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Light NHTSA footprint — 16 owner complaints and 1 active recall campaign. Either a clean record or thin data; we'll show what's there.
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Buyable on the data — keep up the usual maintenance and inspect normally.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Found excessive rust causing structural damage to rear uni body frame side members. Appears to have rusted from the inside out, similar to their current front sub frame rust recall. At this time no accidents/ damage caused but likely will result in uni body weakening and…
I purchased a brand new 2005 Mitsubishi lancer evolution, and two months later @ 1847 miles, the clutch went out. Mitsubishi refused to warranty repair the failure, so I started investigating their clutches. It turns out six local repair shops as well as 4 Mitsubishi technicians…
While driving I had all 3 acd lights come on. Upon further investigating and a trip to the dealership I was told my acd pump was bad and I would need a new one. This is a common problem in these cars that still hasn't been fixed with the newer models. I was quoted 2400 dollars…
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Mitsubishi lancer evolution. While driving various speeds, the vehicle became very unstable and pulled to the left. The vehicle also experienced severe oversteering when turning. It was discovered that the front lower control arm was faulty due to…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
If a leak occurs, during vehicle operation when the manifold is hot, coolant may ignite and cause a vehicle fire.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 16 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
On the NHTSA data, the 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution does not need avoiding. Buyable on the data — keep up the usual maintenance and inspect normally. The record behind that call: No systemic severe-failure pattern in the complaint record; Reliability score 8.4/10 — above the segment average; 1 recall campaign on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is powertrain, with 4 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 39,107 miles. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop.
The powertrain is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 39,107 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 16 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $2,500, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.