1996 Mitsubishi Mirage problems & reliability
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 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.
7 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 12 | 43% |
| Power Train | 4 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 11% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 11% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 7% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 7% |
| Suspension | 2 | 7% |
| Wheels | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 14 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I've had problems with the car from day one. It has always used oil, having to add more oil all the time even though I due an oil change on regular basis. This has caused me to run low on oil, and the oil does not come on until as the mechanics say "its bone dry". The air condition belt squeaked from day one…”
Visibility · filed Apr 22, 2004
“Consumer's vehicle was involved in a front end collison in which the front driver's side and passenger's side airbags failed to deploy. As a result the driver sustained injuries to neck and back. The dealer and manufacturer have not been contacted. *ak *nlm”
Air Bags · filed Nov 5, 2001
“1996, mitsubishi lancer; while driving vehicle stalls unexpectedly which may cause a crash. Mitsubishi cannot determine the cause. *ak”
Electrical System · filed Oct 12, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
26 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1996 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
Technical Information Notice to dealerships. Due to the increased occurrence of Mirage/Mirage G4 vehicles exhibiting faulty air conditioning systems caused by low/high refrigerant levels; MMNA would like to remind all…
TIN-20-55B-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 22, 2020
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 is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 28, 2015
This TSB contains troubleshooting steps for diagnosis of various customer complaints relating to the audio system speakers in Mitsubishi vehicles equipped with original equipment audio components.
TSB-15-54-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2015
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 22, 2015
This is an index of Tech Talk newsletter articles released in 2012.
TTIndex12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2013
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT195 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2013
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 1996 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 1996 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.