CriticalCommonElectrical

Mitsubishi Lancer: Takata NADI 5-AT driver airbag — buyback recall, no replacement part exists

Takata NADI 5-AT driver airbag — buyback recall, no replacement part exists is a common electrical fault on the Mitsubishi Lancer on the 1996–1999 cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $1,000 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 39 documented faults on the Mitsubishi Lancer.

Vehicle: Mitsubishi Lancer
Years: 1996–1999
System: Electrical

This page covers the Mitsubishi Lancer as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Mitsubishi Lancer faults39 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

CE Lancers built between 31 May 1996 and 30 September 1999 left the factory with Takata NADI 5-AT driver airbag inflators. Moisture degrades the propellant over time, and on deployment the inflator housing can rupture and fire metal fragments at the driver — a defect linked to deaths and serious injuries — or the bag can under-inflate and fail to protect. Because replacement inflators were never made, Mitsubishi's January 2020 recall (campaign 010163, PRA 2020/18121) did not repair cars: it offered to buy them back at market value. New Zealand ran the equivalent Takata NADI recall for imports. A car in this build window with no proof the airbag was addressed still carries the defective inflator, and there is no fix to pay for — treat it as unresolved until the VIN clears. The cost range here is not a repair bill — no repair exists — it reflects the value a buyer stands to lose on a car that has no path back to a safe state while the original inflator remains.

What you would notice

No visible symptoms — the defect sits inside the steering wheel airbag until it deploys
Build date between mid-1996 and late 1999 on the door-pillar plate
No recall paperwork or buyback correspondence in the car's history

How to check it

Where to look. Driver's airbag inside the steering wheel; build date on the door-pillar identification plate

This one is checked with a phone, not a torch. Read the build plate on the driver's door pillar — if the build date falls between mid-1996 and September 1999, note the VIN and run it through the official Takata recall checker (in NZ, the NZTA Takata recall lookup; in Australia, the vehiclerecalls.gov.au NADI 5 page) before money changes hands. Ask the seller directly for any Mitsubishi recall letter or buyback offer paperwork. If the VIN shows an open NADI recall, do not buy the car at any price that assumes it can be fixed — there is no replacement part, which is exactly why the manufacturer's remedy was to buy cars back.

What it costs to put right

$1,000 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has this VIN been checked against the Takata NADI recall, and can you show me the result?”
“Did Mitsubishi ever contact a previous owner with a buyback offer for this car?”
“Is there any recall paperwork in the service history?”

Now check the Mitsubishi Lancer you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

Australian recall PRA 2020/18121 / Mitsubishi campaign 010163 (Takata NADI 5-AT driver airbag buyback, January 2020)
vehiclerecalls.gov.au — Takata NADI 5 airbags recall information page
AustralianCar.Reviews — Recalls & faults: Mitsubishi CE Lancer (1996-03)

Mitsubishi Lancer buyer questions

Is takata nadi 5-at driver airbag — buyback recall, no replacement part exists serious on a Mitsubishi Lancer?

We rate it critical and common on the Mitsubishi Lancer. CE Lancers built between 31 May 1996 and 30 September 1999 left the factory with Takata NADI 5-AT driver airbag inflators. Moisture degrades the propellant over time, and on deployment the inflator housing can rupture and fire metal fragments at the driver — a defect linked to deaths and serious injuries — or the bag can under-inflate and fail to protect. Because replacement inflators were never made, Mitsubishi's January 2020 recall (campaign 010163, PRA 2020/18121) did not repair cars: it offered to buy them back at market value. New Zealand ran the equivalent Takata NADI recall for imports. A car in this build window with no proof the airbag was addressed still carries the defective inflator, and there is no fix to pay for — treat it as unresolved until the VIN clears. The cost range here is not a repair bill — no repair exists — it reflects the value a buyer stands to lose on a car that has no path back to a safe state while the original inflator remains.

How much does it cost to fix on a Mitsubishi Lancer?

$1,000 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Mitsubishi Lancer years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 1996–1999 Mitsubishi Lancer. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.