Most common 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart problems
Share of the 22 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart complaints by model year
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart recalls (2)
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
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.
Remedy: 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.
Fuel system, other › Delivery
Mitsubishi is recalling model year 2008-2009 lancer evolution, ralliart, and sportback ralliart vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines. The manner in which the fuel return pipe is attached to the engine, in combination with frequent vehicle operation at certain engine revolutions, May result in a resonance that, if…
Remedy: The fuel return pipe will be replaced with a new part and two additional attachment brackets will be installed to better control fuel pipe vibration. This service will be performed free of charge.
What 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart owners say
Transmission & drivetrain
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 unattended. This is a known manufacturer defect. The problem is so common that a petition was started to help those others that were also affected by this issue. The problem is a shift fork magnet becomes dislocated from the bracket and will not allow the transmission to select even gears. In order to repair, a specialist must disassemble and rebuild the case. It is not caused from any maintenance neglect nor driving habit or abuse. It can occur in all models with this specific transmission. It is a worldwide issue including Canada & australia. …
I was driving to work and the car started acting strange. It would only switch to select gears. I took it straight to a Mitsubishi service where they informed me that transmission was failing. Then they told me it would cost $12000 to repair. They also said the car needs a new AWD differential pump but that would be free. Upon my research and what one of the techs told me AWD pump can screw up the transmission. How can they not cover the cost of repair for transmission if a faulty part caused it.
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled several times without warning . The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the serpentine belt was severed. The serpentine belt was replaced but the failure was not corrected. The serpentine belt continued to fracture and the tires were wearing prematurely due to a defective tire chamber. The front outer tie rod and the bushings were replaced but the failure was not corrected. The front tires continued to wear prematurely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failure and the dealer advised the contact that the technician could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 97,178.
I stopped at a light, the when I went to make a left turn my dash began to flash a "service required" light at me. After doing some investigation, it turns out that it is an extremely well known and unaddressed issue with the car's acd pump failing. It's a design flaw that costs thousands of dollars to fix, but failure of the part is practically guaranteed. Why there's no recall yet is completely ridiculous.
Engine & cooling
I was driving from dallas, tx, to el paso, tx in my 2009 Mitsubishi Ralliart. Around 3 pm and with an outside temperature of approx 99 degrees farenheit (based on the display readout on the car). I noticed a very very strong raw fuel or gas smell coming in from the vents. The air conditioner was on, so I turned it to recirculating air, it persisted, so I turned the air conditioner off, but the very strong gasoline smell, to my amazement, persisted. 2 passengers (my elderly dad 76, and my little sister, 18) also noticed the smell. The smell lasted around 5 minutes, and we were forced to open all the 4 windows, even still the smell was strong enough and kept on going. I started feeling lightheaded, so I told my dad, the passenger that I has to pull over (I literally felt like I was going to faint). We were able to pull over safely and step away from the car. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled several times without warning . The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the serpentine belt was severed. The serpentine belt was replaced but the failure was not corrected. The serpentine belt continued to fracture and the tires were wearing prematurely due to a defective tire chamber. The front outer tie rod and the bushings were replaced but the failure was not corrected. The front tires continued to wear prematurely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failure and the dealer advised the contact that the technician could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 97,178.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the Lancer Ralliart to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 22 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart?
The transmission & drivetrain — 17 complaints, 77% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the steering (4) and engine & cooling (3).
How many recalls does the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, the most recent from September 12, 2014 (belts and associated pulleys). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 60,000 miles; 45% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.