At a glance

Reported mileage136,467 mi

LocationCa, USA

ColorBlack

Last listed price$5,700

Open recalls5

Vehicle identity & specifications

Make

Mitsubishi

Model

Lancer

Year

2008

Trim

GTS

Body style

Sedan/Saloon

Vehicle type

PASSENGER CAR

Engine

2.0L

Fuel type

Gasoline

Doors

4

Assembly plant

MIZUSHIMA, JAPAN

Manufacturer

MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION (MMC)

What's a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer worth?

What comparable 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles are listed for — a quick gut-check before you negotiate.

Low

$2,500

Typical price

$4,550

High

$6,500

Most 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer listings fall between $2,500 and $6,500, from 71 comparable cars.

Is the seller's price fair? Get this exact VIN's current market value — retail, trade-in & loan value — in the full report.

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Full vehicle history report

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What a full report checks for VIN JA3AU86U78U015552

⚠️ 5 open safety recalls — shown above, free 🔒 Title & brand records 🔒 Accident & damage history 🔒 Salvage, total-loss & theft 🔒 Odometer & owner count 🔒 Liens & market valuation

A full report searches national title databases (NMVTIS) and licensed history providers for this VIN and shows whatever records are on file — not every vehicle has every record type. The decode, safety recalls and owner complaints above are always free.

📜 Title status Clean, salvage, rebuilt, junk, flood or lemon

🏷️ Title brand history Every brand ever applied, by state

🧾 Number of owners How many registrations on record

🛞 Odometer readings Reported mileage over time

🔎 Rollback check Mileage inconsistency / tamper flags

💥 Accident & damage Reported collisions and damage events

🚧 Total-loss records Insurance total-loss declarations

♻️ Salvage & auction Salvage-yard and auction history

🚓 Theft records Reported / recovered theft events

🏦 Liens & impounds Outstanding liens or impound records

🏷️ Sale & listing history Past marketplace and dealer listings

💰 Market valuation Estimated value for this exact spec

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Safety recalls 5

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2008-2010 Lancer, 2009-2010 Lancer Sportback, 2008-2013 Outlander, and 2011-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, O…

Remedy: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross member will be replaced with a new one. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall bega

NHTSA Campaign #20V279000 · 18/05/2020

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Outlander, 2008-2010 Lancer, 2009-2010 Lancer Evolution, and 2010 Lancer Sportback vehicles equipped with sunroofs. The sunroof glass may detach from the sunroof assembly, becoming a road hazard to other vehicles.

Remedy: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof glass assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-003.

NHTSA Campaign #18V071000 · 26/01/2018

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Lancer, Lancer Evolution, and Outlander; 2009-2011 Lancer Sportback, Lancer Rilliart, and Lancer Sportback Ralliart; and 2011 Outlander Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles, manufactured with 4B1 engines, have an engine pulley and belt arrangement for turning the alternator, the cooling fan and the power…

Remedy: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the drive belt with a rubber belt. Drive pulleys that are excessively worn will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 15, 2014. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7

NHTSA Campaign #14V562000 · 12/09/2014

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:CHECK VALVE

MITSUBISHI IS RECALLING 39,711 MY 2008-2009 OUTLANDER AND LACER VEHICLES. INCORRECT MATERIAL COMPOSITION OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE MAY CAUSE THE CHECK VALVE TO STICK CLOSED WHEN THE ENGINE IS SHUT OFF. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS RE-STARTED AND PUT INTO MOTION, UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS (VERY SLOW VEHICLE MANEUVERS), THERE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT INITIAL BRAKING ASSIST.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037.

NHTSA Campaign #09V077000 · 10/03/2009

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

MITSUBISHI IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 LANCER AND LANCER EVOLUTION VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN AND DISTRICT OF COLUMB…

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FRONT AIRBAG SENSORS THAT HAVE IMPROVED CORROSION RESISTANCE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER RELATIONS DEPARTMENT AT 1-888-648-7820.

NHTSA Campaign #09V435000 · 05/11/2009

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Common problems & what to inspect

Based on 91 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer, here are the most-reported problem areas — and exactly what to check before you buy.

💥 3 involved a crash 🚑 2 reported injuries

Suspension 7 reports

🔍 Listen for clunks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for uneven tire wear and worn shocks or struts.

Structure 4 reports

🔍 Inspect for rust, fresh undercoating, mismatched paint, uneven panel gaps and any sign of prior collision or frame repair.

Power Train 3 reports

🔍 Drive through every gear: watch for slipping, hard or delayed shifts, and shudder. Check for transmission/driveline leaks and noises.

Steering 3 reports

🔍 Steering should be tight and centered — no play, clunks or wandering. Test at low and highway speed; listen for power-steering whine.

Electrical System 2 reports

🔍 Test every electrical feature: windows, locks, infotainment, charging and all lights. Watch for flickering, dead accessories or warning lights.

Air Bags 2 reports

🔍 Confirm the airbag light turns on then off at startup — if it stays lit there's a fault (costly, and a safety risk). Check for signs of prior deployment.

Pre-purchase checklist

Match the VIN on the dash, door jamb and title — they must be identical.
Cold-start the engine; listen for knocks and check for blue or white exhaust smoke.
Test-drive through all gears at low and highway speed — no slipping, shudder or pulling.
Confirm every warning light clears at startup (none should stay on).
Check fluids — oil, coolant, transmission — for level, color and leaks.
Look underneath for rust, fresh undercoating or signs of collision repair.
Always get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a trusted mechanic.

Owner complaints 91

Complaints filed with NHTSA by owners of the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated that after a while the system would erase any safety information used to track mileage and only show the GPS feature on the digital screen with information from 2004. The contact stated he used the digital screen for the safety features. Upon further inspection, the battery would be drained at an …

NHTSA ODI #11611449

STRUCTURE

We had car at a car dealer and the manufacturer declined doing the recall on the car for corrison on the front crossmember, telling us due to car has a total loss record on Carfax. The vehicle total loss record was for a accident that didn't effect that part of the car that's under recall, it was due to vehicle repairs were more then what car was worth. Th…

NHTSA ODI #11560732

ENGINE

The dealership that is repairing the drive belt recall, is attempting to charge me for the replacement of a damaged pulley.

NHTSA ODI #11520768

SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 45 mph, the vehicle began to roll out of the road and she was unable to steer back into the road. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle rolled over into a ditch. The contact stated no air bags deployed. The contact stated the driver hit her…

Crash · 1 injured · NHTSA ODI #11489715

SUSPENSION

Our car crashed after getting off the highway in NJ. This appears to be related to Safety Recall Report 20V-279. The cross member has completely rusted and the driver side control arm came off, crashing the car and severely damaging the car, with loss of control. I have contacted Mitsubishi Motors but have received no response from them. There was no warni…

Crash · NHTSA ODI #11461954

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES

The airbags light came on after I bought the car and I am afraid of I get in an accident they will not deploy my mechanic said I would have to go to a car dealership about it... The brakes also fail if I try to stop abruptly they go to the floor and do not stop the vehicle... The brakes are the worst when I am driving slowly and try to come to a stop. I have…

NHTSA ODI #11449426

AIR BAGS

Air bag light turn on and off

NHTSA ODI #11425909

SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING AT 25 MPH, WHEN THE CROSS MEMBER SNAPPED AND DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND JUMPED THE CURB. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A DISLOCATED RIGHT THUMB AND DID NOT SEEK MEDICATION AT…

1 injured · NHTSA ODI #11398893

+ 83 more complaints on record.