3.6

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
35,500 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #1

Aug 012014

Lancer

  • 35,500 miles
The issue first presented itself as a flashing all wheel control indicator light at approximately 35,000 miles while on the highway. It was initially an intermittent issue that occurred only occasionally. I arrived home from my trip and was at the dealership at 36,200 miles. Their scanner indicated a C161E code which indicates an acd pump actuator lock. The dealership stated this can happen under aggressive driving conditions and was normal. However, after informing them the issue occurred while cruising on the highway and also when stopped at a light they informed me to return if the issue persisted. I returned a week later after I confirmed the issue occurred every time I drove the vehicle, but they were unable to read codes because their diagnostic tool had broken. At 37,000 miles the vehicle displayed a message indicating I needed to service the all wheel drive system. The nearby dealership's scanner was still broken. At 37,900 miles I arrived at a different dealership and they found the codes C161E and C161F which indicates an acd pump failure. During the time since the issue first began I also noticed the traction control didn't appear to function. In wet conditions when I lost traction I did not see the dash indicator for traction loss / traction control nor did I feel the system kick in to compensate. I believe this presents a potential safety issue. This appears to be a common and well documented issue, especially in areas of varying climate. The root cause in my scenario is most likely volatile local weather where winters involve heavily salted roads and temperatures that range from warm to below freezing in the same day. This can lead to premature pump failure due to a known issue with a pump seal and rust.

- Noblesville, IN, USA