FaultScore

FaultScore report

2020 Mitsubishi Outlander problems

Owners have filed 46 complaints about the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander with NHTSA between 2020 and 2026. The largest single group is the electrical system. Across this model's run it ranks 12 of 22 worst.

C

FaultScore 59/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Mitsubishi Outlander.

How this is worked out

The numbers

46

Complaints

8

Crashes reported

0

Fires reported

5

Injuries reported

53,000 mi

Median mileage at failure

Half of reported failures happened before this

46%

Failed under 36,000 miles

Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

Complaint volume 27 vs 50 Severity 100 vs 50 Early failure 79 vs 50
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 27
Against the median year of the Mitsubishi Outlander. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
28.3% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — 79
46% of failures with a mileage on record happened under 36,000 miles, against a national rate of 29%.

How 2020 compares with every other Mitsubishi Outlander

Click any bar to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Median failure at 1,700 miles

Other & Unspecified 8 17.4%

2 crashes, 0 fires

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 8 17.4%

1 crashes, 0 fires · median 79,000 mi

Airbags 4 8.7%

3 crashes, 0 fires · median 17,503 mi

Seats 2 4.3%
Lights 2 4.3%

Median failure at 142,203 miles

Body & Structure 2 4.3%

Median failure at 53,000 miles

Brakes 2 4.3%

1 crashes, 0 fires

Engine & Cooling 2 4.3%

Median failure at 90,553 miles

Doors, Latches & Locks 1 2.2%

Median failure at 95,730 miles

Wheels 1 2.2%

1 crashes, 0 fires

Suspension 1 2.2%
Steering 1 2.2%
Transmission & Drivetrain 1 2.2%

Median failure at 5,500 miles

When it fails

Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.

Under 1,000 miles 1 7.7%
1,000 – 9,999 miles 4 30.8%
25,000 – 49,999 miles 1 7.7%
50,000 – 74,999 miles 1 7.7%
75,000 – 99,999 miles 2 15.4%
100,000 – 149,999 miles 1 7.7%
150,000+ miles 3 23.1%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Jun 2020 peak 3 Jul 2026

Recalls on the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

Canada — Transport Canada

Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.

Recall 2025405 62,111 units in Canada

Structure

Issue: On certain vehicles, water could enter the tailgate struts and cause them to corrode. If this happens, the struts could fail, and the tailgate could drop suddenly. Safety Risk: A tailgate that drops suddenly could increase the risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Mitsubishi will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the tailgate struts.

Recall 2024554 258,000 units in Canada

Label

Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words and abbreviations listed on the label for "TIRES", "RIMS", "WITH", "FR" and "RR" and appear in English only, when they should be listed as "TIRES/PNEUS", "RIMS/JANTES", "WITH/AVEC", "FR/AVT" and "RR/ARR". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: These small errors do not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. Mitsubishi has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.

Recall 2020215 526 units in Canada

Seats And Restraints

Issue: On certain vehicles, the right-side seat belt in the second-row seating may have an incorrect guide piece installed. As a result, the seat belt may not work properly in a crash. Safety Risk: A seat belt that does not work properly could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: Mitsubishi will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the right-side seat belt in the second-row. If the wrong guide piece is installed, the seat belt will be replaced.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

New Rochelle, NY Crash

WHEELS

The brakes keep giving out, this is the second Mitsubishi and the brakes gave out [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11626314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

New Rochelle, NY Crash

SERVICE BRAKES

The brakes keep giving out, this is the second Mitsubishi and the brakes gave out [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11626314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

New Rochelle, NY Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

The brakes keep giving out, this is the second Mitsubishi and the brakes gave out [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11626314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 35,000 miles Louisville, KY Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while crossing an intersection at 35 MPH; another vehicle ran a red light and crashed into the contact's front driver-side door. The contact was knocked across the two-lane road and hit a telephone pole on the passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The authorities arrived on the scene and assisted the contact out of the vehicle through the passenger side of the vehicle. The contact was treated at the scene and was later taken to the emergency room for treatment. The contact was given an X-ray ,CT scan and an MRI. The contact was treated for pain and stiffness to the left side of the back, neck, elbow, and shoulder. The whereabouts of the other driver were unknown. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to two separate independent mechanics; however, the contact was unaware if the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000

NHTSA complaint #11565755 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Morristown, TN Crash 1 injured

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was at a 24 hr storage unit. It was dim & I needed to unload from the rear hatch door so I backed to the open storage unit door in its upright position as high as I could get it & stopped at a safe distance from the doorway so the car door would not catch the storage unit door. I put the vehicle in PARK to have some lighting & double checked before I got out- gear shift securely in PARK. I opened the car's rear door & started unloading without overly disturbing the vehicle or causing any unnecessary movement. I had just turned my back to the car door to put down some boxes in the unit. As I turned back to the car to retrieve another item, I noticed movement. There was a rapid simultaneous series of events: I felt the rear hatch hit my nose, I heard a crash with shattering glass & I tried to jump clear. It was over in minutes . I was inside the storage unit and had to squeeze out to try to free the storage unit door. The door had fallen and gotten wedged between the rear frame of the car & behind the back wiper. I gently freed the door after much diigent effort. Once freed, the car proceeded to move forward on its own before I could access it to shut off the engine, & it eventually crashed into the opposite storage unit. I accessed the vehicle at that time & reversed away from the buildings so the car was equidistant from both buildings & facing an area where it would do minimal harm if it moved again, though I did cut off the engine. Verified vehicle was in PARK. The car had damage to the whole rear area, & damage to the driver's side bumper. Front wheels had been turned right so the car's trajectory was a wide right arc. i tried calling the rental facility manager but there was no after hours number & no answer, so I called city police who promptly arrived within minutes; one vehicle immediately drove up & I quickly punched in my gate access code for easier entry. This vehicle was followed by another white pickup who punched a code on the keypad & let himself

NHTSA complaint #11430374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 6 miles Virginia Beach, VA Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ANOTHER DRIVER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH, THE DRIVER EXPERIENCED A MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE OCCUPANT IN THE PASSENGER'S SEAT SUSTAINED A HEAD INJURIES AND MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS PROVIDED. THE FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT WERE AT THE SCENE. THERE WAS NO REPORT OF A FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT LOT. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint #11391077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

at 105,000 miles Springdale, AZ

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low beam headlights were significantly dim and progressively worsened and became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer several times, where unknown repairs were performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA complaint #11754050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 95,730 miles Houston, TX

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving on the interstate at an undisclosed speed, there was wind underneath the hood, and the hood was vibrating. The contact was concerned about the hood becoming ajar. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with TSB: 21-42A-001. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was test-driven, and the dealer was able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 95,730.

NHTSA complaint #11749592 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 79,000 miles Wallingford, CT

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at 25 MPH, a "be careful due to icy roads" message appeared, but it was the middle of May and there was no ice or cold weather in sight. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA complaint #11740553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Roseville, CA

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I made an appt for a recall on my touchscreen at Hayward mitsubishi on may 27th 2025. I was left in the waiting room for two hours even with an appt. I was told mona would come get me but never did. I was very upset. Eventually my information was taken and said the part would come in, in approximately 9 months. The time has passed and they dis not return my calls and blocked my number on the text messages. They also did not return any calls to the BBB and I also submitted a complaint to the BAR. They are refusing to help me and other dealerships are also ignoring me. Thank you for your attention to this message. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11731656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Brewer, ME

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Multiple times I have been driving at a safe speed with no other vehicles or people around and the dashboard will beep and light up brake! Brake!

NHTSA complaint #11726071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Brewer, ME

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Multiple times I have been driving at a safe speed with no other vehicles or people around and the dashboard will beep and light up brake! Brake!

NHTSA complaint #11726071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Rosedale, MD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The radio system failed two years ago Many drivers with the same car have similar problem.

NHTSA complaint #11718689 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sun City Center, FL

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V507000 (Structure) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint #11709853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Joplin, MO

UNKNOWN OR OTHER


I believe the locks should be recalled my Lock Actuatora on my 2020 Mitsubishi outlander keeps going out……both my passenger front and back are out for a second time. And driver side doesn’t always unlock and lock with the key fob. All have been fixed before and it has been less than a year after being fixed. This is a safety issue and I think they need to put a recall out!

NHTSA complaint #11706154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Joplin, MO

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM


I believe the locks should be recalled my Lock Actuatora on my 2020 Mitsubishi outlander keeps going out……both my passenger front and back are out for a second time. And driver side doesn’t always unlock and lock with the key fob. All have been fixed before and it has been less than a year after being fixed. This is a safety issue and I think they need to put a recall out!

NHTSA complaint #11706154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Inwood, NY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

UNKNOWN

NHTSA complaint #11694007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 179,407 miles Mount Vernon, AL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. While the contact’s wife was driving in a school zone, several unknown error codes became displayed. The Lane Departure warning light illuminated, and the automatic high beam headlights malfunctioned. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and the driver shifted to neutral(N) and back to drive(D) and was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 179,407.

NHTSA complaint #11687943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 179,407 miles Mount Vernon, AL

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. While the contact’s wife was driving in a school zone, several unknown error codes became displayed. The Lane Departure warning light illuminated, and the automatic high beam headlights malfunctioned. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and the driver shifted to neutral(N) and back to drive(D) and was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 179,407.

