MitsubishiMirage19851.6L/mitsubishi/mirage/1985/1-6l/

1985 Mitsubishi Mirage — 1.6L

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1985 Mirage 1.6L.

Engine 1.6LTransmission Automatic 3-spd

The 1985 Mitsubishi Mirage 1.6L pairs its namesake four-cylinder with a three-speed automatic, returning 21/24/22 mpg and calling for 2.7 quarts of oil in viscosities ranging from 20W-20 to 20W-50. Owner-reported issues for this model year total just two, both clustered in the power train, and the vehicle carries no recalls. That sparse complaint record contrasts sharply with the broader Mirage lineage tracked from 1990 onward, where annual totals swung from a single report in 2016 to 88 in 1997, positioning the 1985 as an unusually quiet early entry in the model's reliability arc.

Model year19921991199019891985

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity2.7 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type20W-20 / 20W-40 / 20W-50OEM · verified
EPA fuel economy21/24/22 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses OE oil filter MZ690072. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Tire size4WD:P225-75R15OEM · verified
Wheel / rim6-JJ inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filterMZ690072
Engine air filterMD603360 alt MD603800
Fuel filterMB129591 alt MB504740
Spark plugMS851188 alt MS851239
Front wiper bladesMB382526 alt MB382532
Serpentine beltMB167062 alt MD069671
ThermostatMD972903 alt MD184011

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 3-spd

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined21 / 24 / 22 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Passenger volume80 cu ft
Cargo volume11 cu ft
Recommended fuelPremium Gasoline

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 2.7 qt of 20W-20 / 20W-40 / 20W-50 engine oil, DOT 3 · DOT 4 brake fluid.

Lubricants & capacities

Brake FluidDOT 3 · DOT 4
Engine CoolantETHYLENE GLYCOL
Engine OilABOVE 32 degrees F
Engine Oil Capacity2.7 qt
Power Steering FluidUse Mitsubishi PS fluid

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 6,000 mi; spark plugs every 30,000 mi; coolant every 30,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 30,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 6,000 miEngine Oil Filter (replace)
Every 7,500 miBrake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Power Steering System (inspect)
At 15,000 miThrottle Position Sensor (inspect)
Every 15,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Air Conditioning System (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect) · Universal Vehicle Operation (inspect idle speed)
Every 30,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Steering Linkage (inspect)
Every 50,000 miEngine Coolant System Hoses (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Canister (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System Lines (inspect) · Fuel Filter (replace) · Fuel Line (inspect)
At 60,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Air Conditioning System (inspect)
Every 60,000 miAir Intake Duct (inspect) · Clutch Hydraulic System (drain & refill) · Timing Belt (replace) · Turbocharger Assembly (drain & refill oil)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 1985 Mitsubishi Mirage is not included in the provided federal record, which begins with 1990 data; therefore, direct analysis of the target year is not possible using this dataset. The earliest available data shows 1990 with 41 complaints, 2 recalls, 4 investigations, and 11 TSBs, representing moderate early-generation issues that would have occurred in vehicles roughly 5 years old at that point. The trend from 1990 through 2002 shows significant fluctuation, with complaint peaks in 1993 (84 complaints, 5 recalls) and 1997 (88 complaints, 3 recalls, 49 TSBs), indicating recurring quality concerns during the Mirage's production run. The 1985 model's complaint areas—Power Train and Fuel System—with 1 crash complaint and 1 fire complaint suggest potential safety issues, though the data sample is too limited to establish reliability patterns. Since the target year falls outside the federal record entirely, no concrete trend assessment or comparison to neighboring model years is possible. **Takeaway:** The absence of 1985 in the federal record means there is insufficient data to evaluate this specific year against its generation peers—prospective buyers should seek independent vehicle history reports and pre-purchase inspections rather than relying solely on NHTSA aggregated data.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
4
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
2
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
2
Owner complaints
1 involved a crash · 1 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 2 complaints on record, top 2 components.

Power Train1
Fuel System, Gasoline1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 4 of 4 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
TT2532019-11-26EquipmentThis is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TSB-19-00-0082019-07-30EquipmentThis is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers. This bulletin supersedes…
TT2372018-02-26EquipmentThis is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TSB-13-42A-0022013-01-29StructureThis Technical Service Bulletin updates the door adjustment procedure in the Body Section…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Mirage. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 1985 Mirage 1.6L take?

2.7 qt of ABOVE 32 degrees F: 20W-20, 20W-40, 20W-50, ABOVE -10 degrees F: 10W-30, 10W-40, 10W-50, BELOW 60 degrees F: 5W-20, 5W-30, 5W-40, per the factory manual.

Does the 1985 Mirage have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the 1.6L get?

EPA figures are 21 city / 24 highway / 22 combined mpg.