MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION · model year

2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION

29 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2006MITSUBISHILANCER EVOLUTION carries 29 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 LANCER EVOLUTION is engine and engine cooling:engine with 8 filings, followed by engine (3) and power train (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2006 LANCER EVOLUTION. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

29
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

29 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE8
ENGINE3
POWER TRAIN3
SUSPENSION3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2
STRUCTURE:BODY2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
STEERING1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recalls (2)

16V45800023/06/2016

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

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,

16V33400023/05/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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

Recent Complaints

20181014STRUCTURE:BODY

REAR SUBFRAME WHERE THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND SUSPENSION BOLTS ONTO IS RUSTED, JUST LIKE THE FRONT SUBFRAME . MANY OWNERS 2003-2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. MITSUBISHI RECENTLY ISSUED A RECALL ON THE FRONT SUBFRAME DUE TO RUST. THE REAR SUBFRAME IS ALSO A CONCERN AND IS WORST THAN THE FRONT.

20181014SUSPENSION

REAR SUBFRAME WHERE THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND SUSPENSION BOLTS ONTO IS RUSTED, JUST LIKE THE FRONT SUBFRAME . MANY OWNERS 2003-2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. MITSUBISHI RECENTLY ISSUED A RECALL ON THE FRONT SUBFRAME DUE TO RUST. THE REAR SUBFRAME IS ALSO A CONCERN AND IS WORST THAN THE FRONT.

20180326SUSPENSION

THE REAR SUBFRAME OF MY VEHICLE EXHIBITS SIGNIFICANT CORROSION PERFORATION WHERE THE REAR AXLE AND SUSPENSION MOUNTS TO THE BODY. THE RUST IS SO BAD, THAT I'M WORRIED IF I HIT A POTHOLE THE ENTIRE REAR SUBFRAME ASSEMBLY / CONTROL ARMS COULD DETACH, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY WELL MAINTAINED, HAS ALWAYS BEEN WASHED THROUGHOUT THE WINTER MONTHS (UNDERCARRIAGE), AND THE BODY DOES NOT SHOW ANY RUST. I HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY LOSS OF CONTROL, ETC ... JUST CONCERNED THIS COULD HAPPEN. MY VEHICLE HAD THE FRONT SUBFRAME REPLACED LAST YEAR (RECALL) DUE TO RUST PERFORATION AND LACK OF CORROSION PROTECTION FROM THE FACTORY AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THE FRONT CONTROL ARMS TO DETACH RESULTING IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION. I SEE THE SAME POTENTIAL FOR THE REAR. ALSO PLEASE NOTE, THE PHOTOS I'M ATTACHING ARE NOT FROM MY VEHICLE, BUT THEY ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE AREAS OF CONCERN ON MY VEHICLE (AND ARE FROM THE EXACT MAKE / MODEL VEHICLE). I'D BE HAPPY TO ATTACH SI

20161021STRUCTURE:BODY

I HAVE A RECALL ON MY 2006 MITSUBISHI FOR CORROSION ON SUBFRAME, I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER, THEY CHECKED THE CAR AND ORDERED THE CROSS MEMBER, SO WE MADE AN APPOINT TO TAKE CAR INTO DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT, LEFT THE CAR WITH THE DEALER FOR THE DAY, LATER THAT DAY I GOTTEN A CALL STATING THEY CANNOT GET THE BOLTS LOOSE DUE TO CORROSION AND I HAVE TO PAY TO REMOVE IT, I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THERES A RECALL ON A PART DUE TO CORROSION AND NOW THE BOLT IS SEIZED DUE TO THE SAME CORROSION, AND I HAVE TO PAY 392.00 TO REMOVE CROSS MEMBER BOLT SO THEY CAN CHANGE A PART THAT THEY RECALLED, I TAUGHT THAT A BIG COMPANY LIKE THIS WOULD RECALL A PART AND THEN TAKE CARE OF THE ISSUE, AND NOT CHARGE THE CUSTOMER FOR THE REPAIR. THIS IS THE WORST RECALL I EVER HEARD OF.

