2012 Mitsubishi Outlander problems
NHTSA has received 34 complaints about the 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander, and 18% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (15%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 34 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 100,000 miles 17 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 5 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 17 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 100,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 19th most-complained-about out of 21 model years of the Mitsubishi Outlander with enough data (7 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was driving speed limit, on a sunny day, when my car began to veer to the left. I eased back into the right lane and suddenly the car made a quick jerk to the left; then, another to the right. I slid on the bank and missed the ditch before becoming airborne and landing in a corn field. I was able to drive to a safe location when the traction control light appeared on the dashboard.
Airbags no longer will deploy according to collision repair shop. Had some hail damage repairs after that the dashboard light for airbags came on throughout the year and then stayed on permanently. I was driving on a street and the airbag light just came on and from that point has not went off.
While driving the transmission causes the powertrain to stop working making the car impossible to remain in motion. This will happen while driving in traffic. The transmission will howl and squeal right before it no longer works. Was told by mitsubishi that the CVT transmission was not built for long distance driving, towing(even though it is offered with a towing package), mountainous driving or uphill acceleration.