Mitsubishi Recalls 227,000 Cars For Flying Sunroofs, Faulty Parking Brakes

Feb. 05, 2018 8:11 AM ET by Jay Traugott Recall / Comments

Hey, there have been worse recalls. Just ask Volkswagen.

Another week, another recall. It's almost become standard procedure, but automakers refuse to take any chances, and rightly so. The latest recall, according to the Associated Press, comes from Mitsubishi. Almost 227,000 vehicles in the US are part of this recall for two reasons: faulty glass sunroofs that may fly off, and parking brakes that may not work at all. Specifically, the sunroof recall affects almost 57,000 Outlanders built from 2007 to 2010, Lancers from 2008 to 2010, Lancer Evolutions from 2009 to 2010, and the 2010 Lancer Sportback.

Mitsubishi

Apparently the sunroof glass in those vehicles can detach and become a hazard. The remedy for this is to replace the sunroof entirely, which dealers will do free of charge. The second recall is for over 170,000 Outlanders from 2014 to 2016 and the 2013 Outlander Sport. Turns out water can enter the rear brake calipers, causing the parking brake shafts to corrode and possibly stick. As a result, this can stop the parking brake from holding the vehicles in place when necessary. Mitsubishi dealers will replace the brake foot, lever and caliper bodies if needed as well as the piston assembly. Despite the possible severity of these issues, both recalls will not begin until March 27.

It's kind of a case of bad timing for this recall because Mitsubishi proudly announced it sold a very impressive 1.03 million vehicles in 2017. Considering it was only a short time ago when Mitsubishi came close to failing entirely due to an emissions scandal of its own making in Japan, it was good to see it make a recovery. That can also be attributed to it becoming a part of the Renault-Nissan alliance not long after. It was that new joint venture that provided Mitsubishi with much needed cash to keep the lights on. Hopefully these recalls won't harm Mitsubishi in the long run. We're still rooting for it.