1994 Mitsubishi Mirage: common problems

Owners of the 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage filed 60 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 60
involving a crash: 21

What fails most often

1 Air bags 50% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 12% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
5 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
6 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
7 Exterior lighting 3% of all complaints
8 Wheels 3% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Air bags: 30 complaints (50% of all), 19 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Seat belts: 7 complaints (12% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 6 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 5 complaints (8% of all).
Service brakes: 5 complaints (8% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

1.5 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl
automatic, 3-speed
automatic, 4-speed
manual, 5-speed

Drive: FWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 60 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

airbags did not deploy9 · 15%
seat belts7 · 12%
stalls while driving3 · 5%
knocking, grinding or other noise2 · 3%
A/C or heater1 · 2%
hesitation when accelerating1 · 2%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 2%
vibration1 · 2%
windows, sunroof1 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	30	19
Seat belts	7	3
Engine and cooling	6	1
Electrical system	5	0
Service brakes	5	2
Powertrain	4	0
Exterior lighting	2	0
Wheels	2	0
Engine	1	0
Steering	1	1
Structure	1	0
Suspension	1	0
Vehicle speed control	1	0
Visibility	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Within second the brakes released and sent the front of the vehicle airborne head on into a utility pole resulting in the instant death of my husband because the passenger side airbag did not deploy and my husbands cause of death was multiple force blunt trauma to upper torso I myself was 17 weeks pregnant this…
Air bags · crash · 2014-07-14 · NHTSA complaint #10610507
Passenger side airbag did not deploy and seatbelt did not retract in result my husband was killed immediately.
Air bags · crash · 2014-04-02 · NHTSA complaint #10576586
When driving down the highway vehicle stalled or cut off. Consumer had to put oil in and it would start back up. Also, front seat belt is too loose, it touches the ground when getting out of vehicle. Brake pads failed.
Seat belts · crash · 2000-08-23 · NHTSA complaint #868381
Consumer was going about 45 to 55mph when she was hit by a nother car going 5-10mph. Consumer's air bag failed to deploy, and she was injured.
Air bags · crash · 1998-12-08 · NHTSA complaint #832074
When turning to right idler arm snapped, resulting in an accident. Tt
Steering · crash · 1995-05-12 · NHTSA complaint #965223
The mitsubishi mirage 1994 s 4 doors 1.5l the valves guides damage the intake and exhaust valves.
Engine · 2014-10-16 · NHTSA complaint #10648143
20 amp fuse blows without warning while driving and cuts off engine causing the car to die on the road every time. This happened four (4) times in the past three (3) months and has been reported to nhtsa twice already - see list of complaints for mitusbishi mirage 1994, also see vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) form…
Electrical system · 2007-08-05 · NHTSA complaint #10198559
(1)the ignition switch malfunctioned (2)a spring from the switch froze the steering so that only 5 degree of steering in either direction was possible almost leading to a crash (3)the ignition switch has to be replaced and a new tumbler is needed.
Electrical system · 2004-06-27 · NHTSA complaint #10078879

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

199512
19965
19977
19986
19998
20004
20017
20024
20032
20041
20071
20143

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 4,840 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Mirage has 24 complaints (29 years in the data). This year has 60, above average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 60. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (15%), seat belts (12%), stalls while driving (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1994 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.