Home · 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander · Complaints

What 55 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (55)Crash / fire / injury (9)Engine (11)Airbags (10)Electrical system (9)Body & structure (7)Brakes (5)Lights (5)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)Seats (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Wheels (3)

Newest first · 55 complaints · page 1 of 3

Feb 17, 2026Body & structure

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI 11718511

Feb 10, 2026SuspensionElectrical systemEngine

1. On hot/warm days when I start my vehicle it will run then die and give me the code for Mass air sensor which I replaced but it keeps doing it; the check engine will stay on for a while then turn off until it does it again. 2. When driving and I go over a speed bump the suspension grinds or does a hard squeaking noise. 3. The USB in the center console stops working at times or when move the charging cord it disconnects for a few seconds. 4. Internal lights work when they want to, I thought the bulbs where burnt out and replaced them but they still come on when they want to not everytime a door is opened.

NHTSA ODI 11716927

Dec 16, 2025Airbags

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH over a pothole, the driver's side and passenger side curtain airbags erroneously deployed. The contact stated that no collision had occurred prior to the air bags deployment. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failures. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 215,000.

NHTSA ODI 11705401

Dec 2, 2025Body & structure

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V507000 (Structure); however, the liftgate gas springs had failed and were replaced prior to the recall. The manufacturer was contacted for reimbursement, and the contact mailed the required documents as requested by the manufacturer. The contact later followed up with the manufacturer, who confirmed that the requested documents had been received and informed the contact that there was no time frame for the reimbursement process. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to provide reimbursement. The failure mileage was 132,324.

NHTSA ODI 11702425

Oct 28, 2025SuspensionBody & structure

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while the front tires were being replaced, corrosion was found underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving over 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle vibrated abnormally while driving over 60 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the shocks, struts, and lower control arm were replaced due to corrosion. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11696135

Oct 22, 2025Body & structure

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and turning into a parking area, there was an abnormal snapping sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the exhaust had fractured in half due to excessive corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V507000 (Structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11695090

Oct 1, 2025Body & structure

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that after opening the liftgate, while reaching into the trunk, the liftgate fell and hit the contact on the head. The contact had not sustained an injury. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V507000 (STRUCTURE) as a possible cause for failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11690762

Aug 17, 2025Seats

The power electric drive seat becomes loose with time. Very dangerous while braking cause the drive seat moves forward fast, driver feels disoriented to extent feeling unstable and could lead to not appropriately having control over vehicle during brake events. This could lead to hitting front vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11681202

Jun 17, 2025Engine

Camshaft phaser shattered and is missing a chunk of metal

NHTSA ODI 11667343

Apr 3, 2025Backup camera & sensors

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the contact became aware that the rearview camera was inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera failed to function properly, and the camera image appeared blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

NHTSA ODI 11652593

Dec 1, 2024Electrical systemEngineFuel system

Car will drive on interstate then will be unable to accelerate on interstate warning, “Propulsion power reduced” light turns on and vehicle speed decreases and car does not accelerates and loses speed. I had to stop vehicle multiple times to reset the car per advice on the internet but car continues with drastic decrease in speed on the interstate and message “Propulsion Power Reduced.” Car is serviced as per car dealership recommendations but now car is not safe to drive on the interstate.

NHTSA ODI 11628179

Jul 12, 2024Electrical system

My car does not lock. Ive changed the battery in the key fob a few times i cant use my key fob or the actual key to unlock or lock my car. Also while im driving down the road my car lights flicker a lot. Along with all my inside lights. Ive confirmed with my mechanic thats its not the radiator causing the problem. Also my car doeant shift good and sometime jerks when i come to a complete stop and then go.

