2016 Mitsubishi Lancer: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
30 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
30 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 3.0
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
I bought this vehicle and few weeks later I noticed at a red light. When it turned green i hit the gas. My car took a few seconds, reved and then shot out into the lane. Since then it has had issues over 20 miles and when I stop its a few seconds for the car to accelerate and move which is scary on the road. My 4 sons were horrified! I looked up SR-16-006, after my mechanic said I have exactly everything as the iss…
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 probl…
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.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 16V563000 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Contr | Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles and 2016 Outlander and Lance… |
| 17V609000 | Electrical System:Starter Assembly:Relay | Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Outlander, 2015-2016 Lancer and Outlander Sport, and 2015 Lancer… |
EPA combined 30 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,050
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (21 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 88/100, computed from 30 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 28/07/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.