The Mitsubishi Lancer tail light utilizes bulb sizes 7443 and 12961 according to the provided specifications for the rear lighting components. Data for the listed components covers the period from 2002 through 2017.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The two bulb types specified across all tail light positions on the Mitsubishi Lancer are the 12961 and the 7443, both operating at 12 volts.
The 12961 is a Philips part number designating a T10 miniature wedge bulb with a W2.1x9.5d base, rated at 5W, and carries a single-filament design.
The 7443 follows the ANSI standard used in the US and Canada. It is a T20 dual-filament wedge bulb rated at 21W and 5W, with each filament serving a distinct lighting function such as braking and running light operation.
The inner tail light position on the Mitsubishi Lancer uses the 12961 bulb across the 2008-2009 and 2015-2017 model years.
The outer tail light position uses the 7443 bulb across those same model years, as well as the 2002, 2003, and 2007 model years.
For the 2008-2009 and 2015-2017 model years, the outer tail light accommodates both the 7443 in a dual-filament application and the 12961 in a single-filament application, indicating that the position supports more than one bulb socket or function.
The 12961 and 7443 are not interchangeable. The T10 and T20 wedge bases differ in physical size, and the filament configurations are distinct, making cross-substitution incompatible.
The 7443 entries for the 2002, 2003, and 2007 model years carry no filament designation, unlike the dual-filament notation present in the 2008-2009 and 2015-2017 outer tail light entries.