180 of the
1,874 complaints filed about the Mitsubishi Outlander
are about the transmission —
10% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
180
Complaints
10%
Share of all complaints
5
Crashes
1
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
The car itself should not be sold considering the number of complaints about the transmission issues. I’ve only had the car a month and Its started to stall and jerks when in acceleration. The gears started to not shift properly and the car would not go over 20 miles without jerking. I took the car back to the lot to get it fixed and then it stopped, was driving back smoothly. The car shop said they changed the transmission oil which supposedly was the problem. 2 weeks later the car is back stalling and jerking with the “transmission service required” light back on yet again.
NHTSA complaint #11752307 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2 issues contributed to accident: 1st - Vehicle did not go into Park when button on gear shift was pushed. Driver did not notice that vehicle remained in Drive and exited the vehicle. 2nd - Vehicle did not automatically engage the emergency brake/park mode it is designed to do when Vehicle is in drive and driver door opens. As a result, Vehicle began to roll forward. Driver was knocked down and fell to ground and Vehicle ran over her legs, coming to a stop with the rear Driver side tire on her leg.
NHTSA complaint #11744928 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 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 RPM's increased. In addition, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. o warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact has an upcoming diagnostic testing appointment scheduled. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint #11738722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear of the vehicle would move independently. The contact stated that it felt as if the vehicle were going to slide and eventually would lose control. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown rear chip had failed. The shock absorbers had water, the rear brake pads were worn down to zero, and the rear differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted and was worsening. In addition, the contact stated an abnormal grinding sound could be heard coming from the rear differential. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the differential gauge had failed to function as intended. The warning light for the 4-wheel drive was illuminated. The brakes and calipers were replaced. The rear differential was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the pole where the breather pipe is inserted on the rear differential carrier is off spec, allowing water intrusion. And that the new rear tires were badly worn on the inside and had high spots on the center. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
NHTSA complaint #11735926 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
"Mi Outlander 2024 tiene falla de frenos desde 8/1/26. Está en [XXX] Mitsubishi Thornton. El dealer negó garantía. Hoy 8/4/26 llamé a Mitsubishi 3 veces a las 7am, 8am y 8:20am pidiendo español por ser falla de seguridad. Me negaron español y me colgaron 2 veces. La tercera vez me dejaron 15 minutos en espera sin contestar. Pido número de caso, grúa pagada a [XXX] que está más cerca de mi casa, y contacto del Gerente de Zona. Esto es discriminación de idioma en defecto de seguridad." INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11735484 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle wobbled and failed to respond. The contact stated that upon forcefully depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle responded as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure mostly occurred while driving at highway speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the braking system needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under the two-year warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond intermittently while attempting to drive from a complete stop on the roadway. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
NHTSA complaint #11732754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering, and it was difficult to stabilize the steering wheel before the vehicle shut off. The check transmission message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called an independent mechanic who was unable to locate a transmission fault. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to a Mitsubishi dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
NHTSA complaint #11723534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While on even a slight hill, sometimes the car rolls back if I am not moving forward. For example, if ai am stopped at a red light, the car will roll backwards (instead of not moving or going forward). It’s an automatic transmission so this should not occur. I.e. the transmission is already starting to go out b4 35k miles. There are also instances of one wheel “dragging” or delayed propulsion compared to the other wheel. It is very difficult to get in touch with a dealership for warranty info. I am in Berkeley and no one picks up the phone from the Fremont dealership or calls back when I leave a message.
NHTSA complaint #11718148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred repeatedly after coming to a complete stop. The contact stated that because of the failure, the contact was nearly involved in several crashes. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had not occurred until after the vehicle had been driven for a while or the engine had warmed up. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that a software update for the CVT transmission was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
NHTSA complaint #11693850 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
After an afternoon driving in the rain most of the previous day my vehicle started to produce a clunking noise from the rear and front of the vehicle. I was able to stop at my mechanic near by and have them check the problem. My mechanic was able to diagnose the issue as a rear end differential coupler issue and said a bulletin had been posted about the issue. He was unable to work on the problem due to the specific equipment needed for the vehicle. I was able to call the closest dealership where they confirmed this was an issue they have been seeing more of this problem lately. So much so they had stocked that part and run out of that part. As I turned out into traffic I could have easily caused someone to rear end my vehicle due to the lack of engagement from the drive-train. Had I been on a busy road this would have caused an accident. The problem was reproduced and confirmed by my local mechanic in Shepherd, Michigan at 1st Street Auto. The vehicle is currently located at a Showcase Mitsubishi in Bay City, Michigan scheduled for repair on Tuesday September 9th where the part will be replaced. No warning lamps, messages were displayed. No other symptoms occurred before this incident.
NHTSA complaint #11685415 — 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 bought a Mitsubishi outlander 2016 and just in couple of month the car doesn’t want to engage on the transmission , the SUV doesn’t go forward or backwards, it sound like the engine tend to try but the car doesn’t move
NHTSA complaint #11644957 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the morning where I live for the last few days it has been below 0. The Outlander PHEV even when plugged in over night will start the gas engine and drive for about one minute until the gas engine shuts off and comes up with a message saying power reduced with a turtle symbol. When it does this you have no heat (HVAC) the heated seats and heated steering wheel does not work as well as the front and rear defrost. The car speed seems to be limited to about 40MPH. This issue is not news as many PHEV owners are dealing with the same issue, From my understanding Mitsubishi didn't install a battery warmer on the new generation Outlander PHEV however the prior generation Outlander PHEV did have a battery warmer and there were no issues with that model in cold climates. Your vehicle should always be a reliable source of heat when needed it doesn't seem to be very reliable in cold climates and it really is a hazard when it decides to reduce power with no warning.
NHTSA complaint #11637587 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle does not operate at temperatures below approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit due to manufacture failure to install a battery heater. Was inexplicably deleted from 2023 model year of vehicle. The heat pump system also does not work at low temperatures therefore an electrical resistance heating system is needed. Also, vehicles will not accept charge at low temperatures. The problem can only be confirmed at temperatures below 10 degrees. Vehicle warning lights confirm the problem is due to low temperature conditions. Research indicates numerous complaints that manufacturers are aware of and refuse to address. Could leave owner stranded if leaving vehicle in a cold location.
NHTSA complaint #11626975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I would that it's too early for my vehicle with 64900 miles already has an oil pan gasket that causes a leak to my vehicle every time I do oil change on time and also that I have a cooler hose of the transmission leaked and for the transmission to be in service every 60000 miles. So I filed a complaint against the manufacturer who is the cause for this model for the same year to have the same problem for having any leaks too early. So I need your help that the manufacturer should recall the same model from this year based on the mileage of the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11618600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.