20160525SERVICE BRAKES

I WAS HEADING TO A CLASS WHEN I NOTICED MY CLUTCH PEDAL WENT ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE CLUTCH WAS STILL DISENGAGING/ENGAGING WHEN I SHIFTED SO I MADE IT TO MY DESTINATION. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT DRIVING IT BUT I DECIDED TO TRY AND SEE IF IT WAS STILL DOING IT, SO I TRIED TO BACK OUT OF A SPOT BUT IT WOULD NO LONGER GO INTO GEAR AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. TURNED OUT MY BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER WAS FAULTY AND I LEARNED THROUGH ONLINE FORUMS AND FRIENDS THAT IT WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE LANCER EVOLUTION. I WAS SURPRISED AT THAT AND WONDERED WHY MITSUBISHI WOULD NOT ISSUE A RECALL FOR FAULTY BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS. IT DAWNED ON ME THAT MOST PEOPLE WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR ARE THE "DO IT YOURSELF" KIND OF PERSON AND MORE THAN LIKELY WERE FIXED BY THE OWNERS OF THE CARS, THEREFOR NEVER REPORTED THROUGH MECHANICS OR DEALERSHIPS. AFTER THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS REPLACED, THE THROW OUT BEARING RETAINING CLIP CAME LOOSE AND DAMAGED THE PRESSURE PLATE. SO NOW IT IS BEING

Mileage: 138,000

20160525POWER TRAIN

I WAS HEADING TO A CLASS WHEN I NOTICED MY CLUTCH PEDAL WENT ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE CLUTCH WAS STILL DISENGAGING/ENGAGING WHEN I SHIFTED SO I MADE IT TO MY DESTINATION. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT DRIVING IT BUT I DECIDED TO TRY AND SEE IF IT WAS STILL DOING IT, SO I TRIED TO BACK OUT OF A SPOT BUT IT WOULD NO LONGER GO INTO GEAR AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. TURNED OUT MY BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER WAS FAULTY AND I LEARNED THROUGH ONLINE FORUMS AND FRIENDS THAT IT WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE LANCER EVOLUTION. I WAS SURPRISED AT THAT AND WONDERED WHY MITSUBISHI WOULD NOT ISSUE A RECALL FOR FAULTY BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS. IT DAWNED ON ME THAT MOST PEOPLE WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR ARE THE "DO IT YOURSELF" KIND OF PERSON AND MORE THAN LIKELY WERE FIXED BY THE OWNERS OF THE CARS, THEREFOR NEVER REPORTED THROUGH MECHANICS OR DEALERSHIPS. AFTER THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS REPLACED, THE THROW OUT BEARING RETAINING CLIP CAME LOOSE AND DAMAGED THE PRESSURE PLATE. SO NOW IT IS BEING

Mileage: 138,000

20140914POWER TRAIN

THERE IS AN ACTIVE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL PUMP FAILURE THAT IS BECOMING COMMON IN ALL LANCER EVOLUTIONS OF THIS YEAR. MINE WENT OUT LAST YEAR AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING TO DRIVE WITH IT FOR A YEAR NOW NOT KNOWING WHETHER THE DIFFERENTIAL IS CORRODING AT AN ACCELERATED RATE OF NOT. I DID THIS BECAUSE AFTER I HAD MY VEHICLE ASSESSED THEY TOLD IT WOULD BE $2500 TO REPLACE. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND CAN BE DANGEROUS THEREFORE CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO PAY THIS ABSURD AMOUNT EVEN WITH KNOWING THAT ALMOST 60% OF EVO DRIVERS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 60,000

