53 of the
1,874 complaints filed about the Mitsubishi Outlander
are about the throttle and cruise control —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
53
Complaints
3%
Share of all complaints
11
Crashes
1
Fires
Acceleration & Cruise Control complaints by model year
On the freeway TRANSMISSION FAILURE SERVICE light came on and the cars acceleration geared, had to immediately pull over on the side of the freeway, restarted the car with emergency lights to get out of the freeway. Vehicle would not accelerate much and the rpm was switching fast up and down. Check engine light came on the next day and the diagnosis read catalytic converter needs replacement. Car does not accelerate on hills, its shifts and tugs on a regular road.
NHTSA complaint #11689068 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had the car for less than a month. It had about 850 miles on it. I was driving on a flat service going between 25-30 mph. I was NOT using the Adaptive Cruise Control. Without any warning, the car suddenly accelerated and I immediately felt like I had no control. I do not know how fast the car was going at that point. I tried to brake - I was practically standing on the brake pedal. It all happened very quickly but knew that I had no control over the car. The Forward Collision Warning system did not activate and I hit the car in front of me, which in turn, hit the car in front of her. The airbags on the driver's side deployed. The car was deemed a total loss by the insurance adjuster. I informed the dealer. It is also mentioned in the police report.
NHTSA complaint #11689034 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact and wife rented a 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH with the cruise control activated, the feature unexpectedly ceased to operate as intended. The contact stated that a message that "Radar Interrupted," was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred five times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
NHTSA complaint #11685768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine malfunctions. powered reduced when trying to turn from a dead stop. Flutters. Doesn't accelerate. Just sounds like its grinding. Plus premature brake wear.
NHTSA complaint #11664552 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased my 2024 Outlander in August and drive 150 miles daily, Monday to Friday. Since November, with only 2,500 miles on it, I've experienced recurring issues: 1. Adaptive cruise control turns off frequently 2.Forward collision light comes on unnecessarily often several times daily (when starting, driving and when cruise is on) 3.Vehicle brakes suddenly on the interstate 4.Random forward crash light warnings I've taken it to the shop five times, with the following repairs: 1.Radar adjustment (done several times) 2. Radar sensor recalibration (several times) 3. Replacement of forward distance warning sensors 4. Front bumper bracket replacement due to bend 5. Mitsubishi has been involved on 4 occasions 6. I have called and put in a complete with Mitsubishi three times and they always say they will contact me with a resolution within a few days and I have never heard back with any resolution. 7. We have also been made aware that this does not follow the owners manual and has also caused air bags to go off in other situations which has injured customers. Despite these repairs, the issues persist. On January 24, 2025, Valley Imports left a voicemail stating that Mitsubishi acknowledged it's a known issue with some Outlanders, but they don't have a reliable fix.I do have this voicemail but it is to large for me to upload.
NHTSA complaint #11643805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated the cruise control feature independently adjusted the programmed speed. Additionally, the contact stated that the battery failed to remain charged. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times due to failure; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
NHTSA complaint #11608243 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Persistent issue where the vehicle will loose all power to brakes, engine, instrument cluster and infotainment. This issue has almost caused 2 crashes out of the 3 occasions in which it has occurred. When the issue happens all power is lost as if the car were rolling in neutral while off, no indication of what is wrong or anything of the sort. It happened on the highway going about 65 mph, was able to steer (without power steering support) into the emergency lane as the car dramatically dropped speed. The brakes were also not being supported by the booster so it was extremely difficult to push the pedal, thankfully it was on a bit of an uphill. Put the car manually into park after it stopped, and by itself the car restarted, although some of the cluster components and infotainment components were very slow to restart. The next time this happened was in slow traffic, once again the car shut off with no warning of any kind. Once I managed to get the brake pedal pushed far enough for the brakes to engage, I managed to stop the car within a foot or so of the person in front of me. Once again, I put the car in park and it was able to restart on its own. Both times it has been to the dealer, Don Herring of Plano, and as helpful as the service advisor is, there is still no solution in sight as they keep changing electrical components left and right. I am worried about the car becoming a rolling ball of metal that I cannot stop one day. I hope Mitsubishi figures this problem out, otherwise its a fatality waiting to happen.
