2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER Complaints and Recall Information
The 2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER has 7 complaints and 29 recalls filed with NHTSA. Owners most frequently report touchscreen failures that disable many vehicle functions such as navigation and music controls. Several complaints describe the touchscreen as completely nonfunctional, forcing drivers to use their phones while driving, which creates unsafe conditions. There are also reports of the driver’s seat motor failing to lift the seat, leaving it stuck in a reclined position. Another complaint involves the vehicle unexpectedly stopping and braking while crossing lanes, requiring a restart to resume driving.
Common Issues- Touchscreen failure. The touchscreen suddenly stops working, disabling access to settings and driving functions like navigation and music, forcing the use of mobile devices instead.
- Safety hazard. Loss of hands-free control due to the touchscreen failure creates unsafe driving conditions as drivers must interact with their phones while driving.
- Costly repairs. Mitsubishi recommends replacing the entire infotainment/control computer for approximately $4000, with no recall issued for the defect.
- Driver’s seat motor defect. The motor that lifts the driver’s seat fails while the forward movement motor works, causing the seat to remain reclined.
- Seat replacement required. The seat motor is not sold separately, so owners report being told the entire driver’s seat must be replaced.
- Unexpected stoppage. The vehicle abruptly stops and applies brakes without driver input when turning across lanes, leaving the car stranded and exposed to traffic risks.
- Reset needed to resume driving. The car will not move after sudden stoppage until the engine is completely turned off and restarted.
Recalls address multiple systems including body components and safety restraints. Twenty-nine recalls involve issues ranging from liftgate support devices to seat belts, affecting tens of thousands of vehicles. Some recalls affect seat belts and liftgate gas springs that pose injury risks.
Recalls- Liftgate gas springs. (NHTSA 25V507000) Affects 121,529 vehicles from 2018-2022 Outlander PHEV and 2014-2020 Outlander. Gas springs may corrode and lose pressure, causing rupture or unexpected liftgate falls. This poses an injury risk. Mitsubishi will replace both liftgate gas springs free of charge. Owner notifications begin October 6, 2025.
- Right rear seat belt. (NHTSA 20V280000) Affects 3,241 vehicles from 2019-2020 Outlander and 2019 Outlander PHEV. The seat belt on the right side second-row seat may be incorrectly assembled, reducing restraint effectiveness and increasing injury risk. Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt free of charge. Recall began June 17, 2020.
Owners dealing with repeated repairs for touchscreen failure, safety defects such as sudden stoppage, or unresolved recall issues may have rights under their state’s lemon law. Consulting legal resources or an attorney specializing in lemon law could help clarify those rights.
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER Summary
2020
Model Year
7
Total Complaints
2
Total Recalls
124770
Vehicles Affected
Recalls
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
121529 vehicles affected
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Outlander PHEV and 2014-2020 Outlander vehicles sold and/or currently registered in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The liftgate gas spring cylinders may corrode and lose pressure, which can result in a gas spring cylinder rupture or the liftgate falling unexpectedly.
Risk: A gas spring cylinder rupture or a liftgate falling unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury.
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
3241 vehicles affected
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Outlander and 2019 Outlander PHEV vehicles. The seat belt for the right side second-row seat may have been assembled incorrectly.
Risk: An incorrectly assembled seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Complaints
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2119438FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was making a turn out of a driveway across a three-lane streets into the left turn lane on the street in front of my children's School, while pulling out of the driveway and crossing the lanes, having clear distance to cross the lanes and visual confirmation from the oncoming drivers as they were waiting for me to proceed, my car abruptly stopped, it breaks on its own and left me across the three lanes sideways exposed to be t-boned. It would not start or move out of the stopped position. I tried to put the car in park and again in drive to no avail the car still would not budge. I had to completely turn off my vehicle and restart it in order to get out of the way of oncoming traffic.
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2119437SERVICE BRAKES
I was making a turn out of a driveway across a three-lane streets into the left turn lane on the street in front of my children's School, while pulling out of the driveway and crossing the lanes, having clear distance to cross the lanes and visual confirmation from the oncoming drivers as they were waiting for me to proceed, my car abruptly stopped, it breaks on its own and left me across the three lanes sideways exposed to be t-boned. It would not start or move out of the stopped position. I tried to put the car in park and again in drive to no avail the car still would not budge. I had to completely turn off my vehicle and restart it in order to get out of the way of oncoming traffic.
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2099747ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The driver's seat goes forward but doesn't life up. It is stuck in a reclined position. The motor doesn't work to lift the sit up but does for the forward movement,. When you revlind seat it does not incline. Chair motor is not sold separately but was told the whole drivers seat have to be replaced
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2099746SEATS
The driver's seat goes forward but doesn't life up. It is stuck in a reclined position. The motor doesn't work to lift the sit up but does for the forward movement,. When you revlind seat it does not incline. Chair motor is not sold separately but was told the whole drivers seat have to be replaced
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2059056UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The touchscreen does not work. This creates a safety issue as hands free driving is no longer am option. There are 1000s of complaints directly to Mitsubishi and they're not doing anything about it. The response is basically "we're aware our equipment failed, go to a dealership and pay to have it replaced" That should not be the consumer's out of pocket cost as Mitsubishi is fully aware of faulty equipment and needs to be held responsible. Everyone's safety is at risk because of this default.
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2059055ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The touchscreen does not work. This creates a safety issue as hands free driving is no longer am option. There are 1000s of complaints directly to Mitsubishi and they're not doing anything about it. The response is basically "we're aware our equipment failed, go to a dealership and pay to have it replaced" That should not be the consumer's out of pocket cost as Mitsubishi is fully aware of faulty equipment and needs to be held responsible. Everyone's safety is at risk because of this default.
2020 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ID: 2056798ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The touchscreen controlling many functions and settings of the vehicle failed. That means there are numerous settings and driving options that can no longer be accessed and that any functions requiring touch such as navigation, music, and others requires using your connected device while driving (meaning looking and touching your phone while driving). This creates unsafe driving conditions for the many thousands of drivers that have experienced this problem. There is a very large community on the internet saying that Mitsubishi should issue a recall, but Mitsubishi doesn't seem to care at all. They do, however, encourage the many that are having the problem to go to their service department and have the whole infotainment/ control computer replaced to the tune of about $4000. Seems like a blatant money grab to me-- one that is causing thousands of drivers who cannot or will not undergo that $4000 expense to drive a vehicle where they do not access to all setting controls and are required to fiddle with their phone while driving. Very unsafe.