Mitsubishi Recalls 141,000 Cars Because Front Suspension Components May Rust And Detach

Two recalls: corrosion and seat-belt assemblies 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall (20V279000) covering some 141,200 cars. The recall campaign includes 2008-2010 Lancers, 2010 Lancer Sportbacks, 2008-2013 Outlanders, and 2011-2016 Outlander Sports for possible corrosion damage to the front suspension. A separate NHTSA campaign (20V280000) affects 3,238 2019-2020 Outlanders and 2019 Outlander PHEV crossovers. The recall was issued for potentially faulty seat belts. 

The corrosion recall  covers a variety of threats to the underside of the vehicle.  Front cross-members on the recalled vehicles could damaged if corroded. Everything from snow-melting chemicals to melted ice can pose a threat during winters. The resulting corrosion could damage the suspension cross-member, causing it to fail and detach, significantly increasing. That said, the possibility the situation will be that dire is extremely small.

The suspension recall covers snow-belt states 

Mitsubishi says they will spray on and seal the cross member with new anti-corrosion protection for free. If the cross member is damaged, Mitsubishi will replace it free of charge.

A separate NHTSA campaign (20V280000) affects 3,238 Outlanders and Outlander PHEVs from 2019-2020. The recall was issued for potentially faulty seat belts. This recall covers a potential assembly mistake. 

A NHTSA document states, “Due to inappropriate manufacturing process at the supplier, the guide piece (which is a component part of the second-row seat belts’ anchorage) for the left side seat belt was mistakenly assembled with the right side seat belt, causing seat belt restraint efficiency for vehicle occupants to decrease in the vehicle collisions.” 

They expect about 1 percent of the seat-belt recalls to require repair. 

Visit the NHTSA for more information. You can also go to the Mitsubishi recall page here for more information.