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Mitsubishi Outlander throttle accelerator problem

23 messages,  Last post on Jan 02, 2013 at 7:14 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mitsubishi Outlander, SUV

Messages Page 3 of 3

#14 of 23 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem by k_olson_08

Sep 11, 2012 (5:45 pm)

I have had similar problems with my '06 Outlander as what I've been reading on this message board, and I think I have gotten my car fixed for real this time. I'm going to recap what happened to my car and hopefully this will help somebody else with an Outlander.
 
In July 2011, I was driving on the interstate and my car suddenly lost power and could only drive up to 45 mph, with me flooring it. I managed to drive it home and took it to a Goodyear the next day (closest place for me to go). The code came up for the accelerator pedal position sensor. I had the throttle replaced (this includes the sensor). The car was fine until August 2012. I was driving home from work, and suddenly my car lost power. I drove it to a mechanic in town. The next day they told me that, again, the code for the accelerator pedal position sensor came up. But, they said to take it to a Mitsubishi dealership to get checked and fixed. Since the dealership is far away and my car was maxing at ~30 mph, I chose to have it towed since that was the safer option. Once it got to the dealership, they tested the sensor, and said that there was nothing wrong with it. They ultimately found paint buildup on a wire in the car which was causing this fake code to come up on the diagnostics ... I've never had a paint job or body work done to my car, so the paint build-up must be a factory problem. This is what the dealership wrote on my report, "High resistance on pin 7 connector ZB115. Used multi-meter to check resistance of connector B115 to ECM connector B112. Load tested circuit in question. Ok. Found high resistance caused by insecure ground at ECM due to high paint build-up. Cleaned ground and re-tested. Ok."
 
Maybe other Outlanders have this underlying problem, because the posts I've read on here sound a lot like my situation. I only paid for the labor to get this fixed, but shouldn't have had to do that, since this appears to be factory paint. I'm not going to bother fighting Mitsubishi on the cost because I plan to trade my car in sometime in the near future (and probably not for another Mitsubishi). I don't know if paint build-up is common on wires for Mitsubishi or other brands, but this seems like a ridiculous problem, especially since it took 6 years of me having the car for something to happen and then an additional year for a mechanic to identify the underlying problem.
 
I hope this information helps someone ...

#15 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [k_olson_08] by kcole1

Sep 12, 2012 (7:45 am)

Replying to: k_olson_08 (Sep 11, 2012 5:45 pm)
Good Luck to you - my advice would be to be contact Mitsubishi the very second it happens again. I went through the whole complaint / arbitration process with Mitsubishi and they refused to acknowledge that there was anything wrong with my car because it was in working order at the time I filed the complaint. They ended up replacing the main computer in my car and I never had the problem again. Needless to say I will never again purchase a Mitsubishi and will pass the info along to my friends.
I traded it this summer thankfully and am very happy with my Hyundai Santa Fe!

#16 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [kcole1] by k_olson_08

Sep 14, 2012 (6:21 pm)

Replying to: kcole1 (Sep 12, 2012 7:45 am)
Thanks for the information. The service guy at the dealership told me that if the mechanic/tech hadn't found the paint build-up on that wire that they would have started taking my dashboard apart (to pinpoint where the electrical issue was) and it would have cost thousands of dollars in labor! My brother has a Mitsubishi Lancer and has had some major problems with his car, too. I have been thinking of trading in for a Toyota. It's really too bad, because I do love the car and would love to get another Outlander, but this problem is just too major for me to overlook.

#17 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [kcole1] by batman47

Sep 17, 2012 (8:10 am)

Replying to: kcole1 (Sep 12, 2012 7:45 am)
It is regrettable to read about your description of your Outlander problem. However, without any intention to diminish the occasional problems (electrical & mechanical) that the Outlander may have from time to time, I may say, that if you have come across other car manufacturer forums (see for example the Honda Pilot or the Subaru Forester) Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Subaru, Chevrolet, etc, etc; the number of complaints and re-calls are 2 to 3 times more than the Outlander.
 
Equally, respectable car review magazine put the Outlander reliability above average. Perhaps I am a bit biased about the Outlander (I owned 2-cars) for a maximum of 2-years each. The first I took to Alaska to a place called “Dead Horse” with more than 800 miles (return) on gravel (mud, ice, snow) without any electrical or mechanical problems. Furthermore, I took the second one from the US to Argentina (Ushuaia) on 40% of the road without tarmac (called “ripio”) without any problems at all. Those are the facts.
 
The Outlander, in my opinion, excels because of its mechanical prowess. The inside finish is poor, the paint is sub-standard, and it scratches easily. As an example, I may say my Lexus SC 300 its interior looks much better than my Outlander in spite of the fact that my Lexus is 16-years old.
 
There is no guarantee that changing to another make other than Mitsubishi will ensure that you do not have problems. You may ask yourself why there is a small garage in every corner in the US. There are a lot because there are millions of cars (regardless of make) that need something done. Still having a garage is a good business in the US.
 
