Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My husband was in an accident and over corrected hit an embankment and a tree and this pushed him back into the road and spin shooting him into another embankment and this resulted in him being forced backwards and into another ditch on the other side of the road hitting a mailbox and another ditch. The airbag never deployed and the seat broke as if he was laying down to sleep but it was broke into this position. He hit his face on the steering wheel and injured his eye some how and the hospital said that it was due to the airbag not deploying. Why did his seat get throwed back like that and break please explain. I could have lost my husband..
I was driving down a street in my 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer and as I approached a green light I noticed that the driver of an Acura was not stopping for his red light. I slammed on the brakes but unfortunately I hit the passenger side of his car. The accedent caused my car to turn 90 degrees to the right. I got out of my vehicle after checking on my passenger and thats when I realized that the airbags in my vehicle didn't deploy. My passenger and I were both injured and are being treated for injuries. I am not very happy with the performance of my vehicle in that it failed to provide the protection that the airbags were designed to provide. If the airbags had deployed my passenger and I wouldn't have been thrown around like ragdolls in the vehicle. My car was totaled as a result of the accident.
I was in my 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer and was driving about 35-40 miles an hour and hit a yukon head on. My car is completely crumpled and the air bag did not deploy. This is the second major front end accident I have had with this vehicle (the previous one in 2002) and both times, the air bag did not deploy. Nothing was done by Mitsubishi either time to correct the situation. I was fortunate enough to be able to walk away from both but I worry that others May not be so lucky if this were to happen to them.
I was traveling at 30-34 MPH and a intrepid pulled out in front of me and I slammed head on to her driver's side front tire. My seat belts didn't lock resulting in me hitting my chest on the steering wheel and my son in the back seat to hit his head on the back of the passenger front seat. My airbags didn't deploy resulting in my pelvic bone to shift and me to receive whiplash and a buldge in my lower back. The impact of the crash resulted in my car being totaled.
1) I was driving south down the road at 25-30 MPH, and another car was waiting to pull out of a parking lot on my right, he was going to turn left (north). - he says he didn't see me and pulled out in front of me and I t-boned him. 2)his airbags deployed, but mine did not. The accident was significant enough that they should have deployed. 3) nothing has been done to correct the failure, the car is going to the body shop today.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer. While driving approximately 60 MPH the contact crashed into the metal railing on the highway. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home. The insurance company declared the vehicle destroyed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. Rvk
I went into a ditch (was run off the road) passenger door hit a pole, air bag did not deploy and passenger fractured her collar bone. This happened in 2005. Also the blow motor has rusted and needs to be replaced, I found out through the internet that water flows into the motor through the wipers. It cost over $400. To replace the motor.
I was in the left turning lane, as I proceeded to turn, a car at high speed ran the red light hit the front driver side of the bumper causing the car to spin,the car was totaled during the accident the air bags didn't deploy.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer. While driving between 35-40 MPH on normal road conditions, the contact swerved to avoid a crash. She crashed into a parked vehicle and her vehicle went airborne and landed on top of another parked vehicle. Immediately, the vehicle flipped over three times and caused the windshield to shatter. The air bags failed to deploy. The police and ambulance were called to the scene and a police report was filed. The driver was transported to the hospital and sustained severe injuries to the lungs, neck trauma, and impaled glass in her hands and legs. The vehicle was completely destroyed and was towed to a collision center. The two parked vehicles sustained moderate damages. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and mileages were unknown. Updated 03/14/10 updated 09/23/10 updated 10/03/10 updated 11/03/10
Air bags 2002 mits . Lancer the air bags did not deploy my car was hit from the rear causing it to hit a cement retaining wall from the front and sides and no air bags went off. I have had multiple surgeries from the failed air bags.
Airbag complaints in other Lancer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the air bags of the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, 16% of the model year's 148 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 49,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 23 crashes, 0 fires and 18 injuries and 1 death to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.