Recall Date: 4/20/2026
NHTSA ID: 26V252
MFr. Campaign Number: SR-26-001
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Motors North America
Affected Components: Liftgate Gas Spring
Potential Number of Units Affected: ~108,046
Which Mitsubishi vehicles are affected?
This recall covers the 2014–2020 Mitsubishi Outlander and the 2018–2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, with 102,815 and 5,231 vehicles affected, respectively. These vehicles were not included in the original recall population for Safety Recall 25V-507, which was scoped to cover only vehicles registered in high road salt usage states — commonly referred to as the Salt Belt. This recall expands coverage to Outlander and Outlander PHEV vehicles registered or sold outside the Salt Belt region.
The defect is in the liftgate gas spring cylinder. Salt water can penetrate and accumulate within the dust cap of the gas spring, causing corrosion of the cylinder wall. Over time, as corrosion reduces the wall thickness, the pressurized cylinder can rapidly lose pressure. That can cause the liftgate to fall unexpectedly — a direct strike hazard — or in more severe cases, the cylinder can rupture. There is no warning indicator.
What drivers need to know
There is no preceding warning that the defect is present. Drivers would not know the gas spring is compromised until the liftgate fails to hold its position or a rupture occurs. Both conditions create an injury risk, and the absence of any warning makes this recall particularly important to address before owners discover the problem on their own.
The remedy is a full replacement of both liftgate gas springs. The replacement parts use an anti-corrosion coating on the steel cylinder, replacing the heat-shrink resin tube used on the recalled parts. The repair is free of charge. Owners who have already paid for a related repair can submit their original invoice to Mitsubishi for reimbursement consideration.
Dealers will be notified on June 3, 2026. Owner notification letters will begin mailing on June 17, 2026. VINs will be searchable in the NHTSA recall database beginning June 3, 2026.
Mitsubishi recall background
Mitsubishi’s original gas spring recall — 25V-507, filed in August 2025 — was limited to Salt Belt states based on the assumption that road salt exposure was the primary corrosion driver, and because no rupture case had been reported in the U.S. at that time. NHTSA challenged that geographic scope in August 2025, notifying Mitsubishi of a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire describing a gas spring rupture in a vehicle registered outside the Salt Belt. Mitsubishi and its parent company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, collected additional parts and initiated a broader investigation. They provided NHTSA with monthly status updates from November 2025 through March 2026. Analysis of the collected parts — including those from outside the Salt Belt — confirmed rupture and significant corrosion, leading to this expanded recall.
As of April 2026, Mitsubishi is aware of four warranty claims and field reports for gas spring rupture in the U.S., received between November 2025 and February 2026. No related accidents or injuries have been reported. For a full view of Mitsubishi’s recall activity this quarter, see BizzyCar’s Q1 2026 Recall Report.
Read BizzyCar’s Q1 2026 Recall Report →
How BizzyCar can help
More than 108,000 Outlander owners need both liftgate gas springs replaced. With dealer and owner notifications not beginning until June 2026, dealers have several weeks to identify affected customers and reach out before official letters land in mailboxes.
BizzyCar’s Recall Outreach product cross-references a dealer’s customer database against open recall data to identify which vehicles are affected. From there, BizzyCar’s AI agent reaches out to those owners through automated two-way SMS — scheduling appointments without requiring service advisors to work through a calling list. Dealers who move early on recall outreach consistently capture more ROs than dealers who wait for owners to self-schedule after the letter arrives. Book a demo.