When I found the hole in my outlander, I really looked everywhere for damage around the area for any rocks or other foreign object that could've come in but really didn't see any dents or scratches on the transmission cooler or the surrounding areas.

I'll be putting in a mesh screen to eliminate this possbibility. If it happens again after I put in the mesh screen, I'll be having a little talk with MMC.

 

I think if you make and believe a statement like that, you have to imply that it was built correct in the first place and that you have a failure rate of 0%. If you look at my first picture, there is what looks like a notch in the gray painted area....there is an eyelet that a bolt goes through. It does not have a whole lot of plastic to it...I think that was the first piece to break. None of the other rivets broke, but the whole piece buckled back toward the tire. By the time I repaired it, the liner had almost cracked completely in half horizontally. Add 25 cents worth of more plastic...I'd rather pay that than 75 dollars for a whole new piece.


My dad has been in China for the past 3 weeks working in a injection molding plant trying to help them make parts for Volvo. The only electricity has been for the one injection press...no heat. Before he got there, they were making bad parts and knowingly sending them on.

Now perhaps the plant that produced these had a very high success rate...some will fail. We've read that some here have had the same thing happen. Those that come to this board are a small sample of those who have purchased the vehicle.

Edit: there are no scratches or dents in the area where my piece broke first or along any of the cracking.

 

Same exact thing happened to my Outlander.

The lining broke off the tab that clips it to the bumper. The clip and the broken part of the tab are still there.

Then the lining buckled toward the tire and cracked horizontally along the molded vents.

Then the tire rubbed a fist-sized hole in the lining.

For now I ended up patching it all up with strips of Gorilla tape. It is black, so it doesn't stick out visually, and it is quite thick. I didn't take off the lining, just patched it from the tire side.

Also while Googling for this, I came across a reference to this TSB, but can't read its contents.

Listed here:
http://www.automotix.net/autorepair/...ander-tsb.html


P.S. Manybrews, do you still think things don't just break by themselves? Of course they don't break totally by themselves. But there is probably too much air pressure there which caused the lining to buckle.

 

I have been using Gorilla tape, but it doesn't hold very well.

I think I want to try the rivet gun method.

I guess I will need to remove the fender liner first. What tool can I use to pop the liner fasteners?

 

I just used a regular flathead screwdriver...take your time as they'll be gritty...work the fasteners back and forth to get the grit out.

Make sure to get aluminum rivets and make the hole very tight for the rivet. it worked vey well for me.

 

Actually there is a service bulletin for this: https://mitsubishiforum.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=37309

TSB-09-42A-012

Anyone with Outlander 07-09 that had the splash shield cracked should have it replaced under warranty and if dealer refuses to do it after you mention that there is a TSB for it, call Mitsubishi Corporate. 2010-UP Outlanders have a new/reinforced splash shield design. Good dealership should replace both of the fronts free of charge.

 

Anyone know the contact number for Mitsu Corporate?

I went to Mitsubishi website but all they show are numbers to check on loan status or some other stuff.

 

Try this number: 1-888-648-7820 and have your VIN# ready. Anyway, first I would go to local dealership and mention the TSB, if they are gonna give you a hard time about it, then call Mitsu Corporate and mention which dealer and which names were unresponsive

 

That's what happened - a couple of weeks ago, I went to the dealer to do transmission service and mentioned the cracked liner and the TSB. The service adviser (otherwise a very nice person) told me that the liner fix would not be covered by warranty, regardless of the TSB. In his words, TSB is not a recall, and they don't have to fix it for free. He also quoted me what it would cost - $200+.

He had no problem fixing my rear window under warranty.

 

Has anyone had success getting this replaced under warranty anytime recently? My Outlander is now six years old, but both my front fender liners went to pieces at highway speed yesterday. Pieces of the left side went flying over the roof after rubbing against the tire and shredding. I thought I ran something over, but immediately remembered this thread after I got out to take a look and saw the hole where pieces of missing fender liner had been. The right side had come loose and was flapping against the tire threatening to do the same thing as the left side. This was at 70 mph but in windy conditions. The way this ripped off my car and went flying over the top of it and into the roadway behind me could easily cause an accident. I'm hoping the dealer will take care of this seeing it's a known issue.