NHTSA complaint #11617627

Owner complaint summary

While driving down the highway at 70 mph, my 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL suddenly shut off without warning, causing the entire dashboard and instrument cluster to go dark. In a matter of seconds, the vehicle unexpectedly braked on its own, decelerating from 70 to 0 mph in an extremely short distance. This abrupt stop nearly caused an 18-wheeler behind me to rear-end my vehicle. Thankfully, the truck driver was able to swerve just in time, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic collision. The situation could have resulted in severe injuries or fatalities. During the incident, all power to the vehicle was lost. The brakes became unresponsive and impossible to press, and the steering became extremely difficult to control, making it nearly impossible to maneuver the vehicle safely. This is the fifth time my vehicle has experienced this issue, with the past three instances almost ending in serious accidents due to the car’s complete failure to respond. After a few seconds of total power loss, the vehicle inexplicably starts back up on its own and operates as if nothing had happened. Despite this recurring and life-threatening malfunction, the dealership has been unable to identify or fix the problem after four repair attempts. Each time, they’ve tried different fixes: 1. Initially, a software update was performed. 2. Next, the ADAS controller was replaced. 3. Then, the body computer was swapped out. 4. Now, they are attempting to replace a power distribution system. Even after these numerous interventions, the problem persists, and the dealership has no clear understanding of the underlying cause. They have viewed a video of the incident that I provided, but no actual solution has been identified. The dealership has resorted to seeking advice from other brand technicians in an attempt to resolve the issue, but to date, there is no resolution in sight. This defect poses an imminent danger to my safety and the safety of others on the road.