1998 Mitsubishi Mirage — 1.8L

In 1998, the Mitsubishi Mirage received 44 complaints, 4 recalls, and 0 investigations, a decline from the 88 complaints and 3 recalls seen in 1997 but still higher than the 36 complaints and 4 recalls of 1999. The recall count in 1998 (4) is slightly above the 3 recalls of 1997 and 1999, indicating a moderate peak in regulatory action for that year. Across the generation, complaints surged from 16 in 1992 to a peak of 88 in 1997, then tapered to 44 in 1998 before rising again to 58 in 1999, showing a fluctuating but generally improving trend after 1997. The 1998 model’s top complaint areas—service brakes (7), airbags (5), power train (4), and structure (3)—mirror the broader concerns seen in adjacent years, with no new categories emerging. With 12 crash complaints and 2 fire complaints, the safety record for 1998 is modestly better than the 1997 spike but still above the near-zero figures seen in later years. Overall, 1998 is a borderline year: it offers a slight improvement over 1997 but still carries a higher complaint and recall load than subsequent models, so caution is advised when buying a used Mirage from that year.