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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
14about this part
Share
14%of 98 total for the year
Median mileage
65,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, 14% of the 98 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 65,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Shortly after starting the engine; take a turn left and then made; I turn on the ABS light shortly after engine light lit too and, days later, the ABS light went out. The next day I started the engine; running the car at 15 to 35 miles, sounds a hit; in the transmission and ABS light comes on again. This has been doing so far.”

NHTSA complaint #10651258, filed 2014-10, 65,000 miles

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #10277407, filed 2009-07, 18,000 miles

“I purchased my vehicle in 2009 from the Mitsubishi dealership in ga, brand new. I travel often and long distances so I have accumulated a lot of mileage on my vehicle within a short period of time. I maintain the vehicle with all the proper inspections and services and the suggestion times (oil change every 3k miles, brakes and tires at 50k,...). I began having issues with my transmission in august 2012 with this whining noise everytime I accelerated. My service engine soon light came on shortly after the noise started. …”

NHTSA complaint #10503938, filed 2013-03, 81,000 miles

“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. …”

NHTSA complaint #10535378, filed 2013-08, 79,885 miles

“As I was driving up the i5 going up the grapevine in ca at 65-70mph my vehicle made a beeping noise and dash showed thermometer that said slow down. I slowed down to 60mph and went into the left lane or (slow lane where semi trucks drive). All of a sudden the car started to slow down more and more until a semi truck got extremely close and had to veer into a faster lane because my car was only going 40mph. I found an exit and exited the freeway. I came to a stop, when it was my turn to go, my car would not accelerate. The car was on and it was in drive but would not move. …”

NHTSA complaint #10533969, filed 2013-08, 58,923 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2017233%
20162170%
2015522%
2014638%
2013240%
2012632%
2011618%
201048%
20091414%
20081112%
200613%
200514%
200479%
20035126%
20022215%

Other parts of the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer

Engine
22 complaints
Electrical system
19 complaints
Brakes
16 complaints
Exterior lighting
13 complaints
Air bags
8 complaints
Body and structure
6 complaints
Suspension
6 complaints
Engine cooling
5 complaints
Other or unknown
5 complaints
Seat belts
5 complaints
Vehicle speed control
5 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology