NHTSA Complaint #10652194 — 2008 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER

WE HAVE A 2008 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER THAT WE PURCHASED IN 2010. I WAS FOLLOWING MY WIFE DOWN THE ROAD AND NOTICED THAT WHEN SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES THE BRAKE LIGHTS SOMETIMES DID NOT COME ON. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM. WHEN WE GOT HOME I TESTED IT AND FOUND THAT ABOUT 20% OF THE TIME NO BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE TO SEE HOW DIFFICULT IT WOULD BE TO FIX AND DISCOVERED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. IT ALSO EFFECTS THE SHIFT INTERLOCK WHICH PREVENTS SHIFTING THE CAR OUT OF PARK EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. MY WIFE CONFIRMED SHE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM TOO. WE HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE 2010 AND HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE. I CALLED OUR LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS PART OF A RECALL. THEY SAID THE RECALL HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON OUR CAR IN 2009 AND IF IT NEEDED REPLACEMENT AGAIN IT WOULD BE AT OUR EXPENSE SINCE IT HAD BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR SINCE THE WORK WAS DONE. THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. THE CAR WAS RECALLED WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY TO HAVE A DEFECTIVE PART REPLACED. NOW THE PART HAS PROVEN TO BE DEFECTIVE AGAIN. THE DEALER CONTACTED MITSUBISHI TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE REPLACEMENT PART BUT THEY HAVE DECLINED. *TR