NHTSA complaint #11597220 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had a wreck 12/05/2023 the rear ended a commercial truck it didn’t give me any indication ahead it didn’t not slow my vehicle down or brake I just slammed right into the vehicle 23 feet in front with no warning so now the truck is saying crash malfunction it just abs and lane change in dictation nothing
NHTSA complaint #11561490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving in the city limits around 35 miles an hour I had to stop abruptly to avoid a collision with a driver who didn’t stop at the intersection. I had to come to a complete stop for this driver. When I took my foot off of the brake and tried to drive on my car would not move. I had to shift gears put it in park and try again. I could hear the engine responding but the car wouldn’t move. When it did start to move forward slowly it was shaking very hard and I was only able to get 10 miles an hour. I had to be towed. And I kept thinking what if I was on the highway that day where the speed limit is 75mph.
NHTSA complaint #11557190 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On the outlanders speed control sensor on the back hubs the lil ears that hold the sensor in place have broken off both sides of my car there's is no way to replace them makeing my car shift different drive funny and it's just about made me wreck a few times and cause when they pop out the car downshift and the engine reves at 9000 rpm and now I have a tick in my engine but i have had to try and glueing the sensors back into place this is a big problem with the outlander I have plus the roads in WV are not the greast potholes are everywhere and when you hit one they pop out of place very ease
NHTSA complaint #11555874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This car is a lemon. First the hood. Finally got that fixed. Then seat belts & fuel injection piece...got fixed. Then a whole piece fell off and was in my driveway. Took it to dealership & was told no way this was from my car because it was from and old Lancer that isn't made anymore. Then turned out it was in fact uses on my car. They took awhile but then replaced part. It was something for AC exhaust. Now it's the brake system giving me random mesaages WHILE driving that brake system is out but dealership cant duplicate measage and said my brakes are in "good" shape. What do I do? Wait for them to go out & I get into a serious accident? Also and rear camera going out when I'm reversing. Dealership couldn't duplicate it and said it was fine. Kept happening, I went back & they finally said mitsubishi can't figure it out & I just have to wait. Now the collision system is saying it's not functional and to be aware that it's "off." Now I'm nervous the structure of the top of my car is bad since I read that's another recall and the whole car needs to be replaced. I have had nothing but 1 bad thing after another with this car and it's frustrating. Why can these "off the manufacturer line for these 2022 outlanders" be completely recalled and cars replaced. Many to most of us that bought these cars have children we commute with everyday all day. This isn't safe. Help us all out Mitsubishi! Please!
NHTSA complaint #11523120 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Transmissions in these vehicles are junk and very dangerous. I was driving out of town and all of a sudden the RPM´s started revving up. Then I tried to slow down and pull over and the vehicle did not want to down shift and it stalled on the highway with traffic. This is not the first time the transmission went out on the same vehicle. I had a hard time finding a transmission to put in and when I did it only lasted a year. Please, you can not put these cars out there with this type of transmission in them. They are junk. Please make this right.
NHTSA complaint #11517019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Collision avoidance system and cruise control become disabled when driving. For the first 3 months vehicle system worked fine, after that the collision avoidance system and cruise control would occasionally shut off when driving. Took it to the dealership out 5 months ago, they said there was no fix and wait for a recall. Since then it is occurring more often and we made another appointment for next week to get it fixed. I've seen other comments from owners of this vehicle with the same problem. I bought this vehicle for the safety options of the collision avoidance system, but with it shutting off while driving it poses a hazard and not a safety benefit
NHTSA complaint #11510547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car will no longer drive. It would throw itself forward uncontroably right before the transmission failed. Car has less than 50k mileage on it and was working normally previously.
