MITSUBISHI MIRAGE · model year

1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE

105 NHTSA complaints, 18 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1997MITSUBISHIMIRAGE carries 105 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 18 crashes, 1 fire, 13 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 1997 MIRAGE is air bags:frontal with 10 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (9) and engine and engine cooling:engine (9). 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.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 1997 MIRAGE. 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.

105
Complaints
18
Crashes
1
Fires
13
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

105 filings

Crashes Reported

18 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL10
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL5
SUSPENSION:FRONT5
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR4
TIRES4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS3
AIR BAGS3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK2
TIRES:TREAD/BELT2

Recent Complaints

20091125EQUIPMENT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. THE CLIPS THAT SECURES THE FLOOR-MATS TO THE FLOORBOARD HAS FRACTURED. THIS CONDITION CAUSES THE FLOOR-MAT TO SHIFT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THERE WAS NOT A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,831 THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 01/20/10 *BF UPDATED 01/22/10.*JB

Mileage: 30,831

20091125VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. THE CLIPS THAT SECURES THE FLOOR-MATS TO THE FLOORBOARD HAS FRACTURED. THIS CONDITION CAUSES THE FLOOR-MAT TO SHIFT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THERE WAS NOT A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,831 THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 01/20/10 *BF UPDATED 01/22/10.*JB

Mileage: 30,831

20080224ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I SAW THE RECALL ID 00V311001 BUT I HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THE FIX OF MY CAR BECAUSE I DIDN'T SAW THE RECALL WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THE MONEY I PAID TO A MECHANIC I SPED $700.00 DOLLARS ON THE REPAIRS I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME THANKS. *TR

Mileage: 94,806

20070607ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, AN UNKNOWN INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. A LOCAL MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WOULD COST $2,200 TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THE # OF CYLINDERS, PURCHASE DATE, AND MILEAGE INFORMATION WERE UNKNOWN.

20070105CHILD SEAT

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN MAKING A TURN ITHE SAFETY SEAT WILL FLIP OVER. SHE HAS TO HOLD THE SAFETY SEAT WHILE TURNING THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO REACH THE SEAT. WHILE DRIVING THE CONTACT MUST POSITION THE SEAT AS FAR BACK AS POSSIBLE SO THAT SHE MAY PREVENT THE SEAT FROM FLIPPING OVER. SINCE THE CHILD WEAS ONLY 1 MONTH OLD THE CHILD COULD NOT BE PLACED IN THE FRONT SEAT. EDDIE BAUER COMFORT #22630LKM. NEEDED TO REGISTER CAR SEAT-702-807-9025. UPDATED *JB

Mileage: 180,000

20050411SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM

LEFT FRONT CONTROL ARM RUSTED THROUGH ON THE CONSUMER'S 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE.*MR *NM

Mileage: 60,500

20040617TIRES:TREAD/BELT

DUNLOP SP 20 TIRES SIZE 185/65-14. ONE TIRE SEPERATED AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. IN ADDITION OTHER 3 TIRES ON VEHICLE WERE WELL ON WAY TO SEPERATION. HAD TO PURCHASE 4 TIRES. *JB

20031015ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 00-V-311-001 NOTICE FROM MANUFACTURER. IT HAD BEEN OVER 2 MONTHS, AND NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. *AK

20030822ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

RECALL 00-V-311-001: MIRAGE MODEL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.5L ENGINES; THE BOLT SECURING THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY CAN BECOME LOOSE AND THE PULLEY COULD FALL OFF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER WON'T HONOR THE RECALL.*AK THE BOLT HOLDING CRANSHAFT PULLEY BECAME LOOSE AGAIN. *TS *NLM

20030612SEAT BELTS

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS INOPERATIVE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

Mileage: 125,000

20030417SEAT BELTS

THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT RACHET FAILED WHICH RESULTS IN THE BELT BEING LOCKED IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. *NLM

Mileage: 100,000

20021126SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

AFTER PARKING VEHICLE, CONSUMER STATES' THERE WAS BURNING AND SMOKING COMING FROM THE BRAKES. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER. TS

20021106UNKNOWN OR OTHER

NO SUMMARY. DT

20020925POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE PULLEY BELT CAME OFF AND PARTS OF THE ENGINE FELL OFF. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.

20020423ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN. AT TIMES VEHICLE WILL NOT START. ALSO, PROBLEM OCCURS, NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATES ON DASH. CAUSE UNKNOWN PLEASE GIVE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

20020315VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

EVERY TIME IT RAINS, I MUST USE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, BUT THEY FAIL TO WORK AT ALL SOMETIMES--ABOUT 50% OF THE ATTEMPTS, AND DO NOT WORK WELL ENOUGH THE OTHER 50% OF THE TIME. I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT I CAN STOP THE CAR, LEAVING THE CAR ON, AND 'EXERCISE' THE WIPERS TO GET THEM TO WORK BETTER. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL WITH PINPOINTING THE PROBLEM. THE WIPERS HAPPENED TO HAVE BEGUN WORKING, AS IS THE COMMOM OCCURRENCE; SO THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM. IT IS EXTREMELY FIGHTENING TO BE DRIVING ALONG THE INTERSTATE AND HAVE THE WIPERS STOP WORKING! THAT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIME--INCLUDING ON TRIPS. THE DEALERSHIP WAS WILLING TO TRY A $90.00 SWITCH AND IF THAT DID NOT WORK , THEY WOULD HAVE REPLACED THE MOTOR FOR OVER $300.00 MORE. THEY REFUSED TO GUARANTEE LOCATING AND FIXING THE PROBLEM FOR THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY--PLUS LABOR, OF COURSE. SO, THE PROBLEM JUST REMAINS. I HAVE ESTIMATED THE DATE THAT THE PROBLEM FIRST BEGAN BECAUSE I HAD BEEN DEALING W

20010830CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH VEHICLE HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD-ON. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. NO INJURIES. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE $ 4500.00. *AK *YH

20010820ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

AFTER RECEIVING THE RECALL NOTICE ONE DAY BEFORE THE FAILURE, THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE PARTS WOULD REQUIRE A 9 DAY WAIT. THE VEHICLE ENGINE NOW OPERATES WORSE THAN IT EVER HAS BEFORE AND HAS COST OVER 3000 DOLLARS IN ADDITIONAL REPAIRS BROUGHT ON BY THE FAILURE. DEALER WAS VERY BELLIGERENT AND UNCOOPERATIVE IN THE RECALL. I ACTUALLY HAD TO PUSH MY CAR TWO BLOCKS TO THE SERVICE CENTER FROM WHERE IT WAS PARKED(AFTER PART FAILURE).*AK

20010418ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR A RECALL OOV31101000/ PULLEY/ CRANKSHAFT REPAIRS TO BE DONE. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE IN THREE TIMES FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURS.*AK

20010412ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

RECALL 00-V-311-001 CONCERNING CRANKSHAF/PULLEY BOLT. CONSUMER TAKEN VEHICLE INTO DEALER TWICE ALREADY FOR THIS RECALL TO BE TAKEN CARE OFF. BUT, EACH TIME T SAID THAT THE TOOLS WERE NOT IN.*AK

Compare 1997MITSUBISHIMIRAGE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE have?
The 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE has 105 NHTSA complaints, 18 crashes, 1 fires, 13 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE?
The most-complained component for the 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 10 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1997 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 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.