2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Phev
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Phev. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
5 recalls name the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Phev. Newest first.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Outlander PHEV and 2014-2020 Outlander vehicles. The liftgate gas spring cylinders may corrode and lose pressure, which can result in a gas spring cylinder rupture or the liftgate falling unexpectedly.
Risk and remedy
Risk
A gas spring cylinder rupture or a liftgate falling unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
MMNA will replace the left and right liftgate gas springs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 17, 2026. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-26-001. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov June 3, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V507.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Outlander PHEV and 2014-2020 Outlander vehicles sold and/or currently registered in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire…
Risk and remedy
Risk
A gas spring cylinder rupture or a liftgate falling unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
MMNA will replace the left and right liftgate gas springs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 6, 2025. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-25-002
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Outlander and 2018-2019 Outlander PHEV vehicles. The second-row center seat belt buckle may interfere with the right-side seat belt buckle when the seat backs are folded down. The interference may cause the right-side seat belt buckle cover to come off, making the buckle latch…
Risk and remedy
Risk
An unrestrained occupant has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy
MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will modify the second-row center seat belt buckle cover, install a new warning label to the second-row seat support base, and provide a new warning label insert for the owner's manual, free of charge. The recall began September 1, 2020. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-20-004.
Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Outlander Sport, 2018-2019 Eclipse Cross, and 2017-2018 Outlander vehicles equipped with a Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) system that detects pedestrians. Due to incorrect software, the FCM-ECU (Electronic Control Unit) may apply braking for longer than needed…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the FCM-ECU software activates the brake for longer than necessary, the driver may react by applying additional braking. The resulting rapid deceleration of the vehicle can increase the risk of a rear-end collision.
Remedy
MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the FCM-ECU software with updated software, free of charge. The recall is began October 16, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-007.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vehicles equipped with a Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) system and 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross vehicles and 2017-2018 Outlander vehicles equipped with an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system and/or an Electric Parking Brake (EPB)…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the safety systems do not function as intended, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will update the Hydraulic Unit-ECU software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-008.
Owner complaints
15 complaints1 involved a crash1 involved a fire
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system
While driving my vehicle, the propulsion reduced warning light came on and the car went from 70 mph to 10 mph. I was driving up a grade in the late evening. I had a full tank of gas but no miles left on the electric charge indicator. after I pulled over and waited a few minutes the light went…
While driving my vehicle, the propulsion reduced warning light came on and the car went from 70 mph to 10 mph. I was driving up a grade in the late evening. I had a full tank of gas but no miles left on the electric charge indicator. after I pulled over and waited a few minutes the light went off and I was able to drive the vehicle home. I took it to the dealership the next day. the dealership was not able to find the problem and insisted I come get the car. it IS not safe to drive a car if it reduces its speed/ power for no reason.
- Unknown or other
Call volume IS set for 11 and can't be heard over common road noise. this causes distracted driving as the driver attempts to turn off bluetooth or worse to transfer the call to the phone - which IS illegal in most states requiring hands free calls. this IS a long known problem and was supposed…
Call volume IS set for 11 and can't be heard over common road noise. this causes distracted driving as the driver attempts to turn off bluetooth or worse to transfer the call to the phone - which IS illegal in most states requiring hands free calls. this IS a long known problem and was supposed to be fixed in earlier models. it still isn't. dealers can't do anything. yet I can't crank the music up volume without issue. This typically occurs when the vehicle IS in motion on either streets or highway.
- Vehicle speed control
The vehicle slowed down to 20 mph when the outside air temperature was near 95 deg f and the road slightly uphill. A message came on the dashboard that read limited propulsion. It happened on I-15 on the way to vegas last september. I filed a complaint with bbb and the answer I got from…
The vehicle slowed down to 20 mph when the outside air temperature was near 95 deg f and the road slightly uphill. A message came on the dashboard that read limited propulsion. It happened on I-15 on the way to vegas last september. I filed a complaint with bbb and the answer I got from mitsubishi was that it IS designed that way. I have a copy of the mitsubishi manual stating that. I wrote letters with no action. This already happened twice. I am afraid to drive the car in hot weather. See the attached 5 detailed files for info. *tr
- Vehicle speed control
TL* the contact owns a 2018 mitsubishi outlander. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into park. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into other gears however, the vehicle failure to shift into park persisted. The contact turned the vehicle…
TL* the contact owns a 2018 mitsubishi outlander. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into park. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into other gears however, the vehicle failure to shift into park persisted. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,535.
