U.S. public vehicle records

2009 Mitsubishi LANCER problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

98 owner complaints analyzed

8 distinct recall campaigns

75,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2009 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 67 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 22 of 98 complaints (22.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	19	19.4%
Transmission and shifting	11	11.2%
Electrical and battery issues	10	10.2%
Steering behavior	5	5.1%
Engine operation	4	4.1%
Fuel system concerns	1	1.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine

Electrical System

Exterior Lighting

Power Train

Service Brakes

Air Bags

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Suspension

Engine: 22; Electrical System: 19; Exterior Lighting: 12; Power Train: 12; Service Brakes: 9; Air Bags: 8; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 7; Suspension: 6

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 11; 25,000 to 49,999: 8; 50,000 to 74,999: 14; 75,000 to 99,999: 15; 100,000 to 149,999: 15; 150,000 and above: 4

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (15). 31 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2009: 8; 2010: 3; 2011: 4; 2012: 2; 2013: 8; 2014: 16; 2015: 12; 2016: 7; 2017: 4; 2018: 6; 2019: 10; 2020: 11; 2021: 1; 2022: 3; 2023: 3

Pattern summary

Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 19 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 11 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 10 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10254330 · 2009-01-08 (January 8, 2009)

I BOUGHT A 2009 MITSUBISHI LANCER IN MAY OF '08. I TRADED IN MY '04 LANCER AT THAT TIME WITH 145,000KMS. ALL ORIGINAL PARTS EXCEPT FOR BRAKES. I MOVED TO BC IN AUG '08 FROM ALBERTA WHERE I HAD BOUGHT MY CAR. *TR I WAS COMING HOME FROM CHRISTMAS IN AB ON JAN.2/09 WHEN THE HINGE ON MY DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW BROKE, AND MY CLUTCH STARTED TO SLIP. I DROVE MY MY CAR AN HOUR AND A HALF TO THE NEAREST MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THE MECHANIC THAT DAY TOLD ME THAT THE REAR SEAL HAD A LEAK, THAT OIL HAD BEEN SPRAYING LIKELY THROUGH THE CLUTCH…

Owner-reported narrative. 17,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10254330 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10263666 · 2009-03-30 (March 30, 2009)

I WAS TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE, I WAS ON THE LEFT HAND LANE WHEN I LOOKED THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR AND NOTICED A VEHICLE BEHIND DOING ABOUT 80-90 MILES PER HOUR. I MERGED TO THE MIDDLE LANE SO THAT THEY COULD CONTINUE ON. THEY WERE RECKLESSLY DRIVING AND THEY SWERVED TO MY LANE, I PROCEEDED TO SWERVE TO AVOID GETTING HIT AND WHEN I TRIED TO HIT THE BRAKES THEY JAMMED ON ME. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND HIT THE RIGHT DIVIDER WITH THE FRONT OF MY CAR, THE CAR PROCEEDED TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND EVERY ANGLE OF THE CAR WAS …

Owner-reported narrative. 14,106 miles reported. Look up ODI 10263666 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10277407 · 2009-07-20 (July 20, 2009)

2009 LANCER, CLUTCH WENT OUT AT UNDER 20,000 MILES. I HAVE BEEN READING OF MANY CLUTCH PROBLEMS IN PAST MODELS, IS THERE A TREND HERE. I HAVE OWED 15 CARS, HALF HAVE BEEN MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I HAVE ONLY HAD TO REPLACE 2 CLUTCHES: MITSUBISHI 3000 GT AT 40,000 AND THE LANCER AT 18,000. I HAVE A 10 YEAR OLD JEEP WRANGLER MANUAL THAT MY KIDS LEARNED TO DRIVE ON WITH ABOUT 70,000 MILES WITH IT'S ORIGINAL CLUTCH. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 18,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10277407 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10308413 · 2010-02-10 (February 10, 2010)

2009 LANCER MITSUBISHI - BRAKE FAILURE & TRANSMISSION FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60 MILES PER HR. ENDED UP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. REPORTED - INSPECTED BUT UNABLE TO HOLD MITSUBISHI LIABLE BECAUSE THEY DID PUT OUT NOTICE IN MAY OR JUNE OF THE RECALL ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 16,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10308413 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10374680 · 2011-01-04 (January 4, 2011)

