There are 6 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2012 Mitsubishi Outlanderin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The transmission prematurely fails and begins to shine and locks up
THE VEHICLE STOPS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING- USUALLY WHILE GOING 60 MPH AND REDUCING THE SPEED IN THE EXPRESS WAY, IT JUST AUTOMATICALLY TURNS OFF. IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED TO ME TWICE.
THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT CHANGE ALL THE TIME TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND SAID THEY WAS A RECALL IN 2014,15 FOR THIS PROBLEM. AND WAS SEE IF ANY OTHER 2012 HAD THE SAMD PROBLEM.
WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE POWERTRAIN TO STOP WORKING MAKING THE CAR IMPOSSIBLE TO REMAIN IN MOTION. THIS WILL HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. THE TRANSMISSION WILL HOWL AND SQUEAL RIGHT BEFORE IT NO LONGER WORKS. WAS TOLD BY MITSUBISHI THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION WAS NOT BUILT FOR LONG DISTANCE DRIVING, TOWING(EVEN THOUGH IT IS OFFERED WITH A TOWING PACKAGE), MOUNTAINOUS DRIVING OR UPHILL ACCELERATION. THIS IS UNSAFE AS IT CAUSES A SUDDEN STOP IN HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC WITH A CAUSE FOR SERIOUS INJURY IF ANOTHER VEHICLE WERE TO HIT THE STALLED VEHICLE
FOLLOWING I JUST SENT TO MITSUBISHI HEADQUARTERS I SEE RECALLS FOR TRANSMISSIONS FOR MY MAKE AND MODEL AND YEAR THAT STATES TRANSMISSION FAIL PREMATURELY BETWEEN THE MILES OF 114,000! AND 179,000 AND MINE DID AT 137,000 IT IS NOW STATING FOR 4 MODEL YEARS 2 OF WHICH ARE 2011&2013. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE FOR 2012 TRANSMISSION WHEN YES INDEED MY YEAR OF 2012 TRANSMISSION FAILED PREMATURELY? IT DID JUST AS YOUR RECALL STATES AND THEN WHEN I PUT IN MY VIN# I AM TOLD IT WASN'T MY SKIPPED YEAR THAT WAS PART OF THE RECALL. LATER DOWN THE ROAD MONTHS LATER I RECHECK AND MY YEAR NEWLY BECAME SKIPPED FOR THIS TRANSMISSION RECALLS. I BELIEVE THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE REASON FOR YOUR RECALL. CAN YOU DO THE RIGHT BY THE CAR I BOUGHT FROM YOU FOLKS AND REPLACE THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION THAT WAS PUT IN MY CAR? YOU: I HAVE A 2012 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER. I BROKE DOWN ON THE INTERSTATE AND HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE MITSUBISHI DEALER AND THEIR SERVICE DEPT SAID MY TRANSMISSION IS SHOT DUE TO A SECONDARY CODE THAT THE CVT HAS NON OPERATIONAL PRESSURE WITH AN INTERNAL WEAK OIL PUMP WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. AND IT WOULD BE 7,500$ JUST FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION AND AN ADDITIONAL 800$ TO PUT IT IN. I BELIEVE THERE WAS A RECALL SKIPPING MY YEAR CAR BEING A 2012 OUTLANDER. I BOUGHT IT NEW AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD DIFFERENT PROBLEMS WITH IT. ONE OF WHICH BACK IN 2016 THE PINION SEAL FOR THE TRANSFER CASE WAS FAULTY AND IT TOOK ME TO DEMAND CHECKING WHY I WAS GETTING A LEAK OF OIL LEFT ON MY CLEAN GARAGE FLOOR. I BRING THAT UP AS TO COULD THIS BE ONE OF THE CAUSES OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE? I DID HAVE IT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY WHICH NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I DIDN'T NOTICE THE LEAK MYSELF. WHILE I AM AT IT MY HEAT AND AC HAVE BEEN BARELY BEEN ACCEPTABLE FOR KEEPING US WARM IN THE COLD WINTERS HERE AND AC NOT PERFORMING VERY WELL EITHER. MY CAR IS NOW STRANDED AT THE BURLINGTON MITSUBISHI DEALER
TRANSMISSION/ENGINE MAKES A HIGH PITCHED WHINING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING ABOVE 2000 RPMS CURRENTLY. IT STARTED OUT ONLY DOING IT WHEN GOING UP HILL AT HIGHER RPMS BUT HAS GOTTEN WORSE. IT HAS ALSO AFFECTED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND HAD THE LOCKS, BACKUP CAMERA, REVERSE LIGHTS ALL GOING HAYWIRE. THIS WAS WITNESSED BY MY OIL SHOP WHILE GETTING AN OIL CHANGE ON IT THE MECHANIC COULDNT GET THE VEHICLE FROM DRIVE TO PARK AMD ONCE IT DID GO IT WOULD UNLOCK FROM PARK. I WAS TOLD IT WAS SENSORS BY A MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP BUT THAT DIDNT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT REVS THE ENGINE IT HIGH TPMS WHILE DRIVING NOT LETTINGNIT SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND MAKES IT SO YOU CANT GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION SHUTS DOWN. EVEN IN NEUTRAL THE RPMSWILL INCREASE WHEN IT DOES THIS. THIS IS A SAFTEY ISSUE WITH THIS ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IF YOU GET STUCK IN A HIGH TRAFFIC AREA AND CAN NOT GET TO A SAFE PULLOFF. IVE HAD MY KIDS IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED AND THE DEALERSHIPS (ALL 3 OF THEM) CA NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD TO MISS WORK FOR THESE APPOINTMENTS AND NOW THE WARRANTY IS EXPIRED AS I BOUGHT IT USED AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION OR ENGINE AND BEING THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND SEEING OTHERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME THINGS WITH THERE VEHICLES IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND CORRECTED. IT ALSO SMELLS LIKE RUBBER OR ELECTRICAL BURNING WHEN THIS HAPPENS.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026