The 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 505,930 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 149 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the suspension. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION16V4580002016-06-23194,674 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,…
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 a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be…
EQUIPMENT04V4280002004-09-01100,432 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 SUN VISORS. THIS RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN…
TRAILER HITCHES04V1970002004-04-262,175 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.
EQUIPMENT04V0670002004-02-11134,000 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 SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-888-648-7820.
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…
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 CORROSION. THE FLOOR HARNESS WILL BE REPLACED IF IT HAS ANY SIGNS OF WATER…
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 WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037.
Complaints by component
SUSPENSION
20
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
12
1crashes1fires1injuries
STEERING
10
2crashes3injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
5
2fires
SUSPENSION:REAR
5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
1crashes
VISIBILITY/WIPER
5
AIR BAGS
4
3crashes1fires3injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
4
Total complaints149
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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…”
“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…”
“Tl* the contact owned a 2003 mitsubishi outlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed while attempting to avoid colliding with a deer. During the crash, the vehicle had rolled over and the driver was knocked unconscious.…”
“Car taken to dealership, anderson mitsubishi, [REDACTED]), 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…”
“Car taken to dealership, anderson mitsubishi, [REDACTED]), 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…”
“Car has been owned for 10+ years and has been maintained very well. Gas mileage has dropped since 2014. Car threw a p420 code in the years after. Catalytic converter has been replaced four times in a year. Oxygen sensor has been replaced and new exhaust has been installed. We have now seen the…”
“Air bags did not delpoy during crash. The vehicle was totatled and I no longer own the vehicle. *js”
“Hvac temperature control knob is hard to turn, it broke off.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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