Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 13% | 19,000 miles |
| 2024 | 2 | 8% | 5,000 miles |
| 2022 | 5 | 2% | — |
| 2019 | 1 | 3% | 5,000 miles |
| 2018 | 2 | 4% | 10,000 miles |
| 2017 | 2 | 4% | 10,000 miles |
| 2016 | 12 | 8% | 61,000 miles |
| 2015 | 6 | 11% | 44,000 miles |
| 2014 | 4 | 9% | 39,000 miles |
| 2013 | 1 | 4% | 70,000 miles |
| 2011 | 4 | 7% | 64,000 miles |
| 2010 | 2 | 3% | 150,000 miles |
| 2009 | 1 | 2% | 3,000 miles |
| 2008 | 3 | 5% | 131,000 miles |
| 2006 | 1 | 5% | 0 miles |
| 2004 | 2 | 4% | 580,000 miles |
| 2003 | 4 | 3% | 82,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I had a wreck 12/05/2023 the rear ended a commercial truck it didn't give me any indication ahead it didn't not slow my vehicle down or brake I just slammed right into the vehicle 23 feet in front with no warning so now the truck is saying crash malfunction it just abs and lane change in dictation nothing
This car is a lemon. First the hood. Finally got that fixed. Then seat belts & fuel injection piece...got fixed. Then a whole piece fell off and was in my driveway. Took it to dealership & was told no way this was from my car because it was from and old Lancer that isn't made anymore. Then turned out it was in fact uses on my car. They took awhile but then replaced part. It was something for AC exhaust. Now it's the brake system giving me random mesaages WHILE driving that brake system is out but dealership cant duplicate measage and said my brakes are in "good" shape. What do I do? Wait for them to go out & I get into a serious accident? Also and rear camera going out when I'm reversing. Dealership couldn't duplicate it and said it was fine. Kept happening, I went back & they finally said mitsubishi can't figure it out & I just have to wait. …
The contact owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle unintendedly decreased speed. No warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that an unknown recall had been completed and closed. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
On the outlanders speed control sensor on the back hubs the lil ears that hold the sensor in place have broken off both sides of my car there's is no way to replace them makeing my car shift different drive funny and it's just about made me wreck a few times and cause when they pop out the car downshift and the engine reves at 9000 rpm and now I have a tick in my engine but i have had to try and glueing the sensors back into place this is a big problem with the outlander I have plus the roads in WV are not the greast potholes are everywhere and when you hit one they pop out of place very ease
While driving in the city limits around 35 miles an hour I had to stop abruptly to avoid a collision with a driver who didn't stop at the intersection. I had to come to a complete stop for this driver. When I took my foot off of the brake and tried to drive on my car would not move. I had to shift gears put it in park and try again. I could hear the engine responding but the car wouldn't move. When it did start to move forward slowly it was shaking very hard and I was only able to get 10 miles an hour. I had to be towed. And I kept thinking what if I was on the highway that day where the speed limit is 75mph.
This happens almost all the time - when driving at city street speed of 25 MPH and under my car shakes so much and does not accelerate and feels like it is going to shut down. On 3 occasions I was rear ended because of this and one time was with a huge sanitation truck with my children inside the car. I have taken this car to the dealer and the Mitsubishi dealer to be looked at and help to no avail it still does it. I have reported this to Mitsubishi motors and was given a case number but to date no one has contacted me nor helped me. I am scared for the safety of my family and myself - it is a very scary situation and I just bought this car about a year ago. Help me because no one else does.
On Friday, November 18, 2016, I was driving my wife's 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander sport. As I was pulling into a parking spot at the harris teeter grocery store located at 2019 s glenburnie road, new bern, nc. I was pulling into a parking spot on the left. Therefore, I had my foot on the brake to slowly pull into the spot. As I continued to move in a forward motion with my foot on the brake to come to a stop, the car suddenly lurched forward. I had not pulled completely into the spot at the time, so my foot would have still been on the brake. When our car lurched it then hit the car in front of us. The left side of our car impacted the left side of the car parked in the spot in front of the spot we were pulling into causing that car to roll out of its parking spot into the middle of the aisle in the parking lot. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander. While driving 30 MPH, the acceleration seized and would not respond after a stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the acceleration was normal. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure occurred everyday since the vehicle was purchased from a used car lot. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.
Related recalls (1)
Vehicle speed control
On certain sport utility vehicles, during extremely low temperature conditions, ice can build up inside the engine throttle valve. This ice build-up could cause the accelerator pedal to stick or not to return to idle after accelerating.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the engine control computer to eliminate this condition. Owner notification began on January 29, 2003.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mitsubishi Outlander years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2016 (12), 2015 (6) and 2022 (5) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 2016.
Is there a recall for Mitsubishi Outlander acceleration problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 03V-028 (vehicle speed control, Jan 30, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mitsubishi Outlander acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles; 58% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (2 mentions), followed by the cruise control (1).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.