NHTSA complaint #11687943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 179,407 miles Mount Vernon, AL

LANE DEPARTURE

The contact owns a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander. While the contact’s wife was driving in a school zone, several unknown error codes became displayed. The Lane Departure warning light illuminated, and the automatic high beam headlights malfunctioned. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and the driver shifted to neutral(N) and back to drive(D) and was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 179,407.

NHTSA complaint #11687943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Palmdale, CA

SERVICE BRAKES

I was making a turn out of a driveway across a three-lane streets into the left turn lane on the street in front of my children's School, while pulling out of the driveway and crossing the lanes, having clear distance to cross the lanes and visual confirmation from the oncoming drivers as they were waiting for me to proceed, my car abruptly stopped, it breaks on its own and left me across the three lanes sideways exposed to be t-boned. It would not start or move out of the stopped position. I tried to put the car in park and again in drive to no avail the car still would not budge. I had to completely turn off my vehicle and restart it in order to get out of the way of oncoming traffic.

NHTSA complaint #11680254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Palmdale, CA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

I was making a turn out of a driveway across a three-lane streets into the left turn lane on the street in front of my children's School, while pulling out of the driveway and crossing the lanes, having clear distance to cross the lanes and visual confirmation from the oncoming drivers as they were waiting for me to proceed, my car abruptly stopped, it breaks on its own and left me across the three lanes sideways exposed to be t-boned. It would not start or move out of the stopped position. I tried to put the car in park and again in drive to no avail the car still would not budge. I had to completely turn off my vehicle and restart it in order to get out of the way of oncoming traffic.

NHTSA complaint #11680254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Highland Springs, VA

SEATS

The driver's seat goes forward but doesn't life up. It is stuck in a reclined position. The motor doesn't work to lift the sit up but does for the forward movement,. When you revlind seat it does not incline. Chair motor is not sold separately but was told the whole drivers seat have to be replaced

NHTSA complaint #11666672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Highland Springs, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The driver's seat goes forward but doesn't life up. It is stuck in a reclined position. The motor doesn't work to lift the sit up but does for the forward movement,. When you revlind seat it does not incline. Chair motor is not sold separately but was told the whole drivers seat have to be replaced

NHTSA complaint #11666672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

North Chesterfield, VA

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The touchscreen does not work. This creates a safety issue as hands free driving is no longer am option. There are 1000s of complaints directly to Mitsubishi and they're not doing anything about it. The response is basically "we're aware our equipment failed, go to a dealership and pay to have it replaced" That should not be the consumer's out of pocket cost as Mitsubishi is fully aware of faulty equipment and needs to be held responsible. Everyone's safety is at risk because of this default.

NHTSA complaint #11638464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

North Chesterfield, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The touchscreen does not work. This creates a safety issue as hands free driving is no longer am option. There are 1000s of complaints directly to Mitsubishi and they're not doing anything about it. The response is basically "we're aware our equipment failed, go to a dealership and pay to have it replaced" That should not be the consumer's out of pocket cost as Mitsubishi is fully aware of faulty equipment and needs to be held responsible. Everyone's safety is at risk because of this default.

NHTSA complaint #11638464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Ridgefield, CT

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The touchscreen controlling many functions and settings of the vehicle failed. That means there are numerous settings and driving options that can no longer be accessed and that any functions requiring touch such as navigation, music, and others requires using your connected device while driving (meaning looking and touching your phone while driving). This creates unsafe driving conditions for the many thousands of drivers that have experienced this problem. There is a very large community on the internet saying that Mitsubishi should issue a recall, but Mitsubishi doesn't seem to care at all. They do, however, encourage the many that are having the problem to go to their service department and have the whole infotainment/ control computer replaced to the tune of about $4000. Seems like a blatant money grab to me-- one that is causing thousands of drivers who cannot or will not undergo that $4000 expense to drive a vehicle where they do not access to all setting controls and are required to fiddle with their phone while driving. Very unsafe.

NHTSA complaint #11636875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Kirwin, Kansas, KS

AIR BAGS

Airbag system Service Required. I came on when I had passer in 2 row seat.I just brought this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11632032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

New Rochelle, NY Crash

WHEELS

The brakes keep giving out, this is the second Mitsubishi and the brakes gave out [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11626314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

New Rochelle, NY Crash

SERVICE BRAKES

The brakes keep giving out, this is the second Mitsubishi and the brakes gave out [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11626314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

New Rochelle, NY Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

The brakes keep giving out, this is the second Mitsubishi and the brakes gave out [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11626314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.