Mitsubishi is widening a safety recall to cover about 108,000 Outlander SUVs in the U.S., after engineers confirmed that the gas springs holding up the rear hatch can rust out and fail. Dealers will swap out both the left and right liftgate gas springs at no cost to owners. Vehicle ID checks and official owner letters are set for early to mid-June, so affected drivers should start seeing confirmations soon.
What’s included in the recall and why
The expanded action covers 102,815 conventional Outlanders from model years 2014 to 2020 and 5,231 Outlander PHEVs from 2018 to 2022, according to Reuters. Federal filings say saltwater can sneak into the liftgate gas-spring dust cap, corroding and thinning the cylinder wall until it quickly loses pressure. That wear can lead to a sudden cylinder rupture or an unexpected liftgate drop, which raises the risk of someone getting hurt.
How dealers will fix it and the schedule
Dealers will install redesigned gas springs that use a steel cylinder with an anti-corrosion coating instead of the original heat-shrink resin tube, Autos reports. Vehicle Identification Numbers tied to the expanded recall are scheduled to be searchable on NHTSA.gov starting June 3, and owner notification letters are expected to go out by June 17, 2026. Mitsubishi told regulators it widened the recall after finding ruptures and heavy corrosion on parts pulled from vehicles outside the original "salt-belt" group.
Why the recall was widened from last year
The broader recall follows an August 2025 action that originally covered only vehicles registered in states that use heavy road salt. That earlier NHTSA acknowledgment described the same corrosion problem and also called for dealer replacement of the gas springs. NHTSA records show Mitsubishi began tracking owner complaints and field reports last year before approving a wider remedy on April 14, 2026. The company says the affected models are no longer being built and that the replacement parts were redesigned and treated to better resist corrosion.
What owners should do now
If you own an Outlander from the listed years, plan to run your VIN through NHTSA’s online recall lookup once the campaign goes live, and call Mitsubishi customer service at 1-888-648-7820 with any questions, per Local Memphis. If you already paid to replace a liftgate gas spring, hang on to your repair invoices and ask your dealer about getting reimbursed. In the meantime, it is smart not to stand directly under an open liftgate that shows rust, dents, or odd movement.
How risky is this?
Mitsubishi reported four warranty claims in the U.S. between November 2025 and February 2026 and says it is not aware of any related crashes or injuries so far, Reuters notes. NHTSA estimates that about 1% of the recalled vehicles may actually have the defect, but the agency warns that a failing gas spring can give out suddenly and create a real hazard when people are loading cargo or working in a garage. Dealers will carry out the repairs free of charge once parts are available and appointments are set.