NHTSA ODI 11601631

Jun 16, 2024Airbags

SRS-Air Bag codes B1476, B1558, B1631 repeated triggering since 2020. History: - 9/30/20 - Dealer read code B1631 (DR Knee ABG Squib Short) & U0154 (OCM CAN Timeout), did not diagnose cause, erased codes - 4/12/21 ~0920 - check airbag light illuminated - 7/30/21 ~0800 & ~0920 - check airbag light illuminated -- called dealer; was informed since light extinguished I would be liable for diagnostic cost if not covered under warranty - 9/30/21 ~0700 twice - check airbag light illuminated - 11/16/21 ~0720 - check airbag light illuminated - 1/5/22 ~0630 - check airbag light illuminated - 1/14/22 ~1319 twice - check airbag light illuminated - 1/18/22 ~1550 & ~1700 - check airbag light illuminated - 1/19/22 ~1052 & ~1059 - check airbag light illuminated - 1/20/22 ~1304 - check airbag light illuminated - 1/25/22 ~1534 - check airbag light illuminated - 2/11/22 ~1000 - check airbag light illuminated - 3/19/22 ~1800 x 2, ~2245 - check airbag light illuminated - 5/16/23 ~1600 - check airbag light illuminated - 6/18/23 ~1426 - check airbag light illuminated - 6/22/23 ~0928 & ~0955 - check airbag light illuminated - 10/22/23 ~1040 - check airbag light illuminated - 6/16/24 - used personal car scan tool and found B1476 (IG1[A] voltage extraordinary low), B1558 (OCSS control unit), B1631 (DR knee ABG squib short) faults *** Original action by dealer in 2020 to simply delete latched codes did not remedy airbag problem...safety complaints at NHTSA indicate airbag failure during collision...this appears to be a serious public safety problem. ***

NHTSA ODI 11594633

May 14, 2024

This is the second time the bushings on the rear motor (i believe they said inverter motor) have needed to be replaced. Currently the motor is being held by two of the three bushing. I was told by Mitsubishi that this is a common issue. If it's a common issue and if all three bushings failed, the rear motor would be displaced and could cause driver to have accident while driving the vehicle. My brakes are better made then these bushings, I have only had to replace my brakes once.

NHTSA ODI 11588784

Jan 19, 2024Airbags

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the air bag warning light began to flash off and on. The failure was a constant failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,330.

NHTSA ODI 11566461

Dec 28, 2023Lights

2018 Mitishichi Headlights, left, then right stop working. Dealer replaced first one within 6 months. So far I have replaced one or the other 4 or 5 Times. I did complain to NHTSA . These lights have been out more than they have worked. Google indicates a large number of these issues but no recall from NHTSA.

NHTSA ODI 11562456

Dec 27, 2023Electrical systemAirbags

Air bag light comes on when drivers seat put back. When seat moved forward air bag light goes off. When air bag light is on system will not work, not safe to drive. Dealership on first repair did wire repair. They claimed when seat was put back it stretched harness turning on air bag light. Did repair under warranty. Second time they replaced harness due to same problem per Service Advisor. Second repair was not warranty due to being over on mileage. Vehicle is a 2018 with 31754 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11562074

Dec 8, 20231 injury

The sunroof on our vehicle, self exploded while driving. There was a loud bang, and then we were covered in sunroof glass shards. The fine dust of the sunroof glass went into my right eye which created minor eye irritation. I was able to pull over. Flush out my eye with water and then proceeded to remove the pieces of glass from the sunroof area because I was afraid the pieces would blow off and hit any vehicle that was behind us for the remainder of our drive home. It scared the hell out of us. I am thankful that my daughter was not driving due to seeing her panic reaction from this experience. There were no drivers in front of us. We were not driving under any trees. It was a clear open rural road. Went to our local dealer. They inspected the sunroof & stated they have never seen anything like this happen. Since I was out of the warranty due to mileage(9,000 over)they suggest I go through my insurance company to resolve this matter. My view on this is it wasn’t so much a warranty issue, but a huge safety issue. Never would I imagine a Sunroof self exploding while driving and not causing me to have an accident because of my reaction to it. So with this in mind, I directly called Mitsubishi motors of North America. I had them open up a case number on this issue. The final response back from the manufacture was that I needed to go through my insurance company to deal with having my sunroof replaced. During filing my case to the manufacture directly, they asked me what I would like to have Mitsubishi motors of North America do. I stated to have my sunroof replaced with the right tempered glass. That this was a scary situation and one of great safety concern that no sunroof with all the manufacture testing should ever have this happen. I was very disappointed that they were not willing to take the responsibility of replacing the sunroof properly with the right tempered glass. My insurance company view the photo of the sun roof damage and a claim is in the process.

