A new Mitsubishi Outlander recall announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration affects 67,146 Outlander and Outlander PHEV compact crossovers from the 2025 and 2026 model years. The issue involves software that can cause the infotainment system and rearview camera display to malfunction, potentially leaving the vehicles non-compliant with federal rear-visibility requirements.
Only About 1% of Recalled Mitsubishi Vehicles Estimated Defective
Although 67,146 vehicles are potentially covered by the recall, Mitsubishi estimates that only around 1 percent are defective. The affected population includes 65,940 vehicles with traditional combustion powertrains and 1,206 plug-in hybrid models.
According to the NHTSA recall report, “improper software programming” can cause the Alliance In-Vehicle Infotainment system to fail to boot, freeze, restart unexpectedly or scroll unintentionally. The software issue can also cause the screen to turn completely black.
Any of these problems can result in non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #111 for Rear Visibility. The standard requires vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds produced from May 1, 2018, onward to have a working backup camera system.
Without a functioning backup camera, the risk of a crash and/or injury to a pedestrian is increased.
How Mitsubishi Identified the Infotainment Problem
Mitsubishi was first informed of the issue in October 2025 through a field report from Canada. The report described a 12.3-inch touchscreen in an Outlander becoming intermittently unresponsive, marking the first report of the problem in North America.
Mitsubishi immediately opened an investigation. In November, while the automaker was waiting for a recently replaced faulty infotainment unit to be shipped to Japan, it received additional reports from Canada.
The investigation continued until early last month, when engineers identified potential software programming issues. Mitsubishi subsequently determined that a non-compliance recall was necessary.
In the U.S., Mitsubishi offices have received 39 warranty claims and one field report describing similar problems. However, the automaker has not always found the same underlying programming issues in every affected vehicle it has examined.
What Mitsubishi Outlander Owners Need to Know
Vehicles produced after July 28, 2026, have reportedly already been updated with new software. Mitsubishi plans to provide the same software update to Outlander owners whose vehicles were produced before that date later this month.
Dealers will be notified on the 9th, while owners are expected to receive notification beginning on the 24th. Owners who do not want to wait can search their vehicle identification numbers under NHTSA recall 26V549 beginning on the same day dealers are officially notified.
The software update is Mitsubishi’s planned fix for the rearview camera and infotainment problems identified in the recall affecting the 2025 and 2026 Outlander and Outlander PHEV.
