Hello ,
I have an 07 Outlander XLS, I believe, and my Auto-Leveling headlights error message is coming on when my car changes pitch. My Dealer is an hour away and they cannot diagnose the problem without me coming back to see them and leaving the car for a few days (they tried once already.) This is very inconvenient, meaning a total of 4 hours in the car to and from, and lotsa mileage. Couple of questions...

1. Does my model and year actually carry this feature? I ask because the dealer, very accusingly(!) said that it didn't until I drove the tech around to witness the error message. I guess they thought it didn't have this feature because there is supposed to be a dial on the side of the dashboard for adjustment, and there is no dial on my dash.

2. Is there any harm in driving the car indefinitely with the warning message going off all the time? It will take a lot of effort to get back to this very inconvenient dealership, and it will take overcoming the frustration of having gone there already with no solution.

3. Thoughts on how I can have it fixed without involving the dealership? Would removing and reinserting the headlights fix it, by chance? (I read that this is not an easy task...)

4. My front bumper is popped off a little in the corners by the headlights, and there is a pressure crack on the front of the bumper, very small. A neighbor bumped the front of my car when backing up, but it didn't look like he hit me very hard. Could this have caused the problem, perhaps there is a sensor behind the front bumper?

5. There is also another situation which I am wondering if it is related because of what I read on here regarding the RF sensors that talk to each other and convey information about the car's pitch. I read that these are in the front suspension. The problem I am having is that when I am at a high speed, maybe 40 mph, and I have to brake somewhat rapidly, I hear a grinding/wobbling/rotational sound coming from the front driver's side wheel while I apply the brakes, and for a few seconds after I start to proceed forward again after stopping. It increases in frequency as the car speeds up, and slows as the car slows. IS this related at all?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

1) If you have the HID lights and you don't have a level switch you may have the auto-leveling lights but I am not 100% sure about your model year. (and I was unable to find the feature mentioned in the service manual) The dial if there would be near the drivers door on the lower dash where the disable TCS button is. The do mention the manual leveling switch in the service manual so I don't know.

2) As long as your lights don't go wacko so you can't see I wouldn't worry about it too much... In all likelyhood if the system has detected an error it's probably turned itself off. If you get the ETACS cable you should be able to tell the car that it doesn't have the auto-leveling system and that should stop the warnings.

3) I can't seem to find anything about the auto leveling system in the service manual I got. If you actually have the system I would start by locating the harness connections for the motors and such and re-seat them. I have found unplugged headlight leveling connectors before.

4) I can't seem to find the location of the sensor but if it is in the bumper there you may have a disconnected harness, a pinched wire or a broken sensor. Anything is possible. can you get in there to take a look? Also did the problem start right after the accident? That would be a pretty good indicator.

5) Sounds like it's possibly a warped disc rotor or a wheel bearing or something.. Might want to have a local mechanic look at that wheel.. They should be able to identify if there is a mechanical problem there or if something is broken/loose and scarping...

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

Guy, thanks so much. That is helpful information. Some follow-ups...


2. What is the ETACS cable? I don't know a thing about cars, and I am female! Ha.

5. Probably ok to drive with the rotor or bearing situation for a bit, maybe a week, right?

New question, 6: Must I take this to a dealer to fix, or could a regular mechanic fix, possibly? I was told by one that it had to be a dealer so they could read the error code, but there is a mechanic that says they specialize in Mitsubishis that I may try.

 

2) In the Outlander forum section there's a really long discussion called ETACS customization (look at the first post).. It's basically a computer cable that talks to your car and lets you change various setting. You can also ask the dealer if they can disable them for you (I don't know if they will/can). There are lots of males that don't know anything about cars, it's all about being good at pretending.

5) You should be fine for a week but I would for sure have someone look at it. If you take it to a shop they should be able to identify the problem in like 15 minutes so it probably won't cost much. They can tell you if it's dangerous or not (depending what exactly is making the noise) and what it will cost to have fixed. Once the actual cause is diagnosed (I am just guessing without seeing the car) if you want to ask for advice on the cost, etc. you can come back and ask us again.

6) It depends on the mechanic. Some of them have expensive tools that allow dealer type access to most cars and some have the same equipment that the dealer has if they specialize in Mitsubishi... Your best bet is to call said mechanic and ask if they can assist with your specific problem. They may also be able to disable the system for you and leave you lights in a fixed position.