Reliable Auto DB

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander has 57 complaints with NHTSA after 9 years, or 7 per year. That is about even with the other Outlander years here. Their median is 8 complaints per year. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Support strut, Buckle, and Adaptive cruise control.

2012 Mitsubishi Outlander
Photo by TTTNIS, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC0
Complaints

57

Per year

7

Recalls

6

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (12 of 57), then Air bags (10) and Electrical system (9). Those filings include 7 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Outlander has 51 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2019 has 29 complaints, 4 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall structure, body, liftgate, support strut 2026-04-20 · NHTSA campaign 26V252000
Summary 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 falling unexpectedly.
Remedy 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 number for this recall is SR-26-001. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov June 3, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V507.
Recall structure, body, liftgate, support strut 2025-08-07 · NHTSA campaign 25V507000
Summary 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, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The liftgate gas spring cylinders may corrode and lose pressure, which can result in a gas spring cylinder rupture or the liftgate falling unexpectedly.
Remedy 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 number for this recall is SR-25-002
Recall seat belts, rear or other, buckle 2020-07-13 · NHTSA campaign 20V403000
Summary 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 interference may cause the right-side seat belt buckle cover to come off, making the buckle latch inoperable and unable to restrain an occupant.
Remedy 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 for the owner's manual, free of charge. The recall began September 1, 2020. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-20-004.
Recall forward collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control 2018-09-14 · NHTSA campaign 18V621000
Summary 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 equipped with an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system and/or an Electric Parking Brake (EPB) system. The software for the Hydraulic Unit Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may be incorrect, possibly preventing the intervention of a safety system such as automatic emergency braking, Anti-lock Braking (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), or the Brake Auto Hold (BAH) function when any of these systems are in use.
Remedy 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. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-008.
Recall electrical system, software 2018-09-14 · NHTSA campaign 18V620000
Summary 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 incorrect software, the FCM-ECU (Electronic Control Unit) may apply braking for longer than needed, even after a pedestrian is no longer detected.
Remedy 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 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-007.
Recall Labels 2018-09-05 · NHTSA campaign 18V591000
Summary 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 requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy 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, 2018. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-18-006.

Complaints by component (57 total)

Engine
12
Air bags
10
Electrical system
9
Structure
8
Exterior lighting
5
Service brakes
4
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Powertrain
3
Seats
3
Wheels
3
Seat belts
2
Speed control
2
Suspension
2
Air brakes
1
Back-over prevention
1
Carry handle, shell, and base
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Lane departure
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

7

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

720189201962020620213202292023520248202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Driving down the road and the engine shuts off. Yes its available upon request. I have reported it to my mechanic. The safety is me and others as this has happened 3 times in the past 2 weeks in the middle of traffic.…"
    Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-09-15
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V252000 (Structure). The contact stated that the dealer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-09
  • "See attached document for complaint"
    Structure · filed 2026-02-17
  • "1. On hot/warm days when I start my vehicle it will run then die and give me the code for Mass air sensor which I replaced but it keeps doing it; the check engine will stay on for a while then turn off until it does it…"
    Suspension, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-02-10
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH over a pothole, the driver's side and passenger side curtain airbags erroneously deployed. The contact stated that…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-12-16

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Outlander two-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 25 30 27 MPG $2400
Outlander four-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Four-wheel drive 24 29 26 MPG $2500
Outlander four-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Four-wheel drive 20 27 22 MPG $3650
Outlander plug-in hybrid 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (1-speed) All-wheel drive 25 26 25 MPG / 310 mi range $2600
Outlander Sport two-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 24 30 27 MPG $2400
Outlander Sport two-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 23 29 25 MPG $2600
Outlander Sport two-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 23 29 25 MPG $2600
Outlander Sport four-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Four-wheel drive 23 28 25 MPG $2600
Outlander Sport four-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Four-wheel drive 23 29 26 MPG $2500

Specs and fitment

Third generation (GF), 2014–2021
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (common four-cylinder; ~4.9 qt with filter—confirm V6 in the owner's manual) , 4.9 qt capacity
Tire size 225/55R18

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V070000 covers certain 2014-2016 Outlander vehicles (with Outlander Sport on the same campaign) where water may enter the rear brake calipers so parking-brake actuator shafts corrode and bind; dealers inspect and replace boots, levers, caliper bodies, and piston assemblies as needed. Recall 20V403000 covers certain 2014-2019 Outlander vehicles where the second-row center seat-belt buckle may interfere with the right-side buckle; dealers modify the cover and add warning labels. Shared unit counts apply when other Mitsubishi models are listed.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Next year 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander See every Mitsubishi Outlander model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander reliable?

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander has 57 complaints with NHTSA after 9 years, or 7 per year. That is about even with the other Outlander years here. Their median is 8 complaints per year. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Support strut, Buckle, and Adaptive cruise control.

What are common problems with a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (12 of 57), then Air bags (10) and Electrical system (9). Those filings include 7 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Outlander has 51 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2019 has 29 complaints, 4 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander been recalled?

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander?

Owners have filed 57 complaints about the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander is 25.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander?

Fourth generation (2022-on).

What oil does a Mitsubishi Outlander take?

US notes list 0W-20 for the common four-cylinder engines; confirm V6 grades in the owner's manual when equipped.

What tire size does a Mitsubishi Outlander commonly use?

Third-generation US pages often list 225/55R18; fourth-generation trims use 235/60R18 or 255/45R20.