Mitsubishi Lancer, Outlander Recall Issued Due to Electrical Problems

Almost 54,000 Mitsubishi Lancer and Outlander vehicles have been recalled due to faulty electrical control units, which may disable the head lights, tail lights, and windshield wipers while the vehicle is being operated, posing a potential crash hazard. 

The Mitsubishi Lancer and Outlander recall was announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 7, following a six-year internal investigation that has lead the auto maker to believe inappropriate manufacturing may cause insufficient adhesion between the lead frame and the condenser that could result in increased electrical resistance, posing intermittent failure of the components powered by the electronic control unit. To date, Mitsubishi has not received any reports of injuries or accidents related to the problem.

The affected vehicles are equipped with an ETACS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which controls the function of the headlights, tail lights and the windshield wipers. Certain vehicles may have encountered a manufacturing error during the assembly process, which could lead to too much electrical resistance on these functions. In the event consumers lose power of these essential operating functions, occupants could become more prone to accidents, especially at night time or during inclement weather.

The vehicles included in the recall are certain model year 2009-2010 Mitsubishi Lancer vehicles manufactured January 12, 2009, to July 6, 2010, 2009-2010 Outlander vehicles manufactured January 12, 2009, to August 27, 2010, 2010 Lancer Sportback vehicles manufactured June 17, 2009, to June 8, 2010, and 2010 Lancer Evolution vehicles manufactured July 14, 2009, to August 4, 2010.

Mitsubishi recorded its first warranty claim in September 2009, when an owner in Japan reported the engine could not be started. This report initiated what would become a six year investigation that eventually led to Mitsubishi Motors conducting a field action on April 9, and ordered Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. to conduct a safety recall.

Mitsubishi announced second recall on May 11, that will include approximately 77,000 2011 MY Lancer, 2010 through 2011 MY Lancer Evolution, 2010 through 2011 MY Lancer Sportback, 2009 through 2011 MY Outlander, and 2011 Outlander Sport vehicles built February 10, 2009 to June 22, 2011 due to front blower motors being inadequately placed during the manufacturing process. Mitsubishi has identified situations where the shaft and bearing inside the motor were not centered properly causing them to wear out prematurely, ultimately causing the blowers to fail.

Mitsubishi has not yet announced when the company will begin recall repairs but has reported to the NHTSA a defect notice explaining the issue will be mailed to owners with instructions on how to schedule an appointment at a local dealer to have the ECU replaced free of charge. Owners with further questions may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820 and reference the recall number SR-15-002 for the Lancer and Outlander ECU recall or SR-15-002 for the front blower motor recall.