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2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 19 of 23 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Power Train complaints

14 reports
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72,000 miles · Jul 9, 2012
Power Train

AT 72,000 MILES I WAS EXPERIENCING ISSUES THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE IDLING OF MY CAR. AT STOPLIGHTS IT WOULD DIE UNEXPECTEDLY AND/OR JUST IDLE EXTREMELY ROUGH AS THE RPM'S WOULD LOWER. I TOOK IT IN TO GET IT REPAIRED AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED (BY MITSUBISHI) AS A TIMING BELT THAT WAS STRETCHED. I LOOKED ONLINE AN FOUND SCORES OF 2008 …

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AT 72,000 MILES I WAS EXPERIENCING ISSUES THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE IDLING OF MY CAR. AT STOPLIGHTS IT WOULD DIE UNEXPECTEDLY AND/OR JUST IDLE EXTREMELY ROUGH AS THE RPM'S WOULD LOWER. I TOOK IT IN TO GET IT REPAIRED AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED (BY MITSUBISHI) AS A TIMING BELT THAT WAS STRETCHED. I LOOKED ONLINE AN FOUND SCORES OF 2008 EVO'S WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES RIGHT AROUND THE SAME TIMEFRAME (AROUND 70K MILES). CLEARLY THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE, YET OUT OF WARRANTY BY 10K. I ALSO LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE IF THEY HAD YET TO MODIFY THE REPLACEMENT TIMING CHAIN AND MITSUBISHI HAD MANUFACTURED A NEW TIMING CHAIN THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE CERTAIN DEFECTS AS OF JANUARY 2012. SHOULD THIS NOT BE A RECALL ITEM CONSIDERING THAT SO MANY OF US ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE? ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT A REPLACEMENT CHAIN HAD BEEN MADE TO CORRECT THESE THINGS? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10464798

3,222 miles · Mar 4, 2009
Power Train

I TOOK IN MY MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO TO LOCAL DEALER FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THIS CAR CURRENTLY HAS 3,300 MILES AND I'M HAVING PROBLEMS IN SHIFTING FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD.AT TIMES I NEED TO TAKE CLUTCH PEDAL OUT TWO TO THREE TIMES IN ORDER FOR IT TO ENGAGE. SOME TIMES TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE ALSO. DEALER HAD C…

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I TOOK IN MY MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO TO LOCAL DEALER FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THIS CAR CURRENTLY HAS 3,300 MILES AND I'M HAVING PROBLEMS IN SHIFTING FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD.AT TIMES I NEED TO TAKE CLUTCH PEDAL OUT TWO TO THREE TIMES IN ORDER FOR IT TO ENGAGE. SOME TIMES TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE ALSO. DEALER HAD CAR FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND INDICATED ON THEIR WORK ORDER THAT THE CAR HAD NO PROBLEMS WHILE TEST DRIVING? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10260760

Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2009
Power Train

CLUTCH DISK DRAGGING DURING DISENGAGEMENT, CAUSING HARD SHIFTING AND PREMATURELY WEARING THE TRANSMISSION SYNCHRONIZERS. MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS BROUGHT TO MITUSIBISHI, AND NO FOX OFFERED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10259600

1,000 miles · Aug 13, 2008
Power Train

THE GEAR SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY NOTCHY AND CAUSE FREQUENT GRINDING WHEN SHIFTING TO GEARS 2 AND 3. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I AM UPSHIFTING OR DOWNSHIFTING. THE PROBLEM IS PRONOUNCED DURING COLD ENGINE CONDITIONS. GRINDING CONTINUES TO HAPPEN EVEN IN WARM CONDITIONS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER AND SLOWED DOWN …

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THE GEAR SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY NOTCHY AND CAUSE FREQUENT GRINDING WHEN SHIFTING TO GEARS 2 AND 3. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I AM UPSHIFTING OR DOWNSHIFTING. THE PROBLEM IS PRONOUNCED DURING COLD ENGINE CONDITIONS. GRINDING CONTINUES TO HAPPEN EVEN IN WARM CONDITIONS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER AND SLOWED DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROAD BECAUSE I COULD NOT SHIFT IN TIME DUE TO THE GRINDING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10238007

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.