I HAVE AN 09 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES SPORT WITH THE SUN AND SOUND PACKAGE. THE AMPLIFIER, WHICH IS UNDER MY DRIVERS SIDE SEAT, FOR THE SOUNDSYSTEM STARTED SMOKING AND SPARKING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO REPLACED IT A MONTH AGO, AND A WEEK AGO, WHILE I WAS DRIVING, IT STARTED SMOKING AND SPARKING AGAIN, BUT STOPS WHEN YOU POWER OFF THE RADIO, IF THE POWER IS ON IN THE RADIO, IT CONTINUES TO SMOKE AND SPARK. I BELIEVE THERE MAY BE A WIRING DEFECT IN MY CAR THAT IS CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN AND FEAR THAT IF IT CONTINUES MY CAR MAY EVENTUALLY CATC…

Owner-reported narrative. 58,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10374680 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10493442 · 2013-01-18 (January 18, 2013)

I HAVE AN 09 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES SPORT WITH THE SUN AND SOUND PACKAGE. THE AMPLIFIER, WHICH IS UNDER MY DRIVERS SIDE SEAT, FOR THE SOUND SYSTEM STARTED SMOKING AND SPARKING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO REPLACED IT, AND A WEEK AGO, WHILE I WAS DRIVING, IT STARTED SMOKING AND SPARKING AGAIN, BUT STOPS WHEN YOU POWER OFF THE RADIO, IF THE POWER IS ON IN THE RADIO, IT CONTINUES TO SMOKE AND SPARK. I BELIEVE THERE MAY BE A WIRING DEFECT IN MY CAR THAT IS CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN AND FEAR THAT IF IT CONTINUES MY CAR MAY EVENTUALLY CATCH ON FIRE. …

Owner-reported narrative. 45,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10493442 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10734539 · 2015-07-16 (July 16, 2015)

SLOW DOWN LIGHT COMES ON GOING 75 FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES ON HIGHWAY. THEN THE CAR HAS A WHINING NOISE THEN LOSES ACCELERATION AND POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.

Owner-reported narrative. 90,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10734539 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10535378 · 2013-08-14 (August 14, 2013)

I WAS DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON THE CA IS-15 NORTH AT APPROXIMATELY 5:55 PM PST BETWEEN THE EXITS OF 138/WRIGHTWOOD AND THE ROUTE 395/JOSHUA STREET EXIT. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE FAST LANE GOING ABOUT 68-72 MPH. I GOT A "SERVICE REQUIRED" ERROR LIGHT FLASHING, THEN THE "SLOW DOWN" LIGHT CAME ON WITH A PICTURE OF A THERMOMETER. I CHECKED THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE (WHICH IS DISPLAYED ON THE LED SCREEN BY THE SPEEDOMETER, NOT THE USUAL INDEPENDENT GAUGE) AND THE TEMPERATURE SHOWED THAT IT WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE, WHICH SHOULD BE WORKING GREAT. I SLOWED DOWN…

Owner-reported narrative. 79,885 miles reported. Look up ODI 10535378 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10807056 · 2015-11-24 (November 24, 2015)

2009 MITSUBISHI LANCER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE DRIVE BELT SYSTEM ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE EXACT PROBLEM HE EXPERIENCED. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND HAD TO BE TOWED. RECALL # 14V562000. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10807056 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11266592 · 2019-10-06 (October 6, 2019)

RUSTED CROSSMEMBER, CONTROL ARMS, BRACES HOLDING THE GAS TANK. SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT THE RUST UNDERNEATH MY CAR (120K MILES CALIFORNIA VEHICLE) RUST MAY HAVE EATEN THROUGH THE METALS UNDERNEATH MY CAR AND IM SCARED TO DRIVE WITH THESE RUST PROBLEMS BECAUSE THEY MIGHT FAIL WHEN IM ON THE FREEWAY WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A BAD ACCIDENT CAUSING MY LIFE AND OTHER PEOPLES LIFE ON THE LINE. I DONT DRIVE MY CAR NO MORE THAN 10 MILES ANYMORE DUE TO THIS RUST PROBLEM. THE PICTURE I PROVIDED DOESNT LOOK THAT BAD BUT LIFTING THE CAR UP IN THE…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11266592 at NHTSA ↗