20140914ENGINE

THERE IS AN ACTIVE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL PUMP FAILURE THAT IS BECOMING COMMON IN ALL LANCER EVOLUTIONS OF THIS YEAR. MINE WENT OUT LAST YEAR AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING TO DRIVE WITH IT FOR A YEAR NOW NOT KNOWING WHETHER THE DIFFERENTIAL IS CORRODING AT AN ACCELERATED RATE OF NOT. I DID THIS BECAUSE AFTER I HAD MY VEHICLE ASSESSED THEY TOLD IT WOULD BE $2500 TO REPLACE. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND CAN BE DANGEROUS THEREFORE CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO PAY THIS ABSURD AMOUNT EVEN WITH KNOWING THAT ALMOST 60% OF EVO DRIVERS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 60,000

20140819SUSPENSION

SPRING SEAT BROKE AT WELD JOINT TO SHOCK TUBE. SPRING TRANSLATED IN THE Z DIRECTION UNTIL IT WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE TIRE. UPON BREAKAGE VEHICLE HAD EXTENSIVE SPRING RUBBING AGAINST TIRE. *TR

Mileage: 72,000

20140410ENGINE

THIS IS A VERY WELL DOCUMENTED AND KNOWN ISSUE AMONGST EVOLUTION GEN 9 OWNERS. THE OEM TIMING BELT BRACKET TENSIONER WAS MADE INCORRECT AND CAUSES THE TIMING BELT TO RUB AGAINST METAL. THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A REPLACEMENT BRACKET MADE THAT CORRECTS THE ISSUE BUT I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. MITSUBISHI NEEDS TO OWN THIS ONE AND MAKE IT RIGHT, IT'S A FAULTY PART, INITIATE THE RECALL. *TR

Mileage: 24,400

20140308POWER TRAIN

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION 9 RS MODEL ACD PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

20140308STEERING

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION 9 RS MODEL ACD PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

20140308VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION 9 RS MODEL ACD PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

20140205ENGINE

MY ACD HYDRAULIC PUMP HAS FAILED. RPM'S SURGE WHEN ACCELERATING AND WHEN AT IDLE, I FEEL LIKE IT IS PUTTING MY ENGINE UNDER EXTREME PRESSURE. FROM MY RESEARCH I HAVE SEEN THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MITSUBISHI LANCE EVOLUTIONS. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL, AND WHAT THEY ARE CHARGING TO GET A NEW ONE WHICH YOU CAN ONLY GET FROM THE DEALERSHIP IS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS! *TR

Mileage: 116,500

20101224ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

COMPLAINT *10261125*-THIS COMPLAINT IS 100% ACCURATE, MITSUBISHI HAS RECALLED MANY OUTLANDER SUVS ON THIS SAME ISSUE, PLEASE INVESTIGATE, HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, TURN SIGNALS, HIGH BEAM, LOW BEAM, HORN, FOG LIGHTS, ENGINE, EVERYTHING WORKS AT RANDOM AND CANNOT BE STOPPED, MY ENGINE WILL NOT START, THIS IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN AND A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT CAN HAVE DEVASTATING RESULTS, "COMPLAINT NUMBER: 10261125 2006 THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTIONS MADE FROM 2003-2006. I HAVE HAD 2 OF THESE CARS AND SAME PROBLEM... ALMOST STARTED A FIRE IN MY CAR.. . WHERE THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS GOES THROUGH THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT FENDER, THERE'S A RUBBER GROMMET THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BLOCK WATER. WELL IN MY 2 CARS AND ABOUT 100 OTHERS ON THE AUTO FORUM I FREQUENT,(WWW.EVOLUTIONM.NET) THE RUBBER GROMMET FAILS TO DO ITS JOB OF BLOCKING WEATHER AND WATER IS LEAKING THROUGH GOING DOWN THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS AND INTO THE WIRING CONNECTORS. FROM THERE THE AVERAGE OWNER LIKE ME

