The Lemon Index

All cars · Mitsubishi Outlander · 2003

2003 Mitsubishi Outlander. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index105100 = average car
Complaints39NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold45,434U.S. model year
Per 100K sold86complaints
Complaint rank#5 of 8among the 8 scored Mitsubishi Outlander model years (2003–2022); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 150 and 32,000 miles. Median 8,000, from 19 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Suspension26%
Steering23%
Engine15%
Airbags10%
Transmission & drivetrain8%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
3950200

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 6

  • 16V458000 Jun 2016 Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Lower Arm

    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, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross me

    Risk. 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 performed free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact MMNA custo

  • 04V428000 Sep 2004 Equipment / Other / Labels

    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.

    Risk. 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 DURING MARCH OR APRIL 2005. THE NOTIFICATION TO THE NATIVA OWNERS IS EXPECTED TO BEG

  • 04V197000 Apr 2004 Trailer Hitches

    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.

    Risk. 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.

  • 04V067000 Feb 2004 Equipment / Other / Owners/Service/Other Manual

    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.

    Risk. 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.

  • 03V194000 May 2003 Electrical System / Wiring / Interior/Under Dash

    Defect. 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 SENSOR, AND STOP LAMPS.

    Risk. 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 DAMAGE OR ELECTRICAL CORROSION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 23, 2003. OWNERS WHO

  • 03V028000 Jan 2003 Vehicle Speed Control

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. 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.

Manufacturer communications 62

Mitsubishi filed 62 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Suspension noises after strut installation
  • Suspension noises
  • This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers informing them a shock absorber oil leak…

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
NoNoNo

Engines and drivetrains 2

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.4L 4-cylAuto (S4)FWD18 / 24 / 21Regular$2,950
2.4L 4-cylAuto (S4)4Wheel or AWD18 / 23 / 20Regular$3,100

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
20031053945,434Suspension
2004–16–Suspension
2005–4–Body structure
2006–2–Speed control

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

Spot a mistake or have an idea? Tell us

How can we make Lemon Index better?