2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Problems, Recalls & Reliability

80 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 38/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports.

80Complaints
38/100Trouble index
6Recalls
25,000Typical trouble mileage

Below average

Where 2018 sits among all Outlander years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Electrical 14 complaints (18%)
Other 11 complaints (14%)
Engine 11 complaints (14%)
Airbags 10 complaints (13%)
Body & structure 7 complaints (9%)
Brakes & stability 6 complaints (8%)

Mileage when trouble shows up

Among the 45 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 25,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 13,000 and 53,500 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.

Recalls (6)

STRUCTURE 26V252000 2026

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Outlander PHEV and 2014-2020 Outlander vehicles. The liftgate gas spring cylinders may corrode and lose pressure, which can result in a gas spring cylinder rupture or the liftgate…

Fix: MMNA will replace the left and right liftgate gas springs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 17, 2026. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's…

STRUCTURE 25V507000 2025

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,…

Fix: MMNA will replace the left and right liftgate gas springs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 6, 2025. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's…

SEAT BELTS 20V403000 2020

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Outlander and 2018-2019 Outlander PHEV vehicles. The second-row center seat belt buckle may interfere with the right-side seat belt buckle when the seat backs are folded down. The…

Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will modify the second-row center seat belt buckle cover, install a new warning label to the second-row seat support base, and provide a new warning label insert…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18V620000 2018

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Outlander Sport, 2018-2019 Eclipse Cross, and 2017-2018 Outlander vehicles equipped with a Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) system that detects pedestrians. Due to…

Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the FCM-ECU software with updated software, free of charge. The recall is began October 16, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at…

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 18V621000 2018

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vehicles equipped with a Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) system and 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross vehicles and 2017-2018 Outlander vehicles…

Fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will update the Hydraulic Unit-ECU software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820.…

EQUIPMENT 18V591000 2018

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Mitsubishi Outlander vehicles equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels. The Certification Label lists an incorrect rear wheel rim size. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the…

Fix: MMNA will notify owners and send them a corrected certification label, free of charge. Owners can also choose to have the label replaced by a dealer, free of charge. The recall began September 26,…

Technical service bulletins

116 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

See the 2018 Outlander TSB list →

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2018peak 17 in 20192026

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander reliable?

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander drew 80 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 38/100, scored against the model's worst year (2022).

What are the most common 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander problems?

The top reported problems for the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander are electrical (14 complaints), other (11), and engine (11).

At what mileage do 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander problems show up?

Owners most often report 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander problems around 25,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 13,000 and 53,500 miles.

Does the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander have recalls?

6 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.

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Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.