Mitsubishi Minicab: Generations, 3G83 Engine and What to Check

The Mitsubishi Minicab gets less attention from US buyers than the Carry or the Acty, which can work in your favor. Underneath is a simple cab-over truck with an engine Mitsubishi used in its Kei Trucks from 1990 to 2014. Here is which Minicabs you can import, how the codes work, and what to check.

What is the Mitsubishi Minicab?

The Mitsubishi Minicab is a two-seat cab-over Kei Truck that Mitsubishi has sold since 1966. The engine sits under the driver's seat and drives the rear wheels, or all four on 4WD versions. Like every Kei Truck, it is built to Japan's Kei class, the small-vehicle category that caps engines at 660 cc, and its bed is rated for 350 kg (about 770 lb).

From 1990 until 2014, every gasoline Minicab truck used the 3G83, a 657 cc three-cylinder with a single overhead camshaft and a timing belt. At the 1991 launch of the U41T and U42T it came carbureted, rated at 38 PS (metric horsepower, about 37 hp) with two valves per cylinder or 42 PS with four. Fuel injection reached the top trims in the mid-1990s, and the 1999-on generation is listed at 48 PS. Mitsubishi also built factory dump beds and other work bodies on the Minicab chassis.

The Nissan Clipper twin

From 2003 to 2013 Nissan sold the U61T and U62T Minicab as the Clipper, later renamed NT100 Clipper, under the chassis codes U71T and U72T. It has the same 3G83 engine and the same parts, and the first ones turn 25 in 2028. The roles have since flipped: from February 2014 the Minicab truck has been a rebadged Suzuki Carry (DS16T), and the current Nissan NT100 Clipper is a Carry too.

Which Mitsubishi Minicab generations can you import?

As of October 2026, any Minicab manufactured in October 2001 or earlier can enter the US under the 25-year rule, the federal exemption from US safety standards for vehicles at least 25 years old. The date that counts is the month the truck was built. The 25-year rule guide explains how to confirm it.

Most 1990s Minicabs are carbureted. Mitsubishi made the 5-speed manual standard in January 1993, except on base trucks that still rode on 10-inch tires, and in 1998 it added a base V grade with 12-inch wheels and front disc brakes on 2WD trucks. The U61T and U62T arrived in February 1999 with a larger body built to the Kei size rules Japan adopted in October 1998.

Check your state's rules in the state-by-state Kei Truck laws before you shop, and see how to import a Kei Truck for the paperwork.

Should you buy a U42T or a U62T?

For most buyers the choice is between a 1991-1999 U42T and a 1999-2001 U62T, and the build month limits how many of the newer trucks you can choose from today.

The U41T and U42T are the simpler trucks. Most are carbureted, the engine is easy to work on, and they are usually the cheaper of the two. They are also narrower, because they were built to the Kei size rules in force before October 1998.

The U61T and U62T bring the larger 1999 body, fuel injection rated at 48 PS, and more automatic choices, including the 4-speed on TL trucks. Only those built through October 2001 can be imported now, and each month another month of production becomes eligible.

If you want a basic farm truck at the lowest cost, start with a U42T. If the truck will spend more time on the road, the U62T's extra width and power are worth the search. The 2WD U41T and U61T suit flat, dry ground.

What should you check before buying a Mitsubishi Minicab?

Check the chassis code and build month first, since only Minicabs built in October 2001 or earlier qualify today. Then check the wheels: some early base U41T trucks rode on 10-inch wheels, which changes which tires, and possibly which brake parts, fit. After that, go through the truck:

• Wheels and brakes. Confirm the wheel size and whether the front brakes are discs or drums before you order tires or brake parts.
• 4WD. Engage 4WD on a loose surface and make sure it releases cleanly. If a listing claims low range or a rear diff lock, ask to see the controls and test them.
• Fuel system. A carbureted truck should start and idle cleanly once warm. An injected truck should hold a steady idle without surging.
• Automatics. Check the fluid and the shift quality, and confirm whether the truck has the 3-speed or the 4-speed fitted to some TL trucks.
• The engine under the seat. Look for oil and coolant leaks, and ask for a dated timing belt record.
• Dump beds. Raise and lower the bed, loaded if you can, and check the ram and hoses for leaks. The specialty bodies guide covers other conversions.
• Rust. Check the frame rails, cab corners, door bottoms, floor and bed.

Read the auction sheet guide before you bid, and take the checklist from the Kei Truck buying guide to any truck you can see in person.

What are common Mitsubishi Minicab problems?

At 25-plus years, most Minicab trouble comes from maintenance that was skipped, not from the design.

Timing belt

The 3G83 drives its camshaft with a rubber belt. A common rule of thumb is a new belt every 100,000 km (about 62,000 miles) or 10 years, whichever comes first. Treat an undocumented belt as due and change the tensioner and seals at the same time. A Kei Truck timing belt kit matched to the 3G83 keeps it to one order.

Idle and fuel delivery

Carbureted trucks that sat with old fuel start hard and stall. Cleaning or rebuilding the carburetor with Kei Truck carburetor parts usually fixes it. On fuel-injected trucks, an idle that surges or hunts often traces back to a dirty throttle body, a sticking idle control valve or a vacuum leak.

Ignition

Plugs and plug wires wear out on schedule. On a truck with no records, replace the ignition parts as a set and start from a known baseline.

Cooling

The engine works hard in a small space under the seat. On a truck with no records, replace old hoses and the thermostat, keep the coolant fresh, and watch the gauge on long climbs. An overheated 3G83 can lift its head gasket like any small engine.

Automatic transmissions

Automatic Minicabs are less common than manuals, and old fluid is their usual enemy. Check that the fluid is red rather than brown and does not smell burnt, and that shifts are prompt with no flare between gears. A fluid change is cheap insurance on a 3-speed or 4-speed truck.

Clutch and CV boots

Worn clutches show up on hard-worked farm trucks. 4WD Minicabs drive the front wheels through CV joints, so check the boots and replace torn ones before the joints fail.

Rust

Frame rails, cab corners and the bed floor rot first. Wash the underside after salted roads and treat chips early. Intervals and storage tips are in the maintenance guide.

Where do you get Mitsubishi Minicab parts?

Order Minicab parts by chassis code (U42T, U62T and so on). A U42T and a U62T share the 3G83, but bodies, brakes and suspension parts changed with the 1999 redesign.

Oiwa Garage, the parts store that publishes this guide, sorts Minicab parts by chassis:

• U41T and U42T parts for 1991-1999 trucks
• U61T and U62T parts for 1999-2014 trucks

Clipper trucks take the same parts as the U61T and U62T. If you plan to raise the truck, start with the Minicab lift kits. For the first service on a newly imported truck, plan on oil and filter, air and fuel filters, spark plugs, coolant, gear oil and the timing belt.

How does the Minicab compare with other Kei Trucks?

The Minicab follows the same basic layout as the Suzuki Carry and the Daihatsu Hijet: engine under the cab and a leaf-sprung rear axle. Honda's Acty and Subaru's Sambar take different approaches, with the engine behind the cab.

Its main difference is the badge. Fewer US buyers go looking for a Minicab than for a Carry or an Acty, so a good one can be easier to find at a fair price. The Kei Truck model comparison covers all five.