How many recalls does the 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander have?

4 open NHTSA safety recalls are on record for the 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander, alongside 73 owner complaints.

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2004 Mitsubishi Outlander Recalls & Complaints

open safety recalls on record

Critical

73 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.69 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical04V197000

Trailer Hitches

OVERHEATING OF THE TRAILER HITCH WIRING HARNESS MODULE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

OWNERS ARE BEING REQUESTED TO STOP USING THE HARNESS UNTIL A NEWLY DESIGNED REPLACEMENT IS PROVIDED AND CAN BE INSTALLED BY THE DEALER. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 28, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-888-648-7820.

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH DEALER-INSTALLED TRAILER HITCH WIRING HARNESS AND CONTROL MODULE. THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE CAN OVERHEAT.

Serious03V429000

Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer

IF THIS OCCURS DURING SEVERE WEATHER AND DURING VEHICLE'S HIGH-SPEED OPERATION, THE DRIVER VISIBILITY WOULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ETACS MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 14, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-800-981-0452.

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES LOCATED IN THE CARIBBEAN, DUE TO A SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING ERROR IN THE ELECTRONIC TIMING AND CONTROL SYSTEM (ETACS), WHILE USING THE INTERMITTENT WIPER MODE, THE INTERMITTENT WIPER SWEEP TIME INTERVAL MAY INCREASE AS MUCH AS 6.8 SECOND BETWEEN WIPER SWEEPS.

Serious04V428000

Equipment:Other:Labels

THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Remedy & full details

MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN WILL MAIL A CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION LETTER CONTAINING A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION AND A GRAPHIC OF THE BI-LINGUAL DASHBOARD AIR BAG WARNING LABEL. IN ADDITION, ALL CURRENT 2000-2004 NATIVA OWNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT AIR BAG ALERT LABELS FOR THE SUN VISORS. THIS RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH OR APRIL 2005. THE NOTIFICATION TO THE NATIVA OWNERS IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL OR MAY 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-787-251-8715.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE BILINGUAL ENGLISH/SPANISH REMOVABLE AIR BAG WARNING LABELS AFFIXED TO THE DASH AND TO THE SUNVISOR DO NOT MEET THE SIZE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Serious16V458000

Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Arm

detached front control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front cross members. Depending on the level of existing corrosion, either a sealing/anti-corrosion agent will be applied or the front cross member will be replaced with a new one that has a sealing/anti-corrosion agent applied to it. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-003.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 Lancer, 2004 Lancer Wagon, 2003-2006 Lancer Evolution, 2003-2006 Outlander and 2007-2013 Outlander V-6 vehicles originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.

Complaint volume

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

13Crashes

0Fires

6Injuries

0Deaths

Across 73 complaints. Severity Index 0.69.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Suspension — 16 reports
Structure:Body — 7 reports
Steering — 4 reports
Air Bags — 4 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 4 reports
Exterior Lighting — 4 reports
Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 3 reports
Electrical System — 2 reports
Suspension:Rear — 2 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling — 2 reports

What to do

Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2003 (6) · 2004 · 2005 (1) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (9) · 2008 (12) · 2009 (13) · 2010 (10) · 2011 (8) · 2012 (6) · 2013 (5) · 2014 (4) · 2015 (5) · 2016 (8) · 2017 (6) · 2018 (6) · 2019 (5) · 2020 (3) · 2022 (7) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (1) · 2025 · 2026

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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