— A Mitsubishi Outlander hood flutter recall allegedly should have been issued for model year 2022 Outlanders because technical service bulletins (TSBs) issued by Mitsubishi allegedly haven't fixed the flutter and bounce.
The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander class action lawsuit alleges the automaker knows “hood flutter may occur on 2022 Outlanders,” so bulletins have been issued to dealers with directions to adjust the hood latches and bumper stops.
Mitsubishi dealers have also been told to replace the weather stripping around the hoods, but the lawsuit claims none of the repairs have worked and a recall should have already been ordered.
According to owners of 2022 Mitsubishi Outlanders, the hoods look like they could open at any time, especially when driving on a highway with the wind hitting the hoods and when the SUVs hit bumps which cause the hoods to bounce.
Massachusetts plaintiff Jesse Rezendes purchased a new 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander with a hood that flutters and bounces.
The plaintiff, who sued for more than $5 million, says the hood caused him to "feel unsafe and concerned whether the hood would become unlatched and fly open when driving, and was a distraction whenever he drove his car at highway speeds or in windy conditions."
The lawsuit says he complained to the Mitsubishi dealer in July 2021 but was allegedly told there was no repair for the hood flutter. The plaintiff says he took the Outlander to the dealer in November and this time technicians followed the bulletins and adjusted the hood and replaced all three hood weatherstrip seals.
However, the plaintiff says the hood continues to flutter and bounce.
Mitsubishi Outlander Hood Flutter Bulletins
In March 2021, Mitsubishi issued technical service bulletin TSB-21-42A-001 for all 2022 Outlander SUVs due to hood flutter.
Mitsubishi says the hood flutter is caused by improper hood latch and bumper height alignment, and if “an affected vehicle is reported with the described condition,” the dealer shall “diagnose the condition, repair as described in this bulletin and submit a normal warranty claim.”
Then in April 2021, Mitsubishi issued to all its service and parts managers a document titled, “2022 Outlander Hood Flutter Adjustment Special Customer Satisfaction Campaign.”
"Please use the following procedure on all 2022 Outlander vehicles (EXCLUDING ES MODELS) - currently in your inventory and those that will be arriving at your dealership in April - to install countermeasure weather-strips to resolve a hood flutter centered around air intrusion to the engine compartment. This procedure is in addition to TSB-21-42A-001 and will ensure that the wind intrusion is minimized." — 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander hood flutter campaign
But in June 2021, Mitsubishi issued a revised TSB-21-42A-001 (TSB-21-42A-001REV2) “to provide clean points for the Hood Latch Adjustments” for hood flutter on 2022 Outlanders produced prior to March 25, 2021.
Three weeks later Mitsubishi issued hood flutter bulletin TSB-21-42A-005 titled “Hood Flutter” which advised dealers all 2022 Outlanders built prior to May 12, 2021, may suffer from hood flutter.
"Countermeasure front end and grill side (both LH/RH sides) weather strips with internal padding have been incorporated into production as of May 2021, to minimize the hood flutter.” — TSB-21-42A-005
The hood flutter class action lawsuit alleges Mitsubishi admits the repairs only minimize the bounce and flutter but don't resolve the issues. Additionally, dealers were told to perform the hood flutter repairs “on a customer complaint basis only.”
But then in December 2021, Mitsubishi issued TSB-21-42A-011 titled, “Modified Hood For Hood Flutter - 2022 Outlander,” which covers all 2022 Outlanders to replace the hoods with different reinforced hoods.
However, at the time Mitsubishi said, “there is an extremely limited number of new hoods currently available.”
According to the plaintiff, the hood flutter creates a safety hazard because a driver is distracted by the bouncing and fluttering hood while fearing the hood is getting ready to unlatch and open.
Because there has been no Mitsubishi Outlander hood flutter recall, the automaker allegedly continues to conceal the defects from consumers instead of replacing the Outlander hoods with non-defective hoods.
The Mitsubishi Outlander hood flutter lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts: Jesse Rezendes, vs. Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
The plaintiff is represented by Lemberg Law, L.L.C.