2006 Mitsubishi Lancer problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (11) · Suspension (9) · Vehicle Speed Control (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mitsubishi Lancer model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
23 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-04-05 · campaign 18V220000 · 17,120 vehicles
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles that previously received a like-for-like passenger side frontal air bag inflator under recall 15V321 as interim remedy. Also recalled are 2004-2006 Lancer vehicles located in Guam or Saipan that previously received or never received a new inflator under 15V321 or 17V569. These passenger side frontal air bag inflators may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the i
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a final replacement passenger side frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on April 26, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-005.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-09-14 · campaign 17V569000 · 66,001 vehicles
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Lancer and Lancer Evolution vehicles and 2004 Lancer Sportback vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with a different inflator, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2017. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-17-001. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V-321.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2016-06-23 · campaign 16V458000 · 194,674 vehicles
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 Lancer, 2004 Lancer Wagon, 2003-2006 Lancer Evolution, 2003-2006 Outlander and 2007-2013 Outlander V-6 vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Co
Risk: A detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross member will be replaced with a new one that has a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-003.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2016-05-23 · campaign 16V334000 · 38,628 vehicles
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Lancer and Lancer Evolution vehicles manufactured June 29, 2005, to June 19, 2007, equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2016. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-002.
Service bulletins (69)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Air Bags 2025-11-10 · TIN-25-00-013 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 open takata recalls.
Air Bags 2025-09-08 · TIN-25-00-011 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 takata recalls.
Air Bags 2025-04-11 · TIN-25-00-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 recalls.
Air Bags 2025-04-11 · TIN-25-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 takata recalls.
Air Bags 2024-12-09 · TIN-24-00-011 · Service Campaign
this is a technical information notice informing dealers that mmna is launching a social media campaign targeting vehicle owners with open takata recalls.
Air Bags 2024-10-21 · TIN-24-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 recalls.
Showing the 6 most recent of 69 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2022-08-12 · Suspension · 164,550 mi“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 stated that her mother had informed…”
2022-03-17 · Suspension“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…”
2022-03-08 · Structure:body“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 mitsubishi failed to properly protect …”
2021-05-28 · Structure:frame And Members:underbody Shields · 196,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 mitsubishi lancer. the contact stated while working on the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a huge hole in the sub-frame due to rust. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer and it was diagnosed that the sub-frame needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not rep…”
2020-05-28 · Structure:body · 99,000 mi“rear frame rail rust. the car stated to accumulate rust on the frame rails of the car that connects the rear subframe and rear toe arm. failure of these areas could lead to a crash. the manufacturer did a poor job corrosion proofing this area on this model year. the car had a 7 year/ 100,000 rust warranty in which i am sure this problem developed w…”
2019-11-29 · Visibility/Wiper · 143,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 mitsubishi lancer. the contact stated that he was unable to use the defroster, which prevented him from seeing out the window. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to auto gallery mitsubishi-corona (located at 2550 wardlow rd, corona, ca 92882, (951) 372-0008) where it was diagnosed that th…”
2019-09-11 · Unknown Or Other“after they change the airbags from the warning lights is on and dealers can't figure out what the problem?…”
2019-08-20 · Suspension · 116,000 mi“rear chassis member (a frame rail) corroded close to the point where rear subframe is connected. it is now a safety concern to drive the vehicle as any significant impact may cause the rear suspension to detach. there was already a recall on rust of the front subframe however it seems that the problem is in inadequate undercarriage protection…”
2019-08-07 · Suspension · 100,000 mi“rear frame rails rust close to points where the rear subframe is bolted on. insufficient sealant/coating causes rust damage that can lead to structural weakness.…”
2019-06-14 · Air Bags · 129,300 mi“driver air bag the board light went on, about 10 months, with no reason when i was driving on the highway…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.