2004 Mitsubishi Lancer problems & reliability
80 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles were involved in 13 fatal crashes with 13 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 21 | 26% |
| Air Bags | 19 | 24% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 9% |
| Power Train | 7 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 9% |
| Suspension | 6 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 6% |
| Equipment | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 65,000 miles (middle 50% between 44,684 and 87,500 miles), based on 43 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Takata recall. Had original airbag replaced 2 yrs ago. Received a letter from mitsubishi stating I needed to have it done again. I called customer service for mitsubishi when I learned they no longer have a mitsubishi dealership locally. I was advised at that time that the nearest dealership , in either direction, was…”
Air Bags · filed Mar 2, 2019
“2004 mitsubishi lancer. Consumer writes in regards to airbag safety recall. *ld the consumer stated he is too visually impaired to drive the long distance to have the vehicle repaired; therefore, accepting all responsibility of the consequences. *js”
Air Bags · filed Aug 20, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mitsubishi lancer. The contact stated that the vehicle was pulling to one side and the tires were worn down. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire facility where it was diagnosed that the cross member needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle…”
Suspension · filed Jul 27, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer. The 10 most recent:
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Puerto Rico addresses to inform them of…
TIN-25-00-013 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 10, 2025
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Texas addresses to inform them of open…
TIN-25-00-011 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 8, 2025
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Ohio addresses to inform them of open Takata…
TIN-25-00-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 11, 2025
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Division, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Louisiana addresses to inform them of open…
TIN-25-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 11, 2025
This is a Technical Information Notice informing dealers that MMNA is launching a social media campaign targeting vehicle owners with open Takata recalls.
TIN-24-00-011 · Service Campaign · issued Dec 9, 2024
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Arizona addresses to inform them of open Takata…
TIN-24-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 21, 2024
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Georgia Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle Division, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Georgia addresses to…
TIN-24-00-007 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 9, 2024
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Georgia Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle Division, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Georgia addresses to…
TIN-24-00-007 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 9, 2024
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that with permission from the Georgia Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle Division, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with Georgia addresses to…
TIN-24-00-007 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 9, 2024
This is a Technical Information Notice informing dealers that with permission from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, notification letters are being sent to vehicle owners with New York addresses to inform of…
TIN-24-00-006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 15, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 65,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.