NHTSA ODI 11559095

Nov 19, 2023Carry Handle, Shell, Base

Our car seat is nearly brand new (first used at the end of Sept 2023 upon birth of our daughter) upon placing the car seat in the base, we noticed it wasn’t making the clicking sound indicating a secure lock to base. Upon further investigation it appears the pieces that lock the car seat in place are jammed and not operating properly. If we had gotten in a car accident the car seat would not have been properly secured.

NHTSA ODI 11555883

Aug 21, 2023Seat belts

I have a safety recall on my vehicle. Mitsubishi says I will have to dry from oklahoma to Arkansas because they no longer have places in Oklahoma that will fix a recall. But there are many dealerships that are selling Mitsubishis. Those dealerships also tell me I would have to take it to Arkansas. This is a huge problem, I bought this car brand new and unable to get recalls fixed on it unless I drive to another state. This is awful. I’m a nurse and work a lot I don’t have time to dry to Arkansas and have my car worked on. Not only that time, gas and mileage. That’s not fair at all to me. They should have to have a center of some sort in Oklahoma to fix these recalls if they are going to be selling new Mitsubishis here in Oklahoma.

NHTSA ODI 11539711

May 12, 2023BrakesService Brakes, Air

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH and making a turn, the message "ABS Service Required" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the warning message was turned off. However, the contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was related to Mitsubishi Technical Service Bulletin Numbers: SR-18-008 and SR-18-007. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle in for diagnostic tests whenever the messages were displayed; however, the contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, and the dealer required scheduling a service appointment in advance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was awaiting a call back. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521660

Feb 16, 2023Lights

The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side headlight failed to operate. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the headlight was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact then stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side headlight failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlight needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507654

Feb 6, 2023

Throttle/Pedal position sensor switch voltage correlation circuit high input… it has been replaced once at beginning of January and within a week the same issue occurred. The part came from the dealership and pep boys replaced it.

NHTSA ODI 11505744

Jan 24, 2023Body & structure

The rear liftgate on this vehicle does not stop if there is an obstruction, i.e., a hand, a head or other body part. Not only does it not stop in case of obstruction, there is no audible sound made to indicate the door is in motion. I was hit in the head hard this morning - hard enough to cause stars and get a nice golf-ball sized bump on my skull. This is dangerous and should be remedied. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. In the parking lot where this occurred, a man saw the entire episode unfold, yelled out to try and stop it from happening, but I didn't realize he was yelling for me. After the incident he advised me the same thing has happened to him.

NHTSA ODI 11503424

Dec 14, 2022AirbagsCrash1 injury

I was in a head on collision on 12/13/2022, and the air bag failed to deploy. The failure of the air bag deployment cause my chest to slam into the steering wheel along with my knees on the steering column. I went to the hospital for observation and any unknown injuries. My chest hurts and knees along with consistent visions of my life flashing in my mind due to the trauma of this incident. The police, nurses, family, and friends said that I’m lucky to not have serious injuries from the failure of the air bag deployment. I have pictures, police report, and other supporting documents. My 2018 Outlander air bag deployment failure is a serious issue, and it needs to be looked into due to safety, lives, and failure from the air bag. Police report number is on drivers involved. All other vehicles involved air bags deployed, but my Outlander’s air bag failed to deploy. Dangerous to myself or other air bag failures. The manufacturer of the vehicle need’s notified with a full investigation into this matter.

NHTSA ODI 11497480

Older →

Working with the data? Download all 55 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 12, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander verdict →