MitsubishiMirage19851.5L/mitsubishi/mirage/1985/1-5l/

1985 Mitsubishi Mirage — 1.5L

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1985 Mirage 1.5L.

Engine 1.5LTransmission Automatic 3-spd

The 1985 Mitsubishi Mirage, powered by a 1.5-liter engine paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission, delivered an EPA-estimated 27 mpg combined and required just 2.7 quarts of oil, with recommended viscosities ranging from 20W-20 to 20W-50. This model year recorded only two owner complaints—both confined to the powertrain—and zero recalls, placing it among the most trouble-free entries in the Mirage’s history, especially when contrasted with the model’s peak of 88 complaints in 1997.

Model year200220012000199919981997199619951985

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 economy26/29/27 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 / combined26 / 29 / 27 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Passenger volume80 cu ft
Cargo volume11 cu ft
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

No 1985 road test on record; the results below are same-engine tests from nearby model years, each shown under its own year.

12.3 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 12.30 sec — 1989 Sedan
81 hpHorsepower (as tested)
84 lb-ftTorque (as tested)
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
1989Sedan 1.5L I-412.30 sec18.40 sec81 hpFWD

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 7,500 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 7,500 miBrake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · 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) · Engine Valves (inspect valve lash) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect) · Universal Vehicle Operation (inspect idle speed)
Every 30,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Choke System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Spark Plugs (replace)
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 miClutch Hydraulic System (drain & refill) · Timing Belt (replace)

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 represented in the provided federal record, which begins with 1990 data and continues through 2002 before jumping to 2014–2024. Without records for 1985 itself, I cannot directly compare it to adjacent model years or establish its specific position within the generation's complaint and recall arc. The available data does show a generation-wide pattern from 1990–2002: complaints peaked in 1993 (84 complaints), 1997 (88 complaints), and 1999 (58 complaints), while recalls ranged from 1–5 annually and TSBs (technical service bulletins) generally increased over time, reaching 49 by 1997. Complaints generally declined from 2000 onward, dropping to 12 by 2002. For the 1985 model specifically, only two complaint categories are documented (Power Train and Fuel System, gasoline) with one complaint each, plus one crash-related complaint and one fire-related complaint. However, these figures cannot be contextualized against neighboring model years due to the data gap. **Concrete takeaway:** The 1985 Mirage falls outside the documented federal record window, making it impossible to determine whether this year experienced above-average, average, or below-average issues compared to the 1990–2002 generation. A prospective buyer should treat this as a significant information limitation rather than an assurance of reliability, and should prioritize pre-purchase inspection and historical maintenance records over federal complaint data when evaluating this specific model year.

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 1.5L 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 1.5L get?

EPA figures are 26 city / 29 highway / 27 combined mpg.