- Electrical system · Power train · Unknown or other
I picked up the car from the body shop code on dashboard EV system service required no gas or battery so went to gas station and vehicle wouldn't go into park went home called my wife and had her come outside she had to put gas in. Then drove to the dealership I had my wife get out and go get help…
I picked up the car from the body shop code on dashboard EV system service required no gas or battery so went to gas station and vehicle wouldn't go into park went home called my wife and had her come outside she had to put gas in. Then drove to the dealership I had my wife get out and go get help she came out with a salesman. He saw what was going on so he called the manager and asked him what to do. He told him to take the car and give me a loaner. The only way to switch was emergency brake. Wouldn't go into park/neutral. Went inside asked manager come outside and see the car and he said that doesn't matter to me, what the f*** do I care about that it has nothing to do with me! So I went back outside the salesman drove into service give loaner. The next day the salesman told me nothing's wrong with the car pick it up. I have videos of this event happening and corporate closed my claim and told the dealership there IS nothing for them to do because its fine and the video footage was not enough proof and not to drive the car. I reopened the claim, I wanted to talk to a higher up member of management, I asked corporate if I could keep the loaner until resolution and they said yes. So service said I have to have that loaner back that night I told him what the lady at corporate told me. He said no they didn't I told him to call and ask to pull the recorded call. The next morning I had a va appointment at 10AM and was sitting in the waiting room and got called by service I need the car by 12PM I told him I was at a dr. Appt. An hour away ed him no way possible I can get it to him by noon ed him when I got back we can get it squared away he said nope tell me the address you're at and I'll come get it I said absolutely not I will bring it to you when I'm done with my appointment. They called the police and told them I stole the car returned loaner waiting on resolution.
- Exterior lighting · Structure › Body · Unknown or other
I bought my car in march of 2019 and after my first car wash I realized there was a paint defects little divots down to the primer all over on the hood and other places on the vehicle the dealership attempted to repaint vehicle paint due to factory defect three times to a non-mitsubishi body shop…
I bought my car in march of 2019 and after my first car wash I realized there was a paint defects little divots down to the primer all over on the hood and other places on the vehicle the dealership attempted to repaint vehicle paint due to factory defect three times to a non-mitsubishi body shop and dealership did not inform mitsubishi corporate about this matter informed the dealership in may I was not going to except this car back and would like a new car because I shouldn't have to have my brand new car painted by someone after a month or two of owning the vehicle and especially three times and still nothing they said they would trade it out and they will find something comparable for me I checked in if not every day it was every other day from april/may to october and no word back very disappointed about this matter also looking over the paperwork with another mitsubishi dealership yesterday and looking at the way they did the paperwork at the dealership I bought the vehicle from charged me 20,000 dollars more for the car then what I was supposed to pay for it total amount they charged me for it was 52,299.00 from what we understand from the paperwork and it says I put down 3816.75 and never put anything down. The other dealership I went to told me that I'm 17,000 dollars in negative equity on the vehicle so it's going to be hard to trade it in and nobody with help me with this issue. The dealership I bought it from told me in this sale that I would have positive equity in the vehicle because of all of the rebates because it was a 18 rollover and military discounts and etc. And also the equity in the two vehicles I traded in were positive equity. On the invoices the only two they would give me say 2 hoods and body work nothing at all about paint see attached invoices & documents
- Electrical system · Electronic stability control (esc) · Power train
Started up the car and started backing up out of my garage. When I put my car into reverse I saw my charging port door open on the passenger side of the car at this point my cars back end was partially sticking out of the garage I put the car into park by pushing the park button, I opened the door…
