working with the data? Download all 49 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer verdict →