1994 Mitsubishi Mirage problems & reliability
60 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage. 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.
21 complaints report injuries (23 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 30 | 50% |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 8% |
| Power Train | 4 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 3% |
| Wheels | 2 | 3% |
| Engine | 1 | 2% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The mitsubishi mirage 1994 s 4 doors 1.5l the valves guides damage the intake and exhaust valves. *tr”
Engine · filed Oct 16, 2014
“My husband and I were driving home one night from a friends birthday. At approx. 1:20am I was driving north in newark pompton turnpike located in wayne, nj 07470. My husband lifted the emergency brake (the reason is unknown) and the car instantly started spinning on a straight road. Within second the brakes released…”
Service Brakes · filed Jul 14, 2014
“Driver lost control after the emergency brake was enabled, car freewheeled and crashed head on into utility pole. Drive crushed up dashboard with severe life threatening injuries in critical condition. Passenger side airbag did not deploy and seatbelt did not retract in result my husband was killed immediately. *tr”
Air Bags · filed Apr 2, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
Engineering Analysis EA99007 · opened Mar 16, 1999 · closed May 30, 2000
- OVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS
Preliminary Evaluation PE98033 · opened May 27, 1998 · closed Mar 16, 1999
- AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA96015 · opened Jun 28, 1996 · closed Jun 12, 1997 · led to recall 97V073001
Technical service bulletins
15 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage. The 10 most recent:
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 is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT253 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2019
This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers. This bulletin supersedes TSB-18-00-003, issued April, 2018, to add updated information for Carrying Capacity Reduced Label.
TSB-19-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 30, 2019
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT237 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2018
This Technical Service Bulletin updates the door adjustment procedure in the Body Section of the applicable service manuals.
TSB-13-42A-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 29, 2013
This bulletin contains recommended automatic transmission / transaxle maintenance information. *tt
9923010 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1999
This bulletin contains recommended manual transmission / transaxle maintenance information. *tt
9922003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1999
This bulletin corrects mfi system circuit diagram for the engine control module (ecm) connector. *tt
TSB9813008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 1998
Information about improved automatic transaxle end clutch. *tt
TSB9723015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 1997
Service manual revision on supplemental restraint system (srs) cautions and warnings. *yc
97090152B003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 1997
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage?
- · 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.