Started up the car and started backing up out of my garage. When I put my car into reverse I saw my charging port door open on the passenger side of the car at this point my cars back end was partially sticking out of the garage I put the car into park by pushing the park button, I opened the door got out of the car and left the door open and started to walk down the driver side towards the back end of the car I got outside the garage right next to the rear driver side tail light, and the car went into reverse and drove out of the garage it took the door and bent it back to the driver side front fender and kept going almost ran me over I had to run and jump in the car and slam on the brakes. I called my insurance company and they had a tow truck pick it up the next day and bring it up to the dealership my friend picked me up and brought me to the dealership so I could tell them what happened and they told me that's not possible and to call mitsubishi corporate so I did. The dealership had my vehicle for a total of 46 days between the diagnostic test and having the body repaired which my insurance paid for and I had to pay the deductible mitsubishi would not pay to have the car fixed and blamed the entire event on me. I even went to the dealership and had the service guy get into the car and gave him a full demonstration on what had happened and he agreed that it's not possible to get out of this car if it was in reverse. I have a documented bad back and can't get out of a car all that well it takes me a min and I was at the back of the car outside the garage before the car started moving and proved on multiple occasions of this event and they still said call ghost busters after I picked up car it did it again this time I have video proof and they still won't do anything and even called the police on me because I had their loaner while they had my car see next post.
- Electrical system · Seats
TL* the contact owns a 2018 mitsubishi outlander phev. While driving at low speeds, the front parking sensors erroneously activated and a beeping sound was heard although no objects were present in front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to corner stone mitsubishi (580 main st, wilmington, ma)…
TL* the contact owns a 2018 mitsubishi outlander phev. While driving at low speeds, the front parking sensors erroneously activated and a beeping sound was heard although no objects were present in front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to corner stone mitsubishi (580 main st, wilmington, ma) where the front parking sensor was replaced, but the failure continued. Also, while driving, the front driver and passenger seats were very loose and moved when braking and accelerating. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 13,000.
- Service brakes · Vehicle speed control
The forward collision mitigation system activated braking when a motorcyclist passed between lanes on the highway. I was traveling about 45 mph in medium traffic. The motorcyclist passed on my left and brakes were applied by the car when the motorcyclist was approximately 20-25ft in front of me.
- Service brakes · Vehicle speed control · Visibility/wiper
Put car in drive took off on it's own went up to 40 mph and stayed there shout it down and restarted ran ok rest of the day. Next morning did same thing. I did the something I did the day befor. Called service and mitsubishi USA both said bring it to the service department so I started up the road…
Put car in drive took off on it's own went up to 40 mph and stayed there shout it down and restarted ran ok rest of the day. Next morning did same thing. I did the something I did the day befor. Called service and mitsubishi USA both said bring it to the service department so I started up the road and on the interstate I put it in cruise control. there wasn't anyone in front of me and the brakes slammed on. Good thing no one was behind me .so I took it out of cruise control drove on up the road and the wipers came on it wasnt raining. Just got it back and they didn't do anything to it. Said couldn't get it to duplicate what I said it did. So guess I'm there test dummy for this car
- Electrical system · Engine · Power train
Started vehicle and immediately got multiple warnings including the service engine soon light. when I tried to drive the car, it had almost no acceleration. it would not start the gas engine and the regenerative braking was disabled. the rbs and acc warnings were due to the systems being…
Started vehicle and immediately got multiple warnings including the service engine soon light. when I tried to drive the car, it had almost no acceleration. it would not start the gas engine and the regenerative braking was disabled. the rbs and acc warnings were due to the systems being disabled because the hybrid system was non functional. it was all on electric but at a severely reduced power level. I tried to turn off and turn on the car a few times but there was no change. I decided to try to plug the car into the charger for a minute to see if that would reset it, and it seemed to help. the car operated normally but the service engine soon light stayed on. I pulled codes and got p0aa9 which points to a failure of the battery voltage isolation sensor inside the battery control module. I called the dealer and they told me not to drive the car and they towed it to the dealership (150 miles away.) they had to reflash the computer anyhow due to 2 recalls and they said that was what triggered the fault. they never did find a cause but I did notice someone else posted here that they were told "that usually doesn't happen that early." my car IS 8 months old with 3500 miles on it.
