2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
149
Owner Complaints
6
Recalls
18
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
The 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER has received a total of 149 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM, TRAILER HITCHES, EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL. 18 technical service bulletins have been issued by Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Suspension (20 complaints), Exterior Lighting (12 complaints), and Steering (10 complaints).
Recalls for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER, potentially affecting up to 505,930 vehicles.
Recall 16V458000 — SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
| 194,674 vehicles affected
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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 04V197000 — TRAILER HITCHES
| 2,175 vehicles affected
Defect: CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH DEALER-INSTALLED TRAILER HITCH WIRING HARNESS AND CONTROL MODULE. THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE CAN OVERHEAT.
Consequence: 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.
View full details →Recall 04V067000 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
| 134,000 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 03V194000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
| 43,649 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 03V028000 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
| 31,000 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 04V428000 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
| 100,432 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
149 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
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: 16V458000 (Suspension). The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to the residence. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was included in the recall but already had been serviced under the recall; however, the failure occurred. The failure mileage was 188,000.
HVAC temperature control knob is hard to turn, it broke off.
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.
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 HAS VERBALLY AGREED TO SETTLE, BUT HAS NOT CONTACTED ME SINCE AUGUST OF 2019. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET MY CALLS RETURNED SINCE. THE CROSSMEMBER BROKE WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREETS WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO VEER INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE, WITHOUT ACCIDENT. CAR WAS TOWED AND REPAIRED AT MY EXPENSE. I NEED HELP GETTING MY REIMBURSEMENT PAID. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
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 HAS VERBALLY AGREED TO SETTLE, BUT HAS NOT CONTACTED ME SINCE AUGUST OF 2019. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET MY CALLS RETURNED SINCE. THE CROSSMEMBER BROKE WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREETS WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO VEER INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE, WITHOUT ACCIDENT. CAR WAS TOWED AND REPAIRED AT MY EXPENSE. I NEED HELP GETTING MY REIMBURSEMENT PAID. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Safety Rating for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. has issued 18 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB-08-37-006 — STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
MITSUBISHI: A TIE ROD FREE PLAY CHECK HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE SERVICE MANUALS. *PE
0554003 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
FOG LIGHT CIRCUIT DIAGRAM - SERVICE MANUAL REVISION. *TT
0554002 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SPLICE LOCATIONS S061 IS INCORRECTLY IDENTIFIED - SERVICE MANUAL REVISION. *TT
09012004 — SUSPENSION
SUSPENSION NOISES. *EH
0413005 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) REPROGRAMMING WITH MUT-III FOR THROTTLE ICING. *TT
0315002 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
ABNORMAL EXHAUST NOISE DURING ACCELERATION. *TT
0300009 — TRAILER HITCHES
TOW HITCH TORQUE SPECIFICATION. *TT
93 — SUSPENSION:REAR
SQUEAK FROM REAR SUSPENSION WHEN COLD. *TT
0317004 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
CRUISE CONTROL MAY NOT SET THE DESIRED SPEED, OR THE DRIVER MUST HOLD THE ACCELERATOR FOR FIVE TO TEN SECONDS AT THE DESIRED SPEED BEFORE RELEASING TO SET THE CRUISE CONTROL. *TT
0333001R — SUSPENSION:FRONT
STEERING DRIFT. *TT
Showing 10 of 18 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
- 2003 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER (current)
- 2004 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — 73 complaints
- 2005 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — 24 complaints
- 2006 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — 24 complaints
- 2007 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — 175 complaints
- 2008 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER — 77 complaints
Other MITSUBISHI Models
- MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE — 2,784 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI GALANT — 2,429 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI LANCER — 1,136 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI MONTERO — 989 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI MIRAGE — 940 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT — 708 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE — 657 total complaints
- MITSUBISHI 3000GT — 535 total complaints