Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mitsubishi Lancer 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 58 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

With 991 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 991 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
58 in every 100
Did not pass first time
42 in every 100421 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 97,970 miles
First tests counted
991

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)21 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Track rod end (front)15 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 421 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 27 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 24 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (rear): 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 27 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 55 first tests, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 25 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 24 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008), 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 21 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 64 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Failed on 30 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 57 first tests4.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Noted on 47 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 60 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
58in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
36in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 57.5% of 991 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 42 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Diesel59250
Petrol39968

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020042005200620072008200920102011Older cars
4060801002011Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200489 in every 100345
200568 in every 100859
200668 in every 100805
200761 in every 100708
200863 in every 1001,190
200957 in every 100901
201060 in every 1001,300
2011 This car58 in every 100991

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 991 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 21 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 57.5% of 991 first MOTs on the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.2%. Among 421 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Exhaust system (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (6.4% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 4.3× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (20.9%) and Track rod end (front) (15.2%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Exhaust system (rear) (6.4% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 4.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Exhaust system (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (6.4% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 4.3× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer include Exhaust system (rear), Rigid brake pipes (rear), Anti-lock braking system (ABS). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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