There are 4 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlanderin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS RECALLED AND REPLACED IN NOVEMBER OF 2017, BUT NOW THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE WHICH CAUSED BITS TO BREAK OFF AND FALL INTO THE NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER. NOW THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (THERE ARE ONLY 4 PARTS IN THE NATION FOR THIS??) AND THE NEW, LESS THAN A YEAR OLD, CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS TO BE CLEANED OUT OF ALL THE RUSTY METAL BITS. THERE IS A RATTLING NOISE IN THE ENGINE WHEN IDLE (RPMS JUMP UP AND DOWN SLIGHTLY IN IDLE), QUIETS A BIT ONCE YOU HIT 2-3K RPMS AND THEN IS LOUD AGAIN AROUND 1-2K RPMS. THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS NEARLY A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE! I DON'T LIVE NEAR THE OCEAN OR A PLACE WHERE IT SNOWS FREQUENTLY. MY 5 YEAR OLD CAR SHOULDN'T HAVE RUST IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE OTHER RECALL JUST LAST YEAR. SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR WEEKS SINCE THE PROBLEM STARTED. THEY TOLD ME IT'S OUT OF MY WARRANTY BECAUSE MY CAR IS AT 75K MILES.
ON APRIL 12TH, THURSDAY NIGHT AROUND 8 PM, I WAS HEADING NEAR THE I-290/ I-90 INTERSECTION, RIDING ON I-90 WEST. I HEARD A SHARP CRACK IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR. I LOST POWER STEERING, CHECK BATTERY CHARGE LIGHT CAME ON AND WITHIN 2-3 MINUTES, ENGINE OVERHEATING LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A STOP IN A SAFE AREA BETWEEN THE INTERSECTING HIGHWAYS. A HIGHWAY WORKER PROTECTED ME WITH HIS SAFETY TRUCK TILL AAA TOW TRUCK TOOK MY CAR TO THE LOCAL SCHAUMBURG MITSUBISHI DEALER ANY STEPS YOU TOOK TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM, SUCH AS CHECKING FOR FLOOR MATS. BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT YOU DID AND HOW YOU DID IT. THE DEALER/SERVICE PERSONNEL FOUND THAT THE BELT TENSIONER BEARING WAS PULLING OUT AND THE BELT WAS NOT RIDING ON THE PULLEY CORRECTLY. THE TENSIONER WAS REPLACED AND THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS REPLACED I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN FAULT WITH THE BELT TENSIONER/ BEARING AND SHOULD BE FIXED FOR THESE CARS. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH WILL SHOW THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM
WHEN I STARTED THE CAR IN PARK, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL, THERE WAS A NOISE IN THE ENGINE THAT KEEP UP WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN IN PARK WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. THE SOUND WAS LIKE WHEN A CAR HAS LOW OIL IN THE STEERING WHEEL BUT I ASKED A NEIGHBOR AND HE SAYS THESE CARS DON'T USE OIL FOR THE STEERING WHEEL THAT THE NOISE WAS MOST LIKELY THE ALTERNATOR. AND IT HAS BEING GETTING LOUDER. I AM AFRAID THAT THE CAR MAY BREAK DOWN. ALSO IN THE FIRST MONTH OF BUYING THE CAR I NOTICED THE FRONT TRAIN SEEMED LOOSE BUT I WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. IS THERE ANY RECALL FOR THIS? . ALSO I LOOKED UP THE RECALLS FOR MY MODEL AND YEAR OF CAR AND OF ALL THE ONES THAT SHOW UP I HAVE RECEIVED ONLY ONE RECALL AND IT WAS FOR A TORCH IN THE SEAT BELT FOR FRONT PASSENGER SIDE I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY OF THE OTHERS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN PASSED UP IN THESE RECALLS SINCE 2013 TO THIS DATE JAN 2015 AND THAT IT BE TOO LATE TO REQUEST THE REPAIRS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,600.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026