Last week, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced two recalls of the automobile manufacturer’s popular crossover sports utility vehicle, the Outlander Sport. Both recalls involve dangerous manufacturing defects that could potentially lead to accidents and serious injuries; however, they also deal with completely different components of the 2013 Outlander Sport vehicles.
In the first recall, approximately 3,724 Outlander Sport models with All-Wheel Drive may have been manufactured without a fuel sending unit harness, according to the NHTSA. Without this particular harness, the vehicle’s gas gauge could display an incorrect fuel level, which could eventually lead to the driver running out of gas and stalling even when the gauge indicates that fuel is present. The vehicles affected by this recall were manufactured between June 11 and December 11 of last year.
In the second recall, approximately 4,539 Outlander Sport vehicles are being recalled because of possibly defective brake lights. Specifically, according to the NHTSA, these Outlander Sports fail to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requirements for lamps and reflective devices, as they may either stay illuminated after the brake pedal is depressed, or they could possibly not illuminate when the brakes are applied. In either case, the lights or lack thereof could cause other drivers to believe that the vehicle is braking when it is not or vice versa, leading to possible accidents and injuries. Additionally, this specific recall also involves hazards with the shift lever, as it could be moved from park without pressing the brake.
Neither recall announcement has been assigned a notification schedule as of yet, but Mitsubishi has informed the NHTSA that it will soon begin notifying owners of the recalls and assisting them in scheduling free repairs. In the meantime, owners can contact the company at (888) 648-7820 with additional questions.