Buyer Research

2015 Mitsubishi Lancer — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $7,000–$12,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 8 Mitsubishi Lancer years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Twenty-six complaints is a thin file that reflects how few of these Mitsubishi sold, so judge this car on the inspection rather than on the volume. The pattern inside it is clear enough: the transmission is the biggest cluster, and there is one recall worth chasing — a defective starter relay that can stall the engine, cut its power, or let it overheat, fixed free at a dealer. Two separate owners describe the belt tensioner cracking and dumping the serpentine belt, which takes the power steering and the cooling with it; the tensioner recall on the older Lancers does not reach this year, so look at that belt yourself. Test the CVT from cold and from a stop, run the VIN, and price it as the cheap, plain compact it is.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 26 owner complaints for the 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer, and 1 recall campaign.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 31% of them are about one thing — the transmission and drivetrain. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Transmission hesitates from a stop, or loses a gear and just revsHigh — wallet impact

The largest cluster here. One owner pulled away from a red light and found the car would not take second gear, with barely any pull in first. Another describes the standard CVT complaint on this platform: a pause between pressing the accelerator and the car moving, and nothing happening when they ask for more speed on the highway. Both are how a worn CVT announces itself, and neither shows up on a short drive around the block. Take it from cold, do several stop-and-go pulls and one full-throttle merge, and ask for fluid change receipts — Mitsubishi's powertrain warranty does not follow the car to a second owner.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$450 for a fluid service; $3,200–$5,200 for a replacement CVT — around 55% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (8).

Defective starter relay can stall the engine or let it overheat (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 17V609 covers 2015–2016 Lancers along with several Outlanders: relays that can fail and cause an engine stall, a loss of engine power, or overheating. Dealers replace them free of charge. Owners in the electrical cluster describe symptoms that sit right on top of this — a clicking noise with every dash light flickering, the car stalling on acceleration, and a car that shuts off in park and will not restart. Run the VIN on NHTSA's lookup; a 2017 campaign on a car that has changed hands two or three times is exactly the kind that gets missed.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (6); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Belt tensioner can crack and throw the serpentine belt, taking steering assist with itMedium

Two owners report the same failure: the tensioner broke, the serpentine belt came off, and with it went the power steering, the water pump and the air conditioning — one car stopped in the middle of the road with a belt that had only done 10,000 miles. Mitsubishi recalled the tensioner on the 2009–2012 cars, but that campaign does not reach this model year, so this one is on your dime and your inspection. Open the bonnet and look at the belt for cracking and glazing, and have a mechanic check the tensioner pulley for wobble and the flange for cracks.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$650 for a tensioner and belt at an independent shop

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (5).

AWD pump failure on Evolution and Ralliart cars at low mileageMedium

An owner reports the AYC/ACD pump quitting at 33,000 miles and points out that other Evolution X years carry a campaign for it while this one does not. The pump is mounted where road spray and salt reach it, and corrosion is what kills it; when it goes, the active differentials stop working and the car's behaviour in the wet changes. Only the all-wheel-drive versions have this hardware — a plain front-drive ES or SE does not. On an AWD car, look for a four-wheel-drive service message on the dash and inspect the pump housing from underneath.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$3,000 — about 32% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (8).

Bluetooth that drops calls constantly, and headlights owners call dangerously dimLow

Two owners describe the hands-free system disconnecting and reconnecting on every call regardless of which phone they used, with the dealer blaming the phone. A third says the headlights are dim enough that she blames them for hitting two deer in her first two months. Neither is expensive, and both are worth knowing before you buy rather than after. Pair your own phone at the kerb and make a two-minute call, and if you can, look at the car after dark with the lights on a wall.

Repair cost (estimate): $40–$200 for a set of quality replacement bulbs

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (6).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A pause before the car moves when you press the accelerator from a stop
✗Revving with little or no pull in first or second gear
✗Clicking from the dash with the warning lights flickering together
✗Cracked, glazed or squealing serpentine belt, or a tensioner pulley that wobbles
✗'4WD system service required' on an Evolution or Ralliart

Good Signs

✓Recall 17V609 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓CVT fluid changed with a dated invoice naming the correct Mitsubishi fluid
✓Serpentine belt and tensioner replaced recently, with the parts listed on the receipt
✓A cold-start drive with immediate take-up and clean pulls through every ratio
✓Steady dash lights and a single clean crank on the first start of the day