2006 Mitsubishi Lancer problems & reliability
37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2006 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.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 16 | 43% |
| Suspension | 9 | 24% |
| Structure | 5 | 14% |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 5% |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 100,000 miles (middle 50% between 56,000 and 127,475 miles), based on 22 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, she heard abnormal loud grinding sounds coming from underneath the front passenger's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly while driving. Additionally, the contact…”
Suspension · filed Aug 12, 2022
“When doing routine repair on the control arms, it was noted that there is a ginormous rust hole in the subframe where the control arm connects to aforementioned subframe”
Suspension · filed Mar 17, 2022
“My lancer has very bad rear end chassis rust where the rear subframe is fastened to the monobody. In this area all the suspension components and rear drivetrain are located. Damage occurs due to salt and other corrosive agents that are used for roads in Connecticut to melt snow. These agents rust the car where…”
Structure · filed Mar 8, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
69 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2006 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 2006 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 2006 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 100,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.