Buying a new car is like choosing a wife. There is no guarantee that you will not divorce more than one time (presently more than the 40%)

#18 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [batman47] by solowalker

Sep 20, 2012 (8:41 pm)

Replying to: batman47 (Sep 17, 2012 8:10 am)
I agree with your Outtie assesment Bat...Yes, the interior is cheap but my dog never complaines..I also enjoyed your past posts from your adventures with your Outtie down in South America...
   I bought a new 2007 Outtie XLS now with 77K miles on the clock and have had no problems the past 5 years....NONE...And, I live at the Continental divide in the Colorado Rockies so this car gets to be my Jeep....I go everywhere with it, even the Jeep adventure roads because I spend almost every day somewhere hiking (I'm retired) on the many trails here and this car gets me up the crummy forest roads to the trailheads with ease.
    Plus, I think the 2007 and 2008 Outties are better looking than the new ones so I will keep this mechanical jewel of a car til I get 100K on the clock and then trade it in for a new Outtie, that is, if they look as good as my 2007 and has the smooth V6...

#19 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [k_olson_08] by knt2007

Nov 28, 2012 (7:35 pm)

Replying to: k_olson_08 (Sep 11, 2012 5:45 pm)
I am having the same problem with my 06 Outlander. Where was the wire located so we know where to start looking? I just replaced my accelerator pedal positioning sensor and a new battery and still have the problem. Please help! Thank you!!!!

#20 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [knt2007] by batman47

Dec 02, 2012 (8:57 pm)

Replying to: knt2007 (Nov 28, 2012 7:35 pm)
A faulty Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve that it is in the engine body is the main cause of loss of engine power even when pressing the accelerator pedal all the way.
 
Usually this problem is detected by the electronic scanner by recording a fault code. I have not been in the situation of changing the EGR valve in any of my Outlanders but indeed I changed it in a previous Hyundai Tucson (2005) where the manual recommended changing this valve at 30K miles. I have also changed this valve or equivalent in my Lexus 1996 as a routine job every 40K miles, just to keep the engine performance in good working order.
 
I came across to this problem with the small car of my wife when on the highway her car started to lose power suddenly. It was not a nice experience. The same day I took her car to a garage where a scanner was used to find out the problem. The problem was traced to a jammed EGR valve. I had to pay for the finding of the code, the part, and the labor.
 
Mitsubishi dealers’ service men may exaggerate the problem or pretend that the problem is unique in order to profit from unaware customers. Without an elementary knowledge of cars, owners are easy prey for exploitation.

#21 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [knt2007] by k_olson_08

Dec 28, 2012 (6:46 pm)

Replying to: knt2007 (Nov 28, 2012 7:35 pm)
Hi - I just saw your message now, so sorry for this late reply. I wrote down exactly what was in the service report of my car in my post -- ("High resistance on pin 7 connector ZB115. Used multi-meter to check resistance of connector B115 to ECM connector B112. Load tested circuit in question. Ok. Found high resistance caused by insecure ground at ECM due to high paint build-up. Cleaned ground and re-tested. Ok.") -- so if you show that to a Mitsubishi dealership, they should be able to to locate the wire.
 
Sorry, again, for the late reply and I hope that you're able to get your car fixed.

#22 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [k_olson_08] by knt2007

Dec 28, 2012 (8:57 pm)

Replying to: k_olson_08 (Dec 28, 2012 6:46 pm)
Thank you. We replaced the sensor and it didn't work. The garage we went to said it is saying to reprogram the computer and adjust throttle body. The closest dealer is 2 hours away. We have to tow it there to see what they say. The guy that has been helping me at the dealership over the phone trying to get it repaired around here, says he will work me in as soon as I get there. With the holidays it has been hard to
 get someone to tow it and find the money to pay for it all. We have been without it since two Fridays before Thanksgiving. I think we are just going to rent a car dolly and take it ourselves. Bad part about small town living..But thank you and I will print and take what you wrote with me

#23 of 23 Re: 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander - Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor Problem [knt2007] by k_olson_08

Jan 02, 2013 (7:14 pm)

Replying to: knt2007 (Dec 28, 2012 8:57 pm)
Wow, it sounds like you've really been having a rough time. When I had my car towed, I called AAA (I'm a member) and they towed it for me to the dealership. I think the total miles towed was about 25, which cost me $100 after the 5 free miles deduction I have with my AAA membership. However, I then called my car insurance company to ask if any of this was covered in my policy and they reimbursed me for the entire cost. You might want to check with your car insurance company and ask if they would pay for all or part of the towing cost.
 
If you have the same problem as I did, then it should take the dealership no time at all to locate the wire and clean off the excess paint. So, your repair cost should be minimal if the paint build-up is what they find. I had to pay 4 hours' worth of labor because they had no idea where the problem was. I've gone on 2 long trips (~800 miles) since I had my car fixed and (*fingers crossed*) the problem hasn't happened again. I'm really hoping it's fixed for good.
 
I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope that you are able to get your car fixed and that you have no more problems in 2013!

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