Your vehicle report
2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 116
- Received Feb 2003 to Aug 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Headlights dim or fail at night16 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed10 complaints · 8.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Heater blows cold air, defroster fails8 complaints · 6.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #16V458000Mitsubishi 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 Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.
- Recall #04V428000Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 10 crashes, 2 fires, 8 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 9 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 10 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 9 |
| 2009 | 10 |
| 2010 | 8 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 6 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 116 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 16 | 14% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 10 | 8.6% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 8 | 6.9% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 5.2% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 5 | 4.3% | – | NHTSA recall #16V458000 |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 3 | 2.6% | – | NHTSA recall #03V028000 |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #16V458000June 23, 2016194,674 vehicles affected
suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
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 Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.
A detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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.
NHTSA recall #04V428000September 1, 2004100,432 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Remedy
Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label. In addition, all current 2000-2004 nativa owners will also receive replacement air bag alert labels for the sun visors. This recall is expected to begin during march or april 2005. The notification to the nativa owners is expected to begin during april or may 2005. Owners should contact Mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
NHTSA recall #04V197000April 26, 20042,175 vehicles affected
trailer hitches
Certain sport utility vehicles may have been equipped with dealer-installed trailer hitch wiring harness and control module. The electronic control module Can overheat.
Overheating of the trailer hitch wiring harness module could result in a fire.
Remedy
Owners are being requested to stop using the harness until a newly designed replacement is provided and Can be installed by the dealer. The recall began on may 28, 2004. Owners should contact Mitsubishi at 1-888-648-7820.
NHTSA recall #04V067000February 11, 2004134,000 vehicles affected
equipment: other: owners/service/other manual
Certain sport utility and passenger vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the owner's manual does not contain a step-by-step description for headrest adjustment when installing a child restraint system (crs) tether strap.
If the tether strap is improperly installed to the tether anchor, the child safety seat may not be sufficient restrained. In the event of a crash, the child could be injured.
Remedy
A letter outlining the problem will be sent to owners along with a sticker containing the correct instructions as well as instructions on where to affix the sticker in the owner's manual. The recall began on march 29, 2004. Owners should contact Mitsubishi at 1-888-648-7820.
NHTSA recall #03V194000May 20, 200343,649 vehicles affected
electrical system: wiring: interior/under dash
On certain sport utility vehicles, water could enter the front floorboard area from openings in the side sill or upper dash area. This water could collect under the seat and cause electrical corrosion to occur in the harness connectors that contain the wiring for the seat belt pre-tensioner, side air bag impact sensor, and stop lamps.
Electrical corrosion of the harness could cause the seat belt pre-tensioner to malfunction, the side air bag not to deploy and/or the brake lamps not to illuminate or to falsely illuminate.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the side sills and dash panel for openings that may allow water leakage into the vehicle cabin. In addition to sealing any openings that may be found, the wiring connectors will be inspected for signs of electrical corrosion. The floor harness will be replaced if it has any signs of water damage or electrical corrosion. Owner notification began june 23, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mitsubishi america at 1-800-222-0037 or Mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
NHTSA recall #03V028000January 30, 200331,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain sport utility vehicles, during extremely low temperature conditions, ice Can build up inside the engine throttle valve. This ice build-up could cause the accelerator pedal to stick or not to return to idle after accelerating.
Failure to return to idle could result in a vehicle crash without warning.
Remedy
Dealers will reprogram the engine control computer to eliminate this condition. Owner notification began on january 29, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN