Received a safety recall notice in august 2016. As of this date the part to repair the vehicle is not available. Have call mitsubishi several times and they keep saying the part is being processed. Confusion as to whether the parts are sent to a dealer for repair or if the vehicle needs to be inspected first and then the part is ordered by the dealer. The dealer claims that the vehicle needs to be inspected first then the part is ordered if necessary. Mitsubishi states that they will determine how many parts to send to what dealers. Confusion. Nearest dealer to me is 3 to 4 hours one way trip. If the vehicle needs to be inspected first before the part is ordered then if will have to make two 6 to 8 hour round trips. How the dealer knows how many parts to send to what dealers does't make sense. This part is needed to prevent the vehicle's steering from failing. The part is the lower control arm. Please clear this up for me.
2003 Mitsubishi Outlander steering problems
14 complaints (12% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 8,000. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 8,000
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Linkages2
- Rack and pinion: rack1
- Linkages: tie rod assembly1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mitsubishi Outlander steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi outlander. While driving 35 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound when the brake pedal was depressed and the front end of the vehicle shook uncontrollably. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that it needed a wheel alignment and the tie rod needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred intermittently. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v458000 (suspension); however,the part was unavailable for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,432.
The car steers to the right on highway., unable to repair.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi outlander. While driving at an unknown speed, small stones fell off of another vehicle and struck the sunroof of the contact's vehicle. As a result, debris and glass shattered inside of her vehicle. Two passengers were moderately injured. In addition, while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle rolled over without an impact or crash occurring. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but they could not identify the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 100,000. Updated 6/18/09 *cn the consumer stated the sun roof was not tempered. Updated 06/22/09.
11/08/07 my husband was driving our family to my sons football practice when he noticed that the entire steering wheel was shifting left to right in the dash board. 11/09/07 my husband looked at the steering wheel and it was literally flopping around in the dash board, when he removed the dash the steering column fell in the driver's seat. The entire steering column broke free from were it is bolted to the car.
On sept 3 my wife was driving our 2003 mitsubishi outlander when it veered to the right so sharply that it almost pulled the steering wheel from her grasp. The could not duplicate the occurrence,we decided we would get it checked out next week. Before we could get the vehicle checked out,due to hurricane katrina,on sept.9 my youngest daughter was just leaving school, had only gone a few hundred yards when the car suddenly veered to the right,causing her to go off the road and flip the car. A witness said she saw something fly out from underneath the car just before the crash. With the car upside down we all saw the cv joint broken. I looked on the side of the road down from the accident site and found a part that may be the cause of the crash,I am checking this out,but have also found out through internet research that this is a problem with this model vehicle. Does someone have to die before an investigation is done concerning this serious flaw in construction.
Vehicle in for second repair of steering rack. First time the rack was replaced. Requested replacement again. Very rare failure, yet twice within 30 k miles? There is a variable pulsing and unequal pressure within the steering rack hydraulics. First instance 16000, second 31k miles. Additionally failed tie rod in this second instance. Being repaired at university mit. In bloomington, indiana, as in the first instance. Called mit. Cust svc and requested new rack and repair of tie rod as well as alignment. They state this to be an isolated, twice struck, defect issue and not a cross platform/vehicle model problem.
While making a right turn the steering wheel wandered off on its own. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer. The mechanic could not duplicate the problem. The driver informed the mechanic the problem had occurred more than once and the problem has not been resolved.
Vehicle pulls to the right from the day I received it, returned for service several times, still pulls to the right. Front tires are worn after 29,000 miles. Last visit tires were rotated and now the vehicle pulls very hard to the left. Now I am bringing it back to rotate the tires back so now it will continue to pull to the right again I'm sure. I don't feel safe driving this vehicle.
Drifts to right-been back 4 times for this- now last time they say nothing is wrong and it no longer drifts-as I drove out of dealer I let go of wheel and off it goes to the right...again..
Questions about the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander steering
Does the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander have steering problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the steering of the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander, 12% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 8,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mitsubishi Outlander have bad steering?
The Mitsubishi Outlander model years with the most steering complaints are 2003 (14 complaints) and 2007 (11 complaints).
Other 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander problems
Suspension 28Lights 19Engine 16Visibility 11Electrical 9Airbags 8Fuel system 6Seat belts 6Transmission 6Body 5Acceleration 4Brakes 2Locks 2Tires 1Wheels 1
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