Mitsubishi Electrical System: Interior/Under Dash

Mitsubishi is recalling about 43,649 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. Electrical corrosion of the harness could cause the seat belt pre-tensioner to malfunction, the side air bag not to deploy and/or the brake lamps not to illuminate or to falsely illuminate.

Campaign
03V194000
Manufacturer
MITSUBISHI AMERICA
Reported
20 May 2003
Vehicles
43,649
Built between
Aug 2002 – Apr 2003
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
23 June 2003
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 2002 and April 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2003 Mitsubishi OutlanderBuilt August 2002 to April 2003

What the defect is

On certain sport utility vehicles, water could enter the front floorboard area from openings in the side sill or upper dash area. This water could collect under the seat and cause electrical corrosion to occur in the harness connectors that contain the wiring for the seat belt pre-tensioner, side air bag impact sensor, and stop lamps.

What could happen

Electrical corrosion of the harness could cause the seat belt pre-tensioner to malfunction, the side air bag not to deploy and/or the brake lamps not to illuminate or to falsely illuminate.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SIDE SILLS AND DASH PANEL FOR OPENINGS THAT MAY ALLOW WATER LEAKAGE INTO THE VEHICLE CABIN. IN ADDITION TO SEALING ANY OPENINGS THAT MAY BE FOUND, THE WIRING CONNECTORS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR SIGNS OF ELECTRICAL CORROSION. THE FLOOR HARNESS WILL BE REPLACED IF IT HAS ANY SIGNS OF WATER DAMAGE OR ELECTRICAL CORROSION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 23, 2003.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 2002 to April 2003
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA20 May 2003
  3. Owners notified23 June 2003

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 20 May 2003.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mitsubishi america at 1-800-222-0037 or mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
MITSUBISHI AMERICA
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand