2016 Mitsubishi Outlander problems & reliability
142 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander, alongside 8 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander vehicles were involved in 38 fatal crashes with 19 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 62 | 44% |
| Engine | 20 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 15 | 11% |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 12 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 12 | 8% |
| Structure | 12 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 6% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 60,518 miles (middle 50% between 26,977 and 90,000 miles), based on 80 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The car itself should not be sold considering the number of complaints about the transmission issues. I’ve only had the car a month and Its started to stall and jerks when in acceleration. The gears started to not shift properly and the car would not go over 20 miles without jerking. I took the car back to the lot to…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 23, 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that upon manually activating the parking brake, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The vehicle was taken to Jack's Independent Service Inc, where it was diagnosed and determined that the parking brake operating shafts were corroded. The dealer…”
Parking Brake · filed Nov 18, 2025
“The contact owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred repeatedly after coming to a complete…”
Power Train · filed Oct 16, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
142 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander. The 10 most recent:
This revised Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions on how to remedy noise from the HVAC system (heater, air conditioner, ventilation vents) when the blower motor is turned on.
TSB-23-55-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 12, 2026
Tech Talk is a service newsletter that was sent out to dealers. It covers various topics and reviews the previous months publications.
TECH TALK 289 · Other · issued Nov 21, 2025
This Technical Information Notice informs dealers that MMNA is investigating the field performance of certain liftgate gas springs outside the population of vehicles covered by Safety Recall No. SR-25-002.
TIN-25-SR-002A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 8, 2025
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions for a software update to correct an issue of the rear view camera displaying on the Display Audio Unit while driving forward.
TSB-18-54-006REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2024
This Technical Service Bulletin instructs the dealer to update the Hands Free Module software to improve the Bluetooth connection when certain devices are connected to Wi‐Fi.
TSB-16-54-001REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2024
Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin provides corrections to the description of special tools used to install the oil seal within the Automatic Transaxle sections of the applicable Service Manuals.
TSB-24-23-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2024
Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin instructs dealers to diagnose and test drive vehicles exhibiting a shudder or surge condition possibly caused by poor reaction of the hydraulic pressure circuit.
TSB-20-23-001RV4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 25, 2024
Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin instructs dealers to diagnose and test drive vehicles exhibiting a shudder or surge condition possibly caused by poor reaction of the hydraulic pressure circuit.
TSB-20-23-001REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 4, 2024
Service Manual Revision - This Technical Service Bulletin provides the procedure for diagnostic trouble code and on-vehicle service for belt & pulley assembly on certain CVT models.
TSB-24-23-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 14, 2024
This Revised Technical Information Notice provides dealers with the requirements needed to be entered into the Photo Required Condition & Pre-Approval Center (PRC) for a vehicle pulling/drifting and/or with steering…
TIN21-37-001REV3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 29, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 60,518 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.