NHTSA complaint #11494434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. Speed control: Our family outlander has had some issues following our purchase, and I was assured that the hesitation when depressing the accelerator was just a product of the CVT transmission. It’s something we have just learned to deal with given the information we were provided with. It has put us in a bad position with countless near misses over the years when needing to merge, and the annoying stall that happens when accelerating after a stop sign or red light. We have just moved from the Midwest to Phoenix(car only has 30k miles), and the hesitation and stalling is worse than ever. Even with a 3/4 depress on the accelerator, the notion of movement correlating with the amount of gas given is an eon apart. I must also mention that there are times that the car releases like a race car as well, but with minimal pressure on the accelerator. It seems like it’s an obvious programming issue or maybe just a few bad relays. I’m hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel for this one. 2. Suspension: Our vehicle has sounded like it has had major issues since the beginning, but was told it was normal. The car has always made a loud clunk when reversing after a first of the day start. It is then followed up after warming up with a clunk in the front seats center below us, and while turning in either direction. Hitting any minor bump on a highway while on any mild curve also causes the vehicle to jump a few feet over by itself. It’s frightening judging just how the car will grip after it’s roll. The only remedy is to decelerate under the speed limit during any curve to avoid the situation all together. I’m not sure I’d ever purchase a Mitsubishi again, as I’m only scratching the surface with mechanical defects. I would be happy to finally get some answers on how this was left in the dark so long. It’s comforting knowing friends and family dealing with the same problems. Thanks you, and warm regards! [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11469872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE CAR STARTED SHAKING PROFUSELY WHILE DRIVING. I PULLED OVER AND IT WAS LOUD. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. I STARTED DRIVING AND AFTER ABOUT 100YARDS IT STARTED SHAKING AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. I WAS ON ACCESS ROAD DRIVING. IT CAME ALL OF A SUDDEN.
NHTSA complaint #11413289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CRUSE CONTROL SHUTS OFF SAYING ACC NOT AVAILABLE DURING ROAD TRIPS. THIS IS ON HIGHWAYS. IT HAPPENED 5 TIMES DURING ROAD TRIP FROM MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN TO WAUSAU WISCONSIN WHILE IN MOTION.. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME I USE THE CRUSE CONTROL. IT HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO WAUSAU AND ON THE WAY HOME ROUND TRIP APX 600 MILES THIS TRIP
NHTSA complaint #11413095 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN AN ACTIVE STABILITY CONTROL SERVICE WARNING DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD. IT WAS COUPLED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND IMMEDIATELY CAUSED MY CAR TO SEIZE UP MAKING ME MOMENTARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS I REGAINED CONTROL THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RESIST ANY ACCELERATION WHILE THE RPMS WOULD FREQUENTLY SPIKE. I ALSO LOST ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY WITH NO DASHBOARD WARNING. THROUGH MY MECHANIC I LATER FOUND OUT THE CAR WAS FORCING ITSELF INTO "LIMP MODE" BECAUSE THE ENGINE AIR FLOW SENSOR WAS GIVING A FAULTY READING. ALL OF THIS PUT MY CAR INTO CONDITIONS FOR A CRASH HAD I NOT ACTED QUICKLY TO AVOID IT. IT ALSO CREATED A REPAIR BILL THAT WAS UNNECESSARY AS THIS IS APPARENTLY PART OF A KNOWN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-13-13-008. I FIND IT INAPPROPRIATE AND IRRESPONSIBLE OF MITSUBISHI TO NOT HAVE ALERTED ME TO THE DEFECT IN THE AIR FLOW SENSOR AND FILTER BOX. IT CAUSED A NEEDLESS DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION AND EXCESS REPAIRS.
NHTSA complaint #11395590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I PURCHASE MY 2016 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER IN DECEMBER OF 2016. I HAD MY VEHICLE COME TO A COMPLETE WHILE ACCELERATING AND IN MOTION. THIS COULD OF KILLED ME AND MY FAMILY. MY VEHICLE HAS HAD CONSISTENT ACCELERATION AND HESITATING ISSUES WHILE ACCELERATING AND IN MOTION. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION OR ENGINE. THERE'S A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY AND SAFELY. MY AIR BAG LIGHT ON MY VEHICLE HAS NOT COME ON FOR OVER YEARS. I AM VERY CONCERN THAT MY AIRBAG IS DEFECTIVE AND WON'T WORK IF I GET INTO A VEHICLE ACCIDENT. I HAVE TOOK MY VEHICLE TO 2 DIFFERENT MITSUBISHI AUTO DEALERSHIPS TO HAVE THE PROBLEM LOOKED AT AND DIAGNOSED, BUT MITSUBISHI CAN'T DIAGNOSE OR DETERMINE WHAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH MY TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE.
NHTSA complaint #11349581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ON RANDOM WHEN DRIVING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS MY HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT. BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. THIS MORNING WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TO WORK, THE LIGHTS BOTH JUST WENT COMPLETELY OUT LEAVING ME IN THE DARK. I HAD TO DRIVE WITH MY BRIGHTS ON FOR SAFETY. THE SECOND PROBLEM IN THE ACCELERATION, YOU CAN PUSH THE GAS BUT IT IS HAS NO POWER TO GO AND HESITATE.
NHTSA complaint #11318114 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.