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What 5 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 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 (5)Engine (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Airbags (1)Brakes (1)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)

Newest first · 5 complaints

Jun 10, 2020Brakes

MASTER CYLINDER CLUTCH IS FAULTY CAUSING THE PROBLEMS IN SHIFTING OUT OF PARK. AN ARTICLE ONLINE STATED THERE WAS A RECALL FROM 2008-2013 REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WHY IS MY VIN NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. PER WEB ARTICLE RETRIEVED 06/10/2020 : HTTPS://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/CAR-NEWS/2008-13-MITSUBISHI-LANCER-EVOLUTION-RECALLED-BECAUSE-CLUTCH-MASTER-CYLINDER-CAN-FAIL.HTML, WRITTEN BY [XXX] 10/28/2013 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 11328225

Sep 23, 2019

VEHICLE HAS OVERHEATED ON THE HIGHWAY,. ONCE IT DID TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY MORE OFTEN, EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERIES WERE STILL GOOD. THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH DIAGNOSTIC CODE P0420, IT SEEMS TO BE THE CATALYST CONVERTER AND 02 SENSORS IN TAKE AND OUT TAKE. WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON THE VEHICLE MAKES A LOUD CLICKING NOISE AND SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE TURNS OFF. WHEN I REVERSE, THE VEHICLE ALSO TURNS OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11257261

Jul 15, 2019Transmission & drivetrainEngine

WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP CAR HAS SEVERE HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING AND SHIFTING. ITS EVEN WORSE WHEN THE A/C IS RUNNING. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES TO BE TOLD ITS THE TYPE OF TRANSMISSION IT IS (CVT). I KNOW THIS IS NOT THE CASE WHEN A PERSON ON A BICYCLE CAN TAKE OFF AT A RED LIGHT FASTER THEN MY CAR I KNOW THERE ID A PROBLEM. I KNOW THEY RECALLED THE TRANSMISSION ON YEARS PRIOR UP TO 2012 LANCERS BUT THE 2013 HAS THE SAME TRANSMISSION

NHTSA ODI 11232148

Apr 8, 2019AirbagsElectronic Stability Control (esc)Engine

TAKATA RECALL- ABS LIGHT IS ON PER RECALL IT HAS TO DO WITH AIR BAG INFLATOR IN OTHER MITSUBISHI CARS. ALSO THE STALLS AND SHUTS DOWN AND OVER HEATS. THIS HAS BEEN NOTICED. THIS IS THE TIME IT HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI 11194771

Sep 18, 2018Transmission & drivetrain

ABOUT A MONTH AGO SERVICE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON AND THROWS CODE P1875(DAMPER SPEED SENSOR) . I'VE BEEN TOLD BY MITSUBISHI THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS OTHER THAN PURCHASING A NEW $15,000 SST TRANSMISSION FROM THEM. THE CAR IS NOT EVEN WORTH THAT MUCH BY NOW. HOW IS IT THAT MITSUBISHI DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THIS ISSUE?

NHTSA ODI 11130276

Working with the data? Download all 5 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 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer verdict →