2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes → | 27 | 64% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 19% |
| Structure | 6 | 14% |
| Power Train | 1 | 2% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 2% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 67,035 miles (middle 50% between 49,000 and 78,250 miles), based on 22 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Decemebr 23, 2018 I was involved in an accident on a freeway, where all the traffic suddenly came to a stop from 50 mph. As I pressed my breaks it was as though they almost didn't work causing me to strike the vehicle in front of me. The abs light then became lit, all air bags were deployed and the car was determined…”
Service Brakes · filed Dec 27, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving 20 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal and heard an abnormal crunching noise. In addition, the abs warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brakes failed and needed to be…”
Service Brakes · filed Nov 28, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that the dashboard warped prematurely. The failure was located in the area of the front passenger side air bag. The contact was unable to determine the effect that the warped dashboard would have on the performance of the passenger side air bag. The…”
Structure · filed Feb 3, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
32 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The 10 most recent:
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
TSB-23-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin reviews the regulations that require a label showing the reduction in load carrying capacity be affixed to vehicles when the total net weight of accessories is more than 1.5 percent of…
TSB-23-00-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.
TSB-22-54-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2022
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT253 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2019
This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers. This bulletin supersedes TSB-18-00-003, issued April, 2018, to add updated information for Carrying Capacity Reduced Label.
TSB-19-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 30, 2019
This is a Technical Service Bulletin that was sent to dealers. The bulletin updates the Rear Suspension section of the affected Service Manuals to update the special service tool used in replacement of the Toe Control…
TSB-19-34-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2019
This is a message sent to dealers, to inform them that an update for MEDIC will be available.
MEDICUpdate517 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT237 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 67,035 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.