Mileage: 39,869

20101212ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

MY 2006 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION 9 STARTED TO MAKE ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISES AUDIBLE WITHIN THE CAB. THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY AND IS MORE THAN WELL KEPT... THE NOISE COMES FROM WITHIN THE TIMING BELT COVER AND SOUNDS MUCH LIKE A WASHING MACHINE. THIS NOISE IS ALSO WELL DOCUMENTED AMONG EVO 9 OWNERS. HERE IS A LINK TO THE THREAD. HTTP://FORUMS.EVOLUTIONM.NET/EVO-ENGINE-TURBO-DRIVETRAIN/262773-IX-ENGINE-IDLE-NOISE-BELT-VIDEO.HTML IT APPEARS THAT THE TIMING WHEEL RUBS ON THE TIMING BELT AND CAUSES THIS NOISE. THE CURRENT FIX IS TO REPLACE YOUR TIMING BELT, CRANKSHAFT BLADE(TIMING WHEEL), AND TIMING BELT TENSIONER REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR TIMING BELT SERVICE INTERVALS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OWNER. IF THE TIMING BELT WERE TO FAIL FROM HEAT GENERATED DUE TO FRICTION (RUBBING) THE ENGINE WOULD BE DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR (INTERFERENCE ENGINE) NOT TO MENTION THE VEHICLE WOULD BE STRANDED... AND THE FAILURE MODE HAS A VERY HIGH CHANGE OF CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL O

Mileage: 44,000

20100113ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

IN AUGUST I NOTICED A WEIRD NOISE COMING FROM THE TIMING BELT AREA OF MY CAR. THE CAR WAS PERFECTLY FINE AND DRIVEN NORMALLY. I STARTED THE CAR AND THE NOISE APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE A WASHING MACHINE AND IS ONLY PRESENT WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED UP AND IS COLD. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, THE NOISE DISAPPEARS. I AM WORRIED THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG IN THAT AREA. I DO NOT WANT MY ENGINE TO BREAK. *TR

Mileage: 21,000

20100112ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE TIMING BELT AREA. SOUNDS LIKE A FAULTY PULLEY OR THE BELT RUBBING ON SOMETHING. TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE TIMING BELT IDLER PULLEY. BEFORE I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP I TOLD THEM I STILL HEAR THE SAME SOUND JUST QUIETER. THEY TOLD ME IF IT GETS LOUDER TO COME BACK. THAT WAS ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND IT HAS GOTTEN LOUDER SINCE. MY CONCERN IS CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. THIS COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF SEVERE ENGINE FAILURE OCCURRED AT SPEED. *TR

Mileage: 2,500

20100111ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, I NOTICED A SQUEAKING SOUND COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY ENGINE WHEN MY CAR WAS IDLING. AFTER THE CAR WARMED UP (5-10 MIN), THE SOUND WOULD GO AWAY. THE SOUND APPEARED TO BE BELT RELATED SO I CHECKED THE SERPENTINE (ACCESSORY) BELT AND NOTICED SIGNS OF WEAR AND TEAR ON THE BELT AND THE IDLER PULLEY . I CHANGED THE BELT OUT (WAS CLOSE TO RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT DATE ANYWAY) BUT THE SOUND IS STILL THERE. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS QUITE COMMON WITH 2006 EVOLUTION OWNERS AND THERE IS NO DEFINITE FIX FROM THE DEALER. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE THE WEAR AND TEAR CREATED BY THE BELT/PULLEY (OR WHATEVER THE CULPRIT MAY BE) COULD EASILY LEAD TO A FAILURE IN ONE OF THE ACCESSORY SYSTEMS (ALTERNATOR, WATER PUMP, POWER STEERING) AND COULD BE DANGEROUS TO MY CAR OR EVEN WORSE TO ME. *TR

Mileage: 36,000

20091125ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

BAD BEARING NOISE COMING FROM TIMING BELT AREA. THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIMING BELT IDLER PULLEY. I HAVE HAD IT REPLACED BY THE DEALER AND THE EXACT SAME NOISE CAME BACK WITHIN 10K MILES. THIS NOISE APPEARED WITH 31K MILES ON THE CAR. *TR

Mileage: 31,000

Compare 2006MITSUBISHILANCER EVOLUTION to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION have?
The 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION has 29 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION?
Yes, the 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION?
The most-complained component for the 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.