2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Problems, Recalls & Reliability
139 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 64/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2009 sits among all Lancer years
What owners report
“The ecu is bad and the headlights will turn off while driving there is many complaints on the internet about this but they refuse to acknowledge its an issue and want near 1000 $ to fix the issue. We have had the light turn off while driving several time causing my wife to panic and causing alarm…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Lancer
“Having nothing but problems can't drive more than 20 minutes on the freeway or else my car starts making a weird noise and loses power shifting at high rpms”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Lancer
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 92 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 72,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 45,000 and 110,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2008-2010 Lancer, 2009-2010 Lancer Sportback, 2008-2013 Outlander, and 2011-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of…
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross…
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Lancer, 2008-2012 Outlander, 2010-2012 Lancer Sportback, and 2011-2012 Outlander Sport vehicles equipped with either a 4B11 or 4B12 engine. The drive belt automatic tensioner flange…
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the belt tensioner with one that has an improved shape, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 27, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA…
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Outlander, 2008-2010 Lancer, 2009-2010 Lancer Evolution, and 2010 Lancer Sportback vehicles equipped with sunroofs. The sunroof glass may detach from the sunroof assembly, becoming a…
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof glass assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820.…
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles manufactured January 12, 2009, to July 6, 2010, 2009-2010 Outlander vehicles manufactured January 12, 2009, to August 27, 2010, 2010 Lancer…
Fix: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected ECU, free of charge. The recall began on June 15 ,2015. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820.…
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Lancer vehicles manufactured March 16, 2009, to March 30, 2011, 2010-2011 Lancer Sportback vehicles manufactured June 17, 2009, to December 1, 2010, 2010-2011 Lancer…
Fix: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace a suspect blower motor, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820.…
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (Mitsubishi) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Lancer, Lancer Evolution, and Outlander; 2009-2011 Lancer Sportback, Lancer Rilliart, and Lancer Sportback Ralliart; and 2011 Outlander Sport vehicles. The affected…
Fix: Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the drive belt with a rubber belt. Drive pulleys that are excessively worn will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.…
MITSUBISHI IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 LANCER AND LANCER EVOLUTION VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FRONT AIRBAG SENSORS THAT HAVE IMPROVED CORROSION RESISTANCE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY…
MITSUBISHI IS RECALLING 39,711 MY 2008-2009 OUTLANDER AND LACER VEHICLES. INCORRECT MATERIAL COMPOSITION OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE MAY CAUSE THE CHECK VALVE TO STICK CLOSED WHEN THE ENGINE IS SHUT OFF. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS RE-STARTED AND PUT INTO…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037.
Technical service bulletins
107 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2009 Lancer TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer reliable?
The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer drew 139 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 64/100, scored against the model's worst year (2002).
What are the most common 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer problems?
The top reported problems for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer are electrical (32 complaints), engine (27), and brakes & stability (17).
At what mileage do 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer problems show up?
Owners most often report 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer problems around 72,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 45,000 and 110,000 miles.
Does the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.