2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
38
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
5
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER
The 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER has received a total of 38 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 3 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM). 5 technical service bulletins have been issued by Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Power Train (20 complaints), Electrical System (4 complaints), and Vehicle Speed Control (4 complaints).
Recalls for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER
NHTSA has recorded 3 recalls for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER, potentially affecting up to 297,424 vehicles.
Recall 17V609000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY
| 132,552 vehicles affected
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Outlander, 2015-2016 Lancer and Outlander Sport, and 2015 Lancer Evolution vehicles. These vehicles may have defective relays that can result in an engine stall, reduced engine power or the engine overheating.
Consequence: If the engine stalls, there is an increased the risk of a crash.
Remedy: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected relays, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2017. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-17-005.
View full details →Recall 16V563000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
| 82,436 vehicles affected
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles and 2016 Outlander and Lancer vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a constant velocity transmission (CVT) that, in certain driving conditions, may cause a delay in the vehicle accelerating.
Consequence: A hesitation during acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: MMNA has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the CVT control unit with modified software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-006.
View full details →Recall 16V563000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
| 82,436 vehicles affected
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles and 2016 Outlander and Lancer vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a constant velocity transmission (CVT) that, in certain driving conditions, may cause a delay in the vehicle accelerating.
Consequence: A hesitation during acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: MMNA has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the CVT control unit with modified software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-006.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER
38 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structureframe And Members | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
It’s throwing a P084A code and it feels like the transmission is about to let loose. I bought the car with 30,000 on it in 2016 and it has a hair over 136,000 and ever since I’ve had it it’s always had this transmission lag jerk in it. Very scuttle but you can feel it. Then all of a sudden it just started going into limp mode, hi low hi low rev, jerking and couldn’t get over 30 mph. This looks like a continuous problem with these transmission and gives Mitsubishi a bad taste in some peoples mouths. I’m out of a decently nice car and probably a couple thousand dollars for a new transmission.
Recently the transmission has started to shudder when first driving from a stop. It only happens under low acceleration. If you push the accelerator pedel firmly it will not shudder. Wondering if this is a recall about to happen? It started on or about 4/2/2025 but is continuing to happen.
The car is bucking hi low hi low and then the service transmission light is coming on. We brought the car in a couple of weeks ago and I thought this was suppose to he fixed. It is alot worse now
Loss of power on acceleration, rpms going up and down, hesitation in acceleration, going into limp mode won't accelerate over 25-40mph pulled code P084A shop believes it needs a complete replacement based on their computer systems repair procedures guidelines. Car has just over 107k miles on it and is a pre-owned. No information was given regarding this issue having happened or if it was ever repaired based on the recall in 2016 but shows as not having any unrepaired recalls when searching the VIN in the search tool. Cannot afford a new transmission not sure what to do.
Purchased the vehicle with only 59K miles in May 2024. Transmission immediately started acting up, hesitating, jumping RPMs, and delayed acceleration and loss of power. Service Transmission light came on once but after restarting the light turned off, but still has the issues. Have had the fluid and gasket replaced but did not remedy the problem. This is very dangerous to drive, especially when crossing roads with loss of power and very delayed acceleration and RPMs jumping to the point of wheels spinning out.
Safety Rating for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER
The 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. has issued 5 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB-24-23-004 — POWER TRAIN
Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin provides corrections to the description of special tools used to install the oil seal within the Automatic Transaxle sections of the applicable Service Manuals.
TSB-19-42B-001 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
This is a Technical Service Bulletin that was sent to dealers. This bulletin instructs dealers how to re-register vehicle keys for affected vehicles. Affected vehicles may experience a condition of the door(s) inability to be locked or unlocked using the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) function. Dealers are instructed to re-...
TSB-16-51-001 — VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
THIS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN INSTRUCTS DEALERS HOW TO REMOVE THE POSITIONING CLIP FROM THE DOOR MIRROR ASSEMBLY, AND HOW TO PROPERLY REINSTALL THE DOOR MIRROR ASSEMBLY, IN CASE OF WIND NOISE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS, DUE TO INCORRECT PLACEMENT OF THE POSITIONING CLIP.
TSB-16-42B-004 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
THIS IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN, THAT WAS SENT TO DEALERS, REGARDING REVISIONS TO THE BODY REPAIR MANUAL.
TSB1500005 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
This is a Technical Service Bulletin, sent to dealers, provides general Pre-Delivery Inspection procedures for 2016 model year vehicles (except i-MiEV).
NHTSA Investigations for the 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the MITSUBISHI LANCER
- 2011 MITSUBISHI LANCER — 51 complaints
- 2012 MITSUBISHI LANCER — 26 complaints
- 2013 MITSUBISHI LANCER — 9 complaints
- 2014 MITSUBISHI LANCER — 23 complaints
- 2015 MITSUBISHI LANCER — 36 complaints
- 2016 MITSUBISHI LANCER (current)
- 2017 MITSUBISHI LANCER — 7 complaints
Other MITSUBISHI Models
- MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE — 2,784 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI GALANT — 2,429 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — 1,776 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI MONTERO — 989 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI MIRAGE — 940 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT — 708 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE — 657 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI 3000GT — 535 total complaints