What breaks most · 2003 to 2015 model years
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution problems by year
Owners have filed 229 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution across model years 2003 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2003 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2008 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2010 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2012 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2008, 2010
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2012, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 2292003 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 200398 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 43 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 30kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 29Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98 | 1 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (65) | |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | Steering (4) | |
| 24 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 36 | 0 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (26) | |
| 2 | 0 | 5 | Engine (1) | |
| 28 | 0 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (20) | |
| 11 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (7) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (3) |
What fails on the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 66% |
65 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
10 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 9% |
9 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
8 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 3% |
3 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 3% |
3 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution |
| Unknown or other | 2% |
2 | 1 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The 5th gear syncro has failed on the car at 60,000 miles. This is a known defect to mitsubishi and they have developed new, stronger parts as part of a tsb. However, mitsubishi is refusing to repair the defect citing "abuse".
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Vehicle was in cold weather, ayc system light turned on. I checked the forums and found that this is a common issue that indicates the pump is bad. This is a very common problem.
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While driving normally the message "4wd system require service" came up. I bought the car used 40k miles and now it only has 43k miles. I have driven mildly since i bought it and have never abused the car. I heard it's caused by ayc acd pump failure, acd c161e.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2008, 2010 carry the most filings on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The 2003 alone has 98 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 65 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution complaints that include mileage is about 30,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.