2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Lancer years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 18 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 91 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. That ranks 4th out of 18 Lancer model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (23 complaints, 25%), typically at around 116,364 miles. Complaints mention 8 crashes, 2 fires, 6 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 91owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 8complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 23 | 25% | 116,364 | — | — |
| Engine | 13 | 14% | 119,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 12 | 13% | 38,150 | — | — |
| Power Train | 11 | 12% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 10 | 11% | 63,750 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 8% | 36,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 7 | 8% | 96,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 7% | 5,900 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 4% | 16,339 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 4% | 17,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 3% | 8,947 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% | 123,938 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 3% | 78,531 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 3% | 174,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 2% | 21,284 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 2% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 2% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 2% | 23,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 2% | 6,490 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 2% | 183,032 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 29,691 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Structure:frame and members; suspension:front:control arm:lower arm
Problem: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2008-2010 Lancer, 2009-2010 Lancer Sportback, 2008-2013 Outlander, and 2011-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.
Risk: A detached front control arm can result in a loss of vehicle control, 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. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2020. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-20-003.
Visibility:sun/moon roof assembly
Problem: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Outlander, 2008-2010 Lancer, 2009-2010 Lancer Evolution, and 2010 Lancer Sportback vehicles equipped with sunroofs. The sunroof glass may detach from the sunroof assembly, becoming a road hazard to other vehicles.
Risk: If the sunroof glass detaches from the assembly while driving, it can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof glass assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-003.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleys
Problem: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Lancer, Lancer Evolution, and Outlander; 2009-2011 Lancer Sportback, Lancer Rilliart, and Lancer Sportback Ralliart; and 2011 Outlander Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles, manufactured with 4B1 engines, have an engine pulley and belt arrangement for turning the alternator, the cooling fan and the power steering pump (if equipped). These pulleys may experience unusual wear and allow for belt detachment.
Risk: If the drive belt detaches, the battery may discharge, resulting in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the drive belt with a rubber belt. Drive pulleys that are excessively worn will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 15, 2014. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-14-009.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: Mitsubishi is recalling model year 2008-2009 lancer and lancer evolution vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of 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 district of columbia. In areas where heavy road salt is used in the winter, a long term exposure to a mixture of melted snow with salt thrown up by the other vehicles on the road may cause a water-salt mixture to adhere to the front impact sensors.
Risk: This coating over time may cause corrosion of the sensor. In the event of a vehicle crash of the type that would deploy the airbags this type of short-circuit may cause a delay in the deployment of the airbags which could result in driver or passenger injury.
Fix: Dealers will install new front airbag sensors that have improved corrosion resistance. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 27, 2009. Owners may contact mitsubishi customer relations department at 1-888-648-7820.
Service brakes, air:supply:check valve
Problem: Mitsubishi is recalling 39,711 my 2008-2009 outlander and lacer vehicles. Incorrect material composition of the brake booster check valve may cause the check valve to stick closed when the engine is shut off. When the vehicle is re-started and put into motion, under certain driving conditions (very slow vehicle maneuvers), there may be insufficient initial braking assist.
Risk: This may temporarily increase the stopping distance of the vehicle and therefore increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake booster check valve free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during april 2009. Owners may contact mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
The dealership that is repairing the drive belt recall, is attempting to charge me for the replacement of a damaged pulley.
The contact owns a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 45 mph, the vehicle began to roll out of the road and she was unable to steer back into the road. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle rolled over into a ditch. The contact…
Our car crashed after getting off the highway in NJ. This appears to be related to Safety Recall Report 20V-279. The cross member has completely rusted and the driver side control arm came off, crashing the car and severely damaging the car, with loss of control. I have contacted Mitsubishi Motors…
Other Mitsubishi Lancer years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Lancer | 6 | 0 |
| 2016 Lancer | 30 | 2 |
| 2015 Lancer | 23 | 1 |
| 2014 Lancer | 16 | 0 |
| 2013 Lancer | 5 | 0 |
| 2012 Lancer | 19 | 1 |
| 2011 Lancer | 34 | 3 |
| 2010 Lancer | 51 | 6 |
| 2009 Lancer | 98 | 8 |
| 2008 | 91 | 5 |
| 2007 Lancer | 2 | 2 |
| 2006 Lancer | 37 | 4 |
| 2005 Lancer | 24 | 3 |
| 2004 Lancer | 80 | 4 |
| 2003 Lancer | 199 | 2 |
| 2002 Lancer | 148 | 2 |
| 2000 Lancer | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 Lancer | 1 | 0 |
See all Mitsubishi Lancer problems by year, every Mitsubishi model, or the Mitsubishi VIN decoder.
Similar Mitsubishi models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer?
Owners most often report suspension, engine, steering problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 23 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Lancer model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.