2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder: common problems

Owners of the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 7

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 86% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 14% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 6 complaints (86% of all).
Seat belts: 1 complaints (14% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 7 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

brakes on its own (phantom braking)1 · 14%
seat belts1 · 14%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 14%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Service brakes	6	0	0
Seat belts	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 15v337000 (service brakes, hydraulic system). The part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Service brakes · 2016-04-05 · NHTSA complaint #10853491
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v337000 (service brakes); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Service brakes · 2016-03-14 · NHTSA complaint #10846461
This vehicle model is known for intermittent brake problems where the brakes will go to the floor after a sudden braking. Brakes then catch dangerously low for a long period of time until the system recovers.
Service brakes · 2015-01-07 · NHTSA complaint #10670619
While seated in the front driver's seat, the contact noticed that the seat belt buckle release mechanism was difficult to access. The mechanism was extremely difficult to reach because it was located between the side of the seat and the console.
Seat belts · 2009-04-29 · NHTSA complaint #10267283

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20091
20152
20164

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 12,538 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 34% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Eclipse Spyder has 17 complaints (14 years in the data). This year has 7, below average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, seat belts. Total complaints: 7. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brakes on its own (phantom braking) (14%), seat belts (14%), smoke, burning smell, fire (14%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2009 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.