2008 Mitsubishi Lancer problems & reliability
91 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer, alongside 5 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.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles were involved in 25 fatal crashes with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 23 | 25% |
| Engine | 13 | 14% |
| Steering | 12 | 13% |
| Power Train | 11 | 12% |
| Structure | 10 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 8% |
| Tires | 6 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 4% |
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 87,500 miles (middle 50% between 14,750 and 133,250 miles), based on 52 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated that after a while the system would erase any safety information used to track mileage and only show the GPS feature on the digital screen with information from 2004. The contact stated he used the digital screen for the safety features. Upon further…”
Power Train · filed Aug 28, 2024
“We had car at a car dealer and the manufacturer declined doing the recall on the car for corrison on the front crossmember, telling us due to car has a total loss record on Carfax. The vehicle total loss record was for a accident that didn't effect that part of the car that's under recall, it was due to vehicle…”
Structure · filed Dec 18, 2023
“The dealership that is repairing the drive belt recall, is attempting to charge me for the replacement of a damaged pulley.”
Engine · filed May 6, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
101 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. The 10 most recent:
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
TSB-23-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin reviews the regulations that require a label showing the reduction in load carrying capacity be affixed to vehicles when the total net weight of accessories is more than 1.5 percent of…
TSB-23-00-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2023
This TSB provides revisions to the Removal and Installation procedures for the rocker cover due to changes in the quantity of mounting bolts for vehicles equipped with 4B1 series engine. (Service Manual Revision)
TSB-23-11-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.
TSB-22-54-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2022
This Technical Information Notice provides additional instructions to dealers when replacing the Valve Cover Gasket due to a customer concern of oil leaking.
TIN-21-13-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 9, 2021
Revision to previous TSB SR-20-003 for the Crossmember recall. Added Warranty information for instances where subframe may fail and cause additional damage to unrelated parts. This bulletin provides directions for…
SR-20-003REV_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 2020
Technical Information Notice sent to dealerships to advise ofrevision changes to TSB "SR-20-003REV_2"
TIN-20-SR-003REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 2020
Revision to previous TSB SR-20-003 for the Crossmember recall. Added Warranty information for instances where subframe may fail and cause additional damage to unrelated parts. This bulletin provides directions for…
SR-20-003REV_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 2020
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 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer has 5 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 2008 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 87,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.