2003 Mitsubishi Outlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (18) · Exterior Lighting (11) · Steering (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mitsubishi Outlander model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
80 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2016-06-23 · campaign 16V458000 · 194,674 vehicles
Defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 Lancer, 2004 Lancer Wagon, 2003-2006 Lancer Evolution, 2003-2006 Outlander and 2007-2013 Outlander V-6 vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Co
Risk: A detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross member will be replaced with a new one that has a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-003.
Service bulletins (62)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2023-07-21 · DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a dealer letter sent to dealers informing that mitsubishi technical training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
Structure 2023-04-24 · TSB-23-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this technical service bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2023-04-24 · TSB-23-00-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this 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.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2023-04-21 · DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a dealer letter sent to dealers informing that mitsubishi technical training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
Seats:mid/Rear Assembly 2022-10-10 · TECH TALK 270 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tech talk is a service newsletter that was sent out to dealers. it covers various topics and reviews the previous months publications.
Unknown Or Other 2022-04-07 · TSB-22-54-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this 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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 62 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-08-27 · Suspension · 188,000 mi“the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi outlander. the contact stated while driving at approximately 25 mph, the vehicle came to an immediate stop and did not return to normal operation. the contact noticed that the front control arm had detached. no warning light was illuminated. the contact researched and became aware of nhtsa campaign number: 16v4580…”
2023-05-02 · Unknown Or Other“hvac temperature control knob is hard to turn, it broke off.…”
2019-12-04 · Suspension · 120,000 mi“rear control arms are rusted through, there was a recall for the front and had the repairs done. the front control arm recall was due to poor rust proofing during manufacturing. the rear has the same problem. cannot realign rear wheels and rear sway bar bracket broke free entirely. vehicle is now stationary as it cannot be driven.…”
2019-11-04 · Suspension · 67,384 mi“car taken to dealership, anderson mitsubishi, 8162790354), january 2017, for nhtsa recall 16v458. crossmember not replaced or rust treated. crossmember failed 4-20-2019. repaired at my expense $2161.70. made claim for reimbursement through mitsubishi dealer and mitsubishi of north america. have a mitsubishi file number [xxx]. mitsubishi of na …”
2019-06-24 · Air Bags · 340,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2003 mitsubishi outlander. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed while attempting to avoid colliding with a deer. during the crash, the vehicle had rolled over and the driver was knocked unconscious. the driver sustained head and neck injuries, a fractu…”
2019-04-01 · Visibility/Wiper · 15,000 mi“the issue began in 2004 when my vehicle was 1 year old. the temperature control knob became frozen and you could not turn it from heat to air conditioning or the other way. i spent $23,000 on this car and you could not turn from air conditioning to heat at will only a mechanic can manually turn it underneath the vehicle and then only put it on ho…”
2019-04-01 · Visibility/Wiper · 10,000 mi“since the second year since i've owned this car the temperature control knob has been frozen. the only way you can turn the knob is to have a mechanic manually turn the knob underneath the vehicle. mitsubishi motors admitted this was a design flaw in 2002 to 2007 mitsubishi lancers and outlanders. i have called mitsubishi many times and sent…”
2018-11-13 · Engine · 112,000 mi“car has been owned for 10+ years and has been maintained very well. gas mileage has dropped since 2014. car threw a p420 code in the years after. catalytic converter has been replaced four times in a year. oxygen sensor has been replaced and new exhaust has been installed. we have now seen the exhaust manifold has a crack in it. this appears to be …”
2018-06-12 · Air Bags · 60,000 mi · 💥 crash“air bags did not delpoy during crash. the vehicle was totatled and i no longer own the vehicle. *js…”
2018-01-16 · Exterior Lighting · 160,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2003 mitsubishi outlander. while driving various speeds at night, the headlights intermittently illuminated. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road, waited a while, and was able to resume driving. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was not taken t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.