Mitsubishi Outlander Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Mitsubishi Outlander model year from 2003 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 1,871 federal complaints, 40 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2007, 2016, 2022. These years top the Outlander's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2009, 2012–2013, 2020 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Outlander's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Electrical tops the Mitsubishi Outlander file with 254 complaints, concentrated in the 2003, 2007–2008, 2016, 2018, 2022 model years, most often reported around 75,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 6 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 2025 | Few reports | 20 | 0 | — | 7 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 45 | 1 | — | 18 |
| 2023 | Typical | 71 | 2 | Electrical | 23 |
| 2022 | Avoid | 313 | 7 | Body & structure | 100 |
| 2020 | Better year | 46 | 3 | Electrical | 20 |
| 2019 | Typical | 46 | 5 | — | 22 |
| 2018 | Below average | 80 | 6 | Electrical | 38 |
| 2017 | Below average | 81 | 6 | Brakes & stability | 35 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 205 | 8 | Transmission & drivetrain | 74 |
| 2015 | Typical | 79 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 29 |
| 2014 | Typical | 58 | 4 | Airbags | 29 |
| 2013 | Better year | 34 | 5 | — | 14 |
| 2012 | Better year | 34 | 6 | — | 10 |
| 2011 | Typical | 88 | 8 | Engine | 26 |
| 2010 | Typical | 76 | 10 | Engine | 25 |
| 2009 | Better year | 61 | 13 | — | 19 |
| 2008 | Typical | 80 | 12 | Electrical | 24 |
| 2007 | Avoid | 175 | 9 | Suspension | 57 |
| 2006 | Few reports | 25 | 1 | Electrical | 8 |
| 2005 | Few reports | 26 | 1 | — | 10 |
| 2004 | Typical | 73 | 4 | Suspension | 30 |
| 2003 | Below average | 149 | 6 | Suspension | 55 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 2,235 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Mitsubishi Outlander. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Mitsubishi Outlander TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Mitsubishi Outlander years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2007, 2016, 2022 as the Mitsubishi Outlander years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Mitsubishi Outlander problem?
Electrical tops the Mitsubishi Outlander file with 254 complaints, concentrated in the 2003, 2007–2008, 2016, 2018, 2022 model years, most often reported around 75,000 miles.
What are the best Mitsubishi Outlander years to buy used?
The quietest Mitsubishi Outlander years in federal records are 2009, 2012–2013, 2020 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Mitsubishi Outlander only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.