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2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: hesitation when accelerating

48 of the 186 complaints about the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport describe hesitation when accelerating.

owner complaints
48
of this car's complaints
26%
typical mileage
30,000
recalls
2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 23 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Hesitation when accelerating by model year

  • 2022
    2
  • 2020
    2
  • 2016
    6
  • 2015
    48
  • 2014
    2

What owners say

Filed Nov 9, 2026 · Engine · CO

The vehicle is currently experiencing severe hesitation during acceleration, slipping gears, high RPM surging, shuddering, jerking at low speeds, and complete loss of motive power. This behavior represents a critical safety hazard, particularly when merging onto highways or turning across oncoming traffic. I have yet to take it to a dealer due to financial hardship and concern for my safety of driving it to one. It has yet to be inspected. Manufacturer was contacted via email about current issues but have had no response yet. There were no warning lamps when I initially was driving away from dealer.

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · PA

Ive had the car for about a year, the problem I've been noticing is a hesitation when pulling up to a redlight and it changes to green before you come to a stop, and when you press the gas pedal down right there when your rpms go up my car is like missing a beat if that makes sense, also it does it when hard acceleration from a complete stop as well, seems like it might stall out at redlights. I ran a diagnostic test and fault p1609 is popping

Filed Mar 4, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · CO

Hesitation when accelerating. Has stalled while driving. Has come to a complete stop when put in reverse.

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Transmission · 86,429 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated upon depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to shift to reverse(R). The warning message "Service Transmission" was displayed. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the transmission. The mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V563000(Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,429.

Filed Aug 6, 2025 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough idling, and the failure mainly occurred while the air conditioning system was activated. Additionally, while driving at various speeds or from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and responded upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while reversing. The contact stated that the failure had caused the vehicle to bump into nearby curbs while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined; however, the dealer cleaned the throttle body. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer approximately 4 to 5 times. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Filed Jul 15, 2024 · Transmission · PA

Was driving up highway and all of a sudden it felt like the car was hesitating and had hard time shifting gears, when you pushed on the gas the Rpms would go up and down but it seemed like the car wouldn’t go anywhere. I was in the left lane and traffic if going 70, 80 mph and the car would not go anywhere. It had to be towed to a garage. We was almost rear ended because we couldn’t get the car to go to get it off the I do have a text message from the machine from garage

Filed May 28, 2024 · Transmission · 79,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the gear independently shifted causing the engine to rev up and then immediately shifted back into the intended gear and stabilized. The vehicle failed to accelerate without a slight hesitation at a rate slower than intended. The Service Engine and Transmission Failure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the VIN not being included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed Apr 2, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · TX

The car started using more fuel, hesitatingly, slipping gears wouldn’t go in gear, died while driving.

Filed Dec 7, 2023 · Transmission · OK

We purchased new a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport which has a Recall regarding the CVT transmission causing Vehicle Hesitation when Accelerating increasing the risk of a crash. We began experiencing "Hesitation when Accelerating" along with a "Transmission Service Required Light" in November 2023. Upon contacting a Mitsubishi Dealership, we were told by a Service Rep that the Recall had already been performed on our vehicle and there was nothing else to do regarding the Recall. I explained that the problem with the CVT had not been correctly repaired due to the fact that we are now experiencing the cause and affect issues that mandated the Recall on the CVT Power Train. This is my wife's car and we are very concerned with this issue and the reluctance of Mitsubishi to correctly make the needed repairs under the Recall Notice.

Filed Oct 17, 2023 · Transmission · AZ

Hesitation when pressing the accelerator. This is a recall that affects 2015-2016 Outlander Sports but according to my vin it isn't needed on this car. I regularly will slow to make a turn or to a stop light and when i try to go it can take 0.5-5.5 seconds before the car will actually move. This has led to a dozen times where i have almost been in an accident because of it.

Filed Sep 15, 2023 · Airbags, Lights · WA

I have 2015 outlander sport has 100k miles on it and I had the transmission replaced at 62000 miles at the dealership but now I have a hesitation engine when go over 70k per hour on the highway and airbag service sign on for no reason and the fog light with the led light off with no reason too.

Filed Aug 1, 2023 · Transmission · 154,484 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated with the RPM's fluctuating before the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined there was a general failure with the powertrain. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V563000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,484.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)Reported July 28, 2016 · 82,436 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Outlander Sport vehicles and 2016 Outlander and Lancer vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a constant velocity transmission (CVT) that, in certain driving conditions, may cause a delay in the vehicle accelerating.
Risk
A hesitation during acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
MMNA has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the CVT control unit with modified software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1‑888‑648‑7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-16-006.

Recall number 16V563000 · Recall details

Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and linesReported July 22, 2016 · 45,731 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vehicles manufactured June 25, 2014, through November 25, 2015 and equipped with a 2.0L engine and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). During assembly, a clamp for a CVT hose may not have been properly secured, allowing the hose to detach and leak transmission fluid.
Risk
If enough transmission fluid leaks out, the transmission may not function properly and the vehicle may become inoperable, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, if leaking transmission fluid contacts an a hot surface there is an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy
Mitsubishi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the hose clamps, correcting their installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Mitsubishi customer service at 1‑888‑648‑7820. Mitsubishi's number for this recall is SR-16-005.

Recall number 16V548000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport hesitation

Is hesitation when accelerating a common problem on the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport?

48 of 186 owner complaints about the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (26%) mention hesitation when accelerating. The model year with the most reports is 2015.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport?

There are 2 recalls and 23 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Jerking 33Stalling 25CVT failure 16Transmission failure 14Check engine light 13Shudder 12Loss of power 8Slipping 7Wipers 6Engine failure 5Won't shift 5

All model years of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

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