2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Powertrain (other) Problems

While driving on a highway at approximately 55–60 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost its ability to accelerate and maintain power. The engine RPM increased, but the vehicle would not respond normally, creating a significant safety hazard in traffic. The CVT transmission intermittently enters a reduced-power mode (limp mode), making it difficult to safely merge or continue driving. Diagnostic trouble codes P0776 (Pressure Control Solenoid B Performance) and P0730 (Incorrect Gear Ratio) were confirmed by an independent transmission repair shop, which diagnosed the transmission as failed and recommended replacement. This vehicle has previously been subject to CVT-related recalls, but the transmission still experienced this failure.

NHTSA ID

11748513

Incident

May 22, 2025

Purchased used car in July 2024 and was able to drive it maybe 2 months and the transmission would not shift and would come to a complete stop. Not a safe feeling driving in 3 lanes of traffic on a busy highway at rush hour. Transmission light on and took to mechanic and was told this make and model is notorious for transmission failure and it needs replacing. The odometer is 86316 and car has been sitting now for two years. Of course we went exactly 100 miles over the warranty and now have to pay 5000-9000 dollars for a replacement with no guarantee warranty. So now we have the car paid off and can’t drive it because it’s out of budget to replace. Thanks a lot Mitsubishi for nothing.

NHTSA ID

11747268

Incident

Sep 20, 2024

Hesitation when accelerating. Has stalled while driving. Has come to a complete stop when put in reverse.

NHTSA ID

11721989

Incident

Jul 28, 2025

Car jerks like it’s losing power when pulling off, not sure if it’s transmission issue or engine issue

NHTSA ID

11716839

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated upon depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to shift to reverse(R). The warning message "Service Transmission" was displayed. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the transmission. The mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V563000(Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,429.

NHTSA ID

11679170

Incident

Aug 2, 2025

Mileage

86,429 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough idling, and the failure mainly occurred while the air conditioning system was activated. Additionally, while driving at various speeds or from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and responded upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while reversing. The contact stated that the failure had caused the vehicle to bump into nearby curbs while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined; however, the dealer cleaned the throttle body. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer approximately 4 to 5 times. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ID

11678718

Incident

Jul 22, 2020

Mileage

30,000 mi

While driving on the highway the car did a "skip", then the CHECK TRANSMISSION LIGHT came on. I got off the highway, shut the car off, waited a while and started the car again. The light was off so I drove home. As I was driving the light came on again. The next time it came on the code was p084a. Have not had it checked by dealer yet. The mechanic said it would cost $5000-7000 to fix or replace. Every time the car sits and restart the light does not come on, sometimes I can drive for some time and nothing happens, sometimes the light comes on. Not sure what to do.

NHTSA ID

11644355

Incident

Sep 22, 2024

-POWER TRAIN (TRANSMISSION) AND OTHER UNKNOWN PROBLEMS -THAT VEHICLE TAKEN TO BE INSPECTED AT THE WESTGATE MITSUBISH DEALERSHIP IN WAKE FOREST, NC. -UNKNOWN

NHTSA ID

11641901

Incident

Dec 15, 2023

While driving to work at approximately 6:30 am , as I was signaling to merge onto the on ramp the cars gas pedal stop controlling the speed of my car. I pulled over to the side of the road and my car would not move. I tried to put the heat shifter into park but it was stuck in drive. I had to have the towed to a mechanic which informed me that I needed a new transmission. (3 different independent shops). After being told what it would cost to repair the vehicle the vehicle is still parked in my driveway.

NHTSA ID

11619231

Incident

May 14, 2024

Was driving up highway and all of a sudden it felt like the car was hesitating and had hard time shifting gears, when you pushed on the gas the Rpms would go up and down but it seemed like the car wouldn’t go anywhere. I was in the left lane and traffic if going 70, 80 mph and the car would not go anywhere. It had to be towed to a garage. We was almost rear ended because we couldn’t get the car to go to get it off the I do have a text message from the machine from garage

NHTSA ID

11602462

Incident

Jul 14, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the front wheels lost traction. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train) however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

NHTSA ID

11597586

Incident

Feb 9, 2023

Mileage

145,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the gear independently shifted causing the engine to rev up and then immediately shifted back into the intended gear and stabilized. The vehicle failed to accelerate without a slight hesitation at a rate slower than intended. The Service Engine and Transmission Failure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the VIN not being included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ID

11591043

Incident

May 21, 2024

Mileage

79,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated; however, the contact stated that the warning light was due to a failed O2 sensor. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 105,979.

NHTSA ID

11590523

Incident

May 18, 2024

Mileage

105,979 mi

The car started using more fuel, hesitatingly, slipping gears wouldn’t go in gear, died while driving.

NHTSA ID

11580590

Incident

Dec 6, 2023

The CVT transmission would lose power when making a turn over last few yrs. My safety was put at risk due to oncoming traffic could have hit the car due to loss of power. The service transmission required light just started coming on after dealing with loss of power. Car only has 106,000 miles on it. The car is available for inspection & is currently at TMT Automotive in Bremen IN. Codes coming up are transmission issues. The loss of power issue started in 2018 when the car was purchased; I did not know this was a sign of transmission issue. There was not a warranty on the car when purchased. There were no lights or warnings until last week when the car started lurching forward & light came on for the first time for transmission service. I scheduled a diagnostic appt with TMT as soon as it happened. I do not have documentation yet due to car is at the TMT Automotive, waiting to hear on 3/25/24 from shop if the transmission is bad.

