2013 Mitsubishi Outlander

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

My vehicle shut off on a state route when I had the vehicle towed to the dealership I was informed it was the ecu. I found out a year after my vehicle was purchased, there was a technical service bulletin out in this part. I am not sure why there was not a recall sent when they knew this part could be defective and my life was put at risk by it shutting off on the highway. How is a vehicle safe when it just shuts off. This should have been a recall and not a bulletin. Please reconsider making this a recall. I would hate to see people lose their lives because of this.

NHTSA ID

11683495

Incident

Jun 24, 2025

On Dec 8,2023 our mitsubishi outlander shut off while being driven. When this occurred multiple warning lights come on including, service engine immediately, engine overheating (which it was not) and multiple other lights. It was towed to the dealership where they told us the ECU is bad. Mitsubishi no longer makes the part. They have also told us this is the 3rd vehicle in the last month with the same issue. Car had no power/electrical /engine issues prior to this event. Mitsubishi is offering no solution to fix the issue. Luckily when the car shut down we were driving at a low speed in a neighborhood. If this had happened on the freeway it could have been very dangerous. We now have no car, no possibility of repair and no answers to why this happened without warning.

NHTSA ID

11560529

Incident

Dec 8, 2023

1) Transmission or power train 2) The vehicle may be inspected at request 3) The vehicle starts and may go for about a mile, and then it will buck and act like it's in neutral for all gears. I got stuck in the middle of an intersection turning left. I managed to get it back home, and then needed help pushing it into the driveway, where it sits. 4) I have seen several similar complaints for the years; 2012, and 2014 through 2021. 5) The vehicle has been worked on, and the valve body for the transmission was replaced about a month ago. 6) The warning message that popped up just before the issue was "Transmission service is required." It appeared on 9/27/2021, the day I was giving a ride to someone across town. I had recently replaced the valve body, because the solenoids were failing, and the transmission itself was serviced.

NHTSA ID

11434988

Incident

Sep 27, 2021

My catalytic converter just went in my vehicle. I was told by dealership that the warranty expired by months. I contacted Mitsubishi and a case was opened. I was called by them today and they wont make an exception even though my mieage is well under the 80000 miles (under by over 28,000 miles) When I asked to talk to a manager I was told no and no exception would be made. I just want them to pay for the defective part.

NHTSA ID

11432371

Incident

Sep 9, 2021

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN AN ACTIVE STABILITY CONTROL SERVICE WARNING DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD. IT WAS COUPLED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND IMMEDIATELY CAUSED MY CAR TO SEIZE UP MAKING ME MOMENTARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS I REGAINED CONTROL THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RESIST ANY ACCELERATION WHILE THE RPMS WOULD FREQUENTLY SPIKE. I ALSO LOST ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY WITH NO DASHBOARD WARNING. THROUGH MY MECHANIC I LATER FOUND OUT THE CAR WAS FORCING ITSELF INTO "LIMP MODE" BECAUSE THE ENGINE AIR FLOW SENSOR WAS GIVING A FAULTY READING. ALL OF THIS PUT MY CAR INTO CONDITIONS FOR A CRASH HAD I NOT ACTED QUICKLY TO AVOID IT. IT ALSO CREATED A REPAIR BILL THAT WAS UNNECESSARY AS THIS IS APPARENTLY PART OF A KNOWN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-13-13-008. I FIND IT INAPPROPRIATE AND IRRESPONSIBLE OF MITSUBISHI TO NOT HAVE ALERTED ME TO THE DEFECT IN THE AIR FLOW SENSOR AND FILTER BOX. IT CAUSED A NEEDLESS DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION AND EXCESS REPAIRS.

NHTSA ID

11395590

Incident

Feb 5, 2021

Mileage

70,000 mi

AT 115,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. MY SUV NO LONGER GOES ABOVE 30MPH WITHOUT THE RPMS WILDLY JUMPING. BOTH THE 2014 AND 2015 MODELS HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS VERY CVT ISSUE BUT THE 2013 DOES NOT.

NHTSA ID

11350223

Incident

Jun 1, 2020

Mileage

115,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO IMMEDIATELY STOP. ALSO, THE ACS MALFUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WITHOUT BEING (7) JUMPSTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NORTH PALM MITSUBISHI (572 NORTHLAKE BLVD, NORTH PALM BEACH, FL 33408, (561) 328-9121) WHERE THE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,300.*PM*JB

NHTSA ID

11282414

Incident

Jun 30, 2019

Mileage

69,300 mi

AFTER A LONG DRIVE, EVEN MORE SO UPHILLS, THE TRANSMISSION STARTS SLIPPING AND THE CAR HESITATES TO GO AFTER A STOP. A WARNING MESSAGE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS OVER HEATING APPEARS AND THE CAR RUNS AT HIGH RPMS AT ONLY 60 MPH. ERROR CODE P1778 HAS APPEARED TWICE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 71,000 MILES

NHTSA ID

11138997

Incident

Oct 6, 2018

Mileage

71,000 mi

Tech Talk is a service newsletter that was sent out to dealers. It covers various topics and reviews the previous months publications.

This Technical Service Bulletin instructs the dealer to update the Hands Free Module software to improve the Bluetooth connection when certain devices are connected to Wi‐Fi.

This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.

This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.

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.

This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.