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Federal filingsHome›Recalls› 21V144000
NHTSA campaign 21V144000 · manufacturer recall SR-21-001

2013–2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: structure recall

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

high 15,347 vehicles affected 23% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
Problem Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Outlander Sport vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The front lower control arms may detach due to the front cross member corroding from salt water exposure, such as from road salt use. Risk A detached front control arm can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix 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, free of charge. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-21-001. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-279. Owners not previously notified under 20V-279 were notified on March 22, 2021.

Reported to NHTSA Mar 5, 2021 by Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc, owners notified Mar 22, 2021.

What that means, in plain English

Source: WhichTrim's reading of the filing above — not NHTSA's wording

Corrosion-induced detachment of the front lower control arm can cause loss of steering/suspension control, directly enabling a crash, but the filing describes a gradual corrosion process rather than a sudden, without-warning failure at speed that would warrant critical.

Written for us by a language model from the manufacturer's filed text, which is quoted in full above. Where the two differ, the filing is the record and this is only our summary of it.

The fix, from the dealer bulletin

Source: NHTSA remedy instructions and dealer notice
Stop-sale Yes: the bulletin says the vehicle may not be sold or delivered until repaired
Remedy Instructions filed: the dealer bulletin exists

Special tools

  • EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS 1. Obtain necessary tools, equipment and materials 2. Dealers that do not already have the Spray
  • Inspect consistency of the Anti-Corro sion Agent (P/N: MZ341024EX) before
  • use. The consistency should be smooth and creamy. If the consistency is chunky (like cottage cheese) do not use and disc
  • ANTI-CORROSION AGENT MZ321015 (Canada) -
  • ANTI-CORROSION AGENT MZ341023EX Reference Page 12 Reference Page 15
  • T99XXKXX01 Reference Page 17 Reference Page 22 !! IMPORTANT !! SR-21-001
  • FLOW CHART 2. Review flow chart SR-21-001

The advisory, as filed: “It is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by the notification under a sale or lease until the defect or noncompliance is remedied.”

Read from NHTSA’s copy of the manufacturer’s dealer documents (manufacturer campaign SR-21-001). The procedure itself is in the bulletin; a franchised dealer has the current copy on the manufacturer’s portal, and that copy governs. Working a lot or a fleet? Recall Watch carries this line on every VIN it checks: remedy status, hours, stop-sale.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 21V144000
Model yearOn WhichTrim
2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sportevery Mitsubishi on this site
2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sportevery Mitsubishi on this site
2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sportevery Mitsubishi on this site

None of the vehicles this campaign names has a page on WhichTrim: every model year it names is older than the catalogue, which begins at 2016. The campaign record above is complete as filed, and whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by its VIN. Other campaigns on vehicles without a page here →

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired 23%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. Type the VIN and the WhichTrim recall report checks this campaign’s build window and engine against it.

Campaign 21V144000 · the manufacturer calls it SR-21-001

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

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A recall covers a build range. Only your VIN settles it.

Check it with the WhichTrim recall report now, or have us check it every night and email you when something new is filed.

Photo: Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Is SR-21-001 the same recall as 21V144000?

Yes. SR-21-001 is the number Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc uses for this campaign in its own paperwork and in the letter it sends owners. 21V144000 is the number NHTSA files it under. One recall, two references — dealers and service departments generally quote the manufacturer's.

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.