NHTSA ID

11579137

Incident

Mar 20, 2024

My transmission wasn't working properly. It is available for inspection if my vehicle can be towed where it needs to go as it does not drive on it's own. When my transmission stopped working I could have caused a collision. Yes, my vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. Some warning signs were the transmission taking longer than it should to go into gear and having trouble accelerating.

NHTSA ID

11564769

Incident

Aug 18, 2021

We purchased new a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport which has a Recall regarding the CVT transmission causing Vehicle Hesitation when Accelerating increasing the risk of a crash. We began experiencing "Hesitation when Accelerating" along with a "Transmission Service Required Light" in November 2023. Upon contacting a Mitsubishi Dealership, we were told by a Service Rep that the Recall had already been performed on our vehicle and there was nothing else to do regarding the Recall. I explained that the problem with the CVT had not been correctly repaired due to the fact that we are now experiencing the cause and affect issues that mandated the Recall on the CVT Power Train. This is my wife's car and we are very concerned with this issue and the reluctance of Mitsubishi to correctly make the needed repairs under the Recall Notice.

NHTSA ID

11558933

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

I was driving on the highway on a trip and out of no where my car shuttered and then flashed service transmission soon, I pulled over and my car would no longer drive, reverse or go into neutral. The tow company reset my battery to try to reset my car system. After that my car wouldn’t really go past 60. I followed the tow truck to the nearest town and it stalled again at the light and I could no longer go at all, my car locked up and wouldn’t reset at that point. It’s an $1100 tow back home. The CVT transmission really needs to be rechecked and recalled. I’ve found too many issues and the same complaints but can’t find a recall on it at all.

NHTSA ID

11558145

Incident

Dec 2, 2023

The cvt transmissions aren't great. And goes out quite a bit. No warnings lights ever came on. Just a normal routine inspection to continue with being up to date with maintenance. This problem needs to be recalled.

NHTSA ID

11555379

Incident

Oct 20, 2023

Hesitation when pressing the accelerator. This is a recall that affects 2015-2016 Outlander Sports but according to my vin it isn't needed on this car. I regularly will slow to make a turn or to a stop light and when i try to go it can take 0.5-5.5 seconds before the car will actually move. This has led to a dozen times where i have almost been in an accident because of it.

NHTSA ID

11550524

Incident

Oct 17, 2023

2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is having problems shifting and accelerating. There is a Transmission service needed light that comes on the dash when turned on. Recently it would not go over 40 - 45 MPH, and continued to go slower. I had to turn the car off and back on which helped a little. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they confirmed the faulty transmission and they gave me a printed quote for a new transmission. The mileage is at 101162 and the main problem is when I try to reach 65 MPH speed I feel the transmission goes back to a lower speed so I always stock with 40 - 45 MPH and so hard to accelerate again. we own another 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport with 196k miles on it and never faced any transmission issues we always change the J4 fluid and the filter on time. for sure there's something wrong with this year's model (2015) from the manufacturer because our 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport with 196k miles is still sharp.

NHTSA ID

11546901

Incident

Feb 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated with the RPM's fluctuating before the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined there was a general failure with the powertrain. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,484.

NHTSA ID

11535895

Incident

Jul 2, 2023

Mileage

154,484 mi

My 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport transmission failed at 45,000 miles. I had my car diagnosed and was told I needed a new transmission. In addition, my safety was put at risk because my vehicle would not accelerate at a traffic light when needed to go. It would also not get up to speed when merging into the highway and it would not maintain the speed limit while driving. This was a very dangerous situation for me. I was not able to accelerate at stop lights, which could have caused me to get hit from behind. In addition to this, I was unable to maintain a safe speed on the highway. My car would only get up to 40 miles per hour when the speed limit would be 60 to 70 miles per hour. Furthermore, my car was taken to the Mitsubishi dealership service center and was inspected. I was told that I needed a new transmission. Lastly, the day before I took my car in to get diagnosed the serve light on my car came on and said, “Service Transmission Required.”

NHTSA ID

11535306

Incident

Jul 24, 2023

My 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is having problems shifting and accelerating. There is a Transmission service needed light that comes on the dash when turned on. A few months ago I had to start manually shifting which barely got me by. Recently it would not go over 25 MPH, and continued to go slower and slower until it stopped and would not accelerate at all. I have had to drive on the far right of the road with my hazards on and barely made it from A to B while cars zoomed past me. I had to turn the car off and back on which helped a little. I feel like when it is low on gas, that also makes it worse? I have taken the vehicle to the dealership that sold it to me who confirmed the faulty transmission and they gave me a printed quote for a new transmission. The mileage is at 89,811 and I've had it for almost 2 years. I first started noticing issues shortly after purchase when it would shake when idle once in a while or would have a hard time accelerating after stopping. The first time it would not accelerate was about a year ago. I no longer can rely on this vehicle for transportation.

NHTSA ID

11533603

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate the vehicle hesitated and failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle then lunged forward and jerked. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train). The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ID

11523822

Incident

May 30, 2019

Mileage

30,000 mi