- Fuel/propulsion system · Power train
The charger supplied by mitsubishi melted during normal charging. Mitsubishi has stated that the cord IS not defective and will not cover the cost of replacement nor are they interested on the possibility of an electrical fire caused by the loose plug terminal and hot spot.
- Fuel/propulsion system · Power train · Service brakes
Parked on a 25% graded pointing down hill, when I tried to start the outlander, the screen produced a rbs error. the gas based engine would not start. the EV motors seemed to come on with very little power. when I called mitsubisi to tow the car they said, ouote"that doesn't normally start this…
Parked on a 25% graded pointing down hill, when I tried to start the outlander, the screen produced a rbs error. the gas based engine would not start. the EV motors seemed to come on with very little power. when I called mitsubisi to tow the car they said, ouote"that doesn't normally start this soon" , this tells me they know there IS a problem. my phev has been in the shop since monday, I'm being told they reset the check engine light error and they don't see a problem. this IS not a fix. I took pictures after I restarted it the third time. the one thing that remained was the driving range for both gas and EV only had dashes, they should show how many miles are avaliable for EV and gas.
- Service brakes
On multiple occasions I have received a brake alert when nothing was in my way. today, when driving down a side street at about 20 miles per hour, I was given a brake warning and then the automatic brakes turned on and my car skidded to a stop. I was fortunate no one was behind me or we would have been rear-ended.
- Visibility/wiper
Driver's side glass spontaneously shattered while driving down road with no rock strike. Driving down the road at 70 mph with sun on driver side window and ac on. Car only one month old.
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 11006084This Technical Service Bulletin instructs the dealer to update the Smartphone Link Display Audio software to resolve poor sound quality during Hands-free phone calls.
- 11006083This Technical Service Bulletin instructs the dealer to update the Smartphone Link Display Audio software to resolve several issues.
- 11003538This is a dealer letter sent to dealers informing them of the annual distribution of Electric Vehicle (EV) insulated gloves.
- 10252696Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin provides the addition of the Steering Wheel Switch Light Lens disassembly and assembly procedure in the applicable Service Manual sections.
- 10249800This Revised Technical Information Notice provides dealers with the requirements needed to be entered into the Photo Required Condition & Pre-Approval Center (PRC) for a vehicle pulling/drifting and/or with steering wheel off-center concerns.
- 10244845Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin provides revisions to the procedure for the oil refill amount of the A/C compressor section in the applicable Service Manual.
- 10240443This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
- 10237509This is a dealer letter sent to dealers informing them of the annual distribution of Electric Vehicle (EV) insulated gloves.
- 10237507This Technical Service Bulletin provides service manual corrections to the diagnostic procedure for the battery management unit.
- 10237506This Technical Service Bulletin provides service manual corrections for the evaporative emission control system and multiport fuel injection solenoid valve.
- 10235609This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
- 10235608This Technical Service Bulletin reviews the regulations that require a label showing the reduction in load carrying capacity be affixed to vehicles when the total net weight of accessories is more than 1.5 percent of the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or 100 lbs.
- 10235606This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
- 10234030This Technical Service Bulletin provides corrections and additional information for the Heater, Air Conditioning and Ventilation section of the Service Manual.
- 10234028This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions to reprogram the Gateway ECU software for the Blind Spot Warning (BSW).
- 10234025This Technical Service Bulletin provides correction to the procedures for the Lower Arm Bushing Replacement in the Front Suspension section of the Service Manual.
- 10234004This Technical Service Bulletin instructs dealers to replace the seat adjuster assembly and power seat harness in affected vehicles with improved countermeasure parts.
- 10231424This TSB provides instructions on how to remedy noise heard from the HVAC system (heater, air conditioner, ventilation vents) when the blower motor is turned on.
- 10231422This TSB provides corrections and additional information for the Front and Rear Suspension inspection procedures. (Service Manual Revision)
- 10231410This TSB provides revisions to the Removal and Installation procedures for the rocker cover due to changes in the quantity of mounting bolts for vehicles equipped with 4B1 series engine. (Service Manual Revision)
- 10231408This is a Revised Technical Information Notice advising dealers of the instructions to follow when performing a wheel alignment check and adjustment on an affected vehicle with a customer concern of pulling/drifting and/or steering wheel off-center concerns.
- 10228926This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers informing them of updates to the Troubleshooting Procedure for the Windshield Wiper in the Exterior portion of the affected Service Manuals.
- 10228925This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers informing them of updates to the Stoplight Switch Check section, in the Service Brakes portion of the affected Service Manuals.
- 10226082Tech Talk is a service newsletter that was sent out to dealers. It covers various topics and reviews the previous months publications.
- 10211530This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.
- 10207798This Technical Service Bulletin instructs dealers to apply Nonwoven Fabric Tape between the Seat Back and Urethane Pad when customers report a condition where an abnormal rubbing noise is heard from the Seat Back when a driver and/or passenger is seated in the front seat(s).
- 10207792This Technical Information Notice was sent to dealers informing them certified EV dealers MUST have a set of electrically insulated gloves, MB992648-01. While servicing an i-MiEV or Outlander PHEV, these gloves are essential in protecting a Technician from a potentially fatal electric shock.
- 10203270This Technical Service Bulletin instructs dealers to replace the seat adjuster assembly and power seat harness in affected vehicles with improved countermeasure parts. Due to a change in the reclining motor, the new longer harness and connector are necessary.
- 10203267This Technical Service Bulletin instructs dealers to replace the seat adjuster assembly and power seat harness in affected vehicles with improved countermeasure parts. Due to a change in the reclining motor, the new longer harness and connector are necessary.
- 10203261This Technical Information Notice was sent to dealers informing them of the photo requirement for claims when performing a wheel alignment check and adjustment on an affected vehicle with a customer concern of pulling/drifting and/or steering wheel off-center concerns.
- 10203259This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers updating content for the Chassis Electrical section of the affected Service Manuals, Check at Combination Meter Terminals.
- 10203254This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers updating content for the Body section of the affected Service Manual, Fuel Filler Lid.
- 10203246Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers updating content for the Multiport Fuel Injection (MFI) section of the affected Service Manual, Check at the Engine Control Module ECM).
- 10201201This Technical Information Notice was sent to dealers informing them Owner Manuals (OM) are now available electronically beginning with Model Year 2015.
- 10200351This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers informing them a shock absorber oil leak may result in replacement of absorbers unnecessarily when trace amounts of oil are noted to have adhered to the shock absorber.
- 10199125This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers informing them a shock absorber oil leak may result in replacement of absorbers unnecessarily when trace amounts of oil are noted to have adhered to the shock absorber.
- 10191961This Technical Information Notice provides additional instructions to dealers when replacing the Valve Cover Gasket due to a customer concern of oil leaking.
- 10188309This Technical Information Notice was sent to dealers notifying them certified EV dealers must have a set of electrically insulated gloves available for use while servicing an i-MiEV or Outlander PHEV to assist in protecting a Technician from a potentially fatal electric shock.
- 10182303This Technical Service Bulletin was sent informing dealers an abnormal rubbing noise is heard from the Seat Back when a driver and/or passenger is seated in the front seat(s) and instructs dealers to apply Nonwoven Fabric Tape between the Seat Back and Urethane Pad.
- 10182302This Technical Service Bulletin was sent informing dealers a rattle noise may be heard from the Heat Protector of the Exhaust Manifold and instructs dealers to replace the Heat Protector Assembly with a new part.
Every Mitsubishi Outlander Phev model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.