Mitsubishi Motors North America has announced it is recalling certain 2013 model year Outlander Sport vehicles. A potentially serious problem is being reported, as specific cars fitted with leather seat covers might not deploy their airbags properly.
In the affected vehicles, the wiring for the airbags may have been routed incorrectly when the seat covers were installed. If this is the case, raising the seats might damage the wiring, which in turn will result in the in illumination of the air bag warning light. Is a crash occurs the driver side seat mounted airbag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
The recall is only a small one and covers 733 cars built between July 20, 2012 and May 29, 2013. US dealerships will notify owners of the affected cars and then make the necessary inspections. If the wire is damaged, the seat mounted airbag will be replaced, free of charge.
The same model year of Outlander Sport has suffered a number of similar problems in the past. Last year, over 8,000 examples were examined because they had problems with brake lights, fuel gauges and gear shifters. The most serious of these was that braking problem which manifested by intermittent or continuous illumination of the braking lights without pressing the pedal, with the car shifting out of park mode as a side effect. Also, improper brake light illumination could cause crashes because other drivers may not know when the car is slowing down or stopping.
The recall is only a small one and covers 733 cars built between July 20, 2012 and May 29, 2013. US dealerships will notify owners of the affected cars and then make the necessary inspections. If the wire is damaged, the seat mounted airbag will be replaced, free of charge.
The same model year of Outlander Sport has suffered a number of similar problems in the past. Last year, over 8,000 examples were examined because they had problems with brake lights, fuel gauges and gear shifters. The most serious of these was that braking problem which manifested by intermittent or continuous illumination of the braking lights without pressing the pedal, with the car shifting out of park mode as a side effect. Also, improper brake light illumination could cause crashes because other drivers may not know when the car is slowing down or stopping.