Mitsubishi recalls close to 5000 new Outlander SUVs

Mitsubishi has issued a recall on 4855 Outlanders built in 2013, which may be affected by one or more of three defects that could see the vehicles safety and crash-avoidance systems stop working. 

The recalled vehicles comprise 3633 with a defective electronic power steering computer that fail, causing the loss of power to the steering and the activation of the warning light. A defective radar cruise control that could incorrectly identify other vehicles and brake when not required is responsible for the recall of a further 809 Outlanders, while 413 are being recalled to address both faults.

The recall notice also warns of failures in the adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation and stability control systems. The defects as detailed in the recall notice are:

• Issues with the internal programming of the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) / FCM (Forward Collision Mitigation) computer may see "ACC failure", "FCM Failure" and "ASC failure" displayed on the combination meter with a warning alarm, and these systems may stop functioning. When driving in a tunnel with the Adaptive Cruise Control "On”, the system may judge the wall of the tunnel as an approaching vehicle and automatically operate the brakes.
   
• Issues with the internal programming of the ETACS (Electronic Time and Alarm Control System) computer may result in failure of the turn signals, if the “answer back” feature is activated when operating the electric tail gate.
   
• The Electronic Power Steering computer may fail, causing the EPS warning lamp to illuminate and in the worst case this may require an increased effort to turn the steering.

Mitsubishi says the EPS control unit will be replaced and the ACC/FCM and ETACS control unit will be corrected. Mitsubishi is notifying all affected customers by letter. Owners are advised to contact their authorised Mitsubishi dealership for inspection and rectification.