2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart problems & reliability
22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. 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.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 17 | 77% |
| Steering | 4 | 18% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 14% |
| Engine | 2 | 9% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 5% |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 5% |
| Suspension | 1 | 5% |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 5% |
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
Among the 20 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 58,600 miles (middle 50% between 34,209 and 78,075 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“S-awc pump has a corrodible housing and is placed in an area that is exposed to salt and water from the rear passenger-side wheel. The placement of the pump is a design flaw and has led to severe corrosion of the pump housing and failure of the pump. The failure of the pump completely disables both the active center…”
Power Train · filed May 15, 2019
“Mitsubishi lancer dct470 sst transmission recall - my transmission lost even gears while driving home from work. The car selected a lower gear and the check engine light turned on. I pulled over to troubleshoot and eventually made it home. This costly repair forced me to buy another car and have since left the repair…”
Power Train · filed Mar 20, 2019
“Takata recall since I bought the car the acd pump has been fine. Back in september the red triangle came on and I did some research to find out what it meant. I barley drive the car because of the issue. It seems several other people have had this problem too. Mitsubishi wants to charge me $800-$1200 to fix it. I…”
Power Train · filed Jul 15, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
41 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. 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 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
This is a technical service bulletin (tsb) that was sent to dealers. This tsb provides instructions for inspection of oil leakage from the front oil seal on the crankshaft, and if confirmed, to replace the front oil…
TSB-16-11-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 21, 2016
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 Lancer Ralliart has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 Lancer Ralliart?
- · 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 58,600 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.