Mitsubishi Outlander: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Mitsubishi Outlander: 14 model years scored from 1,105 NHTSA owner complaints and 67 recall campaigns. Worst year 2016, best year 2012.
Mitsubishi Outlander: which years to avoid
Across 14 scored model years the Mitsubishi Outlander ranges from 34/100 in 2016 to 88/100 in 2012 — a 54-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy an Outlander at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Power Train (70 of them).
Avoid: 2015, 2016, 2022 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2015, 2016 and 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, which have 234, 169 and 212 complaints and scores of 38, 34 and 34. Buy a 2011 to 2014 car, which score 79 to 88 on between 36 and 88 complaints, or a 2017 to 2020 car, which score 76 to 85 on between 29 and 55. The 2015 and 2016 cars are a transmission problem: Power Train has 142 and 70 complaints, Engine 47 and 28, and campaign 16V563000 covers the 2016 car's CVT control module while 17V609000 covers 2015 to 2017 cars for starter relays that can cause a stall. Two parking brake corrosion campaigns, 18V070000 and 20V741000, cover the 2014 to 2016 cars. The 2022 redesign is a different pattern: Structure leads at 75 with no campaign to explain it, and the car carries two seat belt retractor campaigns, a fuel pump campaign and three rearview camera campaigns. Most early-car campaigns are corrosion recalls limited to salt-belt states, for frame members, control arms and liftgate gas springs.
Read the guide
Used Mitsubishi Outlander and Outlander Sport: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Outlander changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 4 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2014
Mean score 84/100, about 4 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (41 complaints). 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2015–2016
Mean score 36/100, about 19 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (212 complaints). The record falls 48 points against the years before it. 7 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2017–2020
Mean score 80/100, about 5 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (35 complaints). The record improves by 44 points against the years before it. 8 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2023–2025
Mean score 71/100, about 14 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (20 complaints).
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2012 (score 88). Worst: 2016 (score 34, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 76 | BUY | $3,096 | 14 | 1 |
| 2024 | 74 | BUY | $3,217 | 26 | 1 |
| 2023 | 62 | CAUTION | $3,408 | 47 | 2 |
| 2022 | 34 | AVOID | $4,257 | 212 | 7 |
| 2020 | 85 | BUY | $3,628 | 31 | 3 |
| 2019 | 83 | BUY | $3,748 | 29 | 5 |
| 2018 | 76 | BUY | $3,940 | 55 | 6 |
| 2017 | 77 | BUY | $4,058 | 51 | 6 |
| 2016 | 34 | AVOID | $4,410 | 169 | 8 |
| 2015 | 38 | AVOID | $4,634 | 234 | 5 |
| 2014 | 87 | BUY | $4,441 | 45 | 4 |
| 2013 | 84 | BUY | $4,759 | 68 | 5 |
| 2012 | 88 | BUY | $4,848 | 36 | 6 |
| 2011 | 79 | BUY | $5,051 | 88 | 8 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Outlander, through the years →
Outlander sub-models & family
What goes wrong on the Mitsubishi Outlander
Across every Outlander model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train256 complaints across all Outlander years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System156 complaints across all Outlander years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Engine145 complaints across all Outlander years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other140 complaints across all Outlander years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Structure87 complaints across all Outlander years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
- Air Bags68 complaints across all Outlander years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Mitsubishi Outlander years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2015, 2016, 2022 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2016 is the weakest at 34/100, with its complaints concentrated in Power Train.
What are the best Mitsubishi Outlander years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2012 at 88/100, on 36 complaints and 6 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Mitsubishi Outlander problem?
256 of the complaints filed against the Outlander across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04