Mitsubishi Outlander recalled for faulty seat belts

Pleasanton, CA – July 13, 2020 – Mitsubishi Motors (NASDAQ:MMTOF) has recalled 177,000 Mitsubishi Outlander SUVs due to an issue with the second-row seat belt. When the seat backs are folded down, the right-side seat buckle latch may become inoperable. The recall includes: 

  • 2014-2019 Outlander SUVs
  • 2018-2019 Outlander PHEV SUVs

Recall summary  

Due to an improper design, when folding the left-hand back row seat, the center seat may damage the belt buckle of the right-hand seat. If this happens, the buckle latch may not restrain an occupant during an accident.

Risks 

Seat belt use is critically important. If an occupant is not restrained by a seat belt, he or she has a high risk of injury in the event of a crash. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nearly 15,000 lives were saved in 2017 by seat belts used in passenger vehicles. Over 90% of occupants used seat belts in 2019.

The repair

To fix the issue, dealers will need to modify the seat belt buckle cover for the center seat belt in the second row. Dealers will also add a new warning label to the support base of the second row seat. The repair is free of charge and is available in September. Owners should plan on up to half a day to complete the repair.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 170,000 vehicles are included in this Mitsubishi Outlander recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Ken BoydMitsubishi Outlander recalled for faulty seat belts