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The Mitsubishi Outlander is pretty attractive as a three-row SUV option for a starting price as low as $24k. However, can you trust a larger SUV with a starting price that low? Before you go all-in on the Mitsubishi Outlander, make sure it’s a good option for your family by first seeing a few of the most common complaints. 

Common Mitsubishi Outlander Complaints 

A side view of the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander parked on the street
2023 Mitsubishi Outlander | Mitsubishi

In 2017, the Mitsubishi Outlander was known for having a lot of random electrical issues. Bluetooth seemed to be impossible. With the volume turned up, people still couldn’t hear phone calls or music coming through the speakers, and to talk on the phone the old-fashioned way, you needed to turn your phone off. 

Another driver was very frustrated with Android Auto. If they connected their phone, they couldn’t pull up navigation apps.

They instead waited for the Android Auto interface to map GPS instructions, but it could never quite manage that. Also, the voice-to-text feature always asked, ‘What’s the message?’ before the driver could finish talking. 

Outlander Safety Issues 

The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander is the model with the most complaints, and a few of them involve faulty safety equipment. A few drivers had trouble with the airbags. The airbag light would appear, saying they needed to be serviced randomly. 

No matter what, the light would stay on and continue blinking, even without an accident or reason to deploy. Because the light always stayed on, it could lead to battery issues in a few cases. Other drivers got into accidents, and the airbags didn’t deploy. Despite this being a known issue, a recall for the faulty airbags was never issued. 

Drivers noticed issues with their seatbelts as well. The seatbelts were known for not retracting on the passenger side, and in some cases, the seatbelts didn’t tighten during accidents. Also, sometimes the seatbelts got stuck, causing children to panic. Some children needed help getting free. 

Outlander Engine Problems 

The 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander driving down the road
2023 Mitsubishi Outlander | Mitsubishi

More recently, the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander has been receiving complaints about engine problems. Some drivers dealt with the engines stalling out when switching from reverse to drive.

You have to completely restart the vehicle to move, which can be a hassle. Also, this problem occurred early on before the car hit 50k miles. 

Another driver experienced their Mitsubishi Outlander cutting off if you accidentally hit the keys while driving, so ease up on the long keychains with that model. Also, the engine is known for creating loud clicks and clanks that can get pretty annoying and concerning. 

The cruise control seemed to have a mind of its own too. Drivers would be cruising along at the speed they set, only to have their cruise control randomly disengage. They would then have to either break and get out of the way or speed up before an accident occurred.

This problem didn’t pair well with the reported brake issues for the 2018 model. The brakes wore prematurely, making it more challenging to come to a stop in an emergency. 

But the Mitsubishi Outlander is new and improved for 2023 with plenty of updates to consider. Its reliability is improving as well. These older issues may have been corrected.