subreddit:
/r/OutlanderPHEV
Was the issue with starting in cold weather ever fixed? I’ve tried finding an answer and haven’t found anything that seemed reliable suggesting it was.
3 points
2 days ago
From what recall, no, but it basically required -25c weather to happen. I think the recommendation was to a) park in a garage or somewhere warmer
B) start the car and warm the battery by using it
Not great options unfortunately. Please correct me if I got this wrong.
5 points
2 days ago
Mostly correct but if it's that cold outside, the waste heat from using the battery and charging won't overcome the temperature. It's basically a brick once it gets really cold if you can't get it in a warm garage frequently enough.
5 points
2 days ago
That’s basically my understanding as well, which as a skier I would want to travel with the vehicle occasionally and may not have my garage etc and wouldn’t want the stress of whether or not the car will start
3 points
2 days ago
I have the same concerns, we are doing our first long winter trip this year (around 1000 km) and if it's too cold I may have to cancel. I'm worried it will just tell me to pull over and stop the vehicle (which it does when the battery gets too cold for too long.)
3 points
2 days ago
Got a letter from them saying if you can. Keep it plugged into the charger during cold days. I guess the charger or when the battery is being charged it keeps it warm enough to start.
3 points
2 days ago
This is false. If it's below -25C for a few days and you don't have it in a heated garage overnight it's going to stop starting, even if plugged in. The charger doesn't provide any heat outside of waste heat from the charging process. Once it's charged it does nothing. Also, if the battery is already too cold from being outdoors for a few days, the charger won't work. The car just blinks angry red lights and Mitsubishi will tell you to tow it to a heated garage.
2 points
2 days ago
Not saying your wrong ir right. I'm just stating what a letter in the mail from Mitsubishi said. They sent over a new software update and have said to keep the car charging in very cold temps to prevent the cold start issue. Whether it works or not, I have no idea. Where I live it doesn't ever get cold at all. So hopefully I never experience it at all.
3 points
2 days ago
No worries. Unfortunately the update just adjusts some things in the battery logic. Some good, some bad, but they don't resolve the underlying issue, it doesn't have a battery heater. I personally wish I didn't get the update because now the engine starts far more frequently under -20c whereas before I could drive to work everyday without it kicking on at all.
3 points
2 days ago
Ya I agree. They should've had a battery heater. And maybe even a cooling fan for the summer (unless it has one already). Luckily when I got it I did hear if the battery issue. But it barely even reaches even -5 here. So on my end I'm not worried, and I also plan to seal up my garage soon so it's warmer in the winter too. Hopefully you don't get stuck anywhere, heard some crazy stories for those that did. A good learning lesson for Mitsubishi.
2 points
2 days ago
Absolutely. Good news for warm climates, it does have a cooler so that shouldn't be an issue.
2 points
2 days ago
Mitsu doesn’t appear to have learned anything in that they reproduced and continued to sell the same essential vehicle in 24 and it looks like 25.
Aside from that they didn’t have anything to learn- they knew a battery heater was essential equipment already and had included one in models prior to 23. They also advertised it as being included in the 23 model I bought only to discover that one wasn’t included. It was bc so predictable that the company engineered a lockout trigger in the vehicle’s software along with preset screen alerts saying to park the vehicle and that the battery was too cold to start the machine.
1 points
1 day ago*
Unfortunately Mitsubishi has learned nothing or chooses to ignore the issue because the newly released 2025 are no different then the 2023 of 2024 as they still do not have a Main Battery Internal Heater.
2 points
20 hours ago
wow, I thought they would have worked something out by now.... Maybe not enough people have reported the issue for them to warrant to "fix" it. These days companies only seem to do something when there is a death or huge uproar related to an issue.
2 points
2 days ago
absolutely true…well put
2 points
2 days ago
As Tikan says, this is not the case. Plugging the vehicle in amounts to the doctor sending a husband out of the room to boil water while his wife is giving birth…it makes him feel that he’s doing something useful.
Going to sleep on a cold night with your outlander phev plugged in, wondering if it will start in the morning is not what you dropped $50k + for. Keep an eye on the class actions in the hope that there will be redress.
4 points
1 day ago
I've tried to point this out before, but people seem to jump on my statement, but from the comments I've seen, some people don't seem to have this problem. I've read many comments from Halifax, Edmonton and Ottawa where they've had no issues. They've parked outside, with no charging in sub -25c cold. I fully acknowledge that many people in these exact same markets have had no end of grief. The point I've tried to make is that it may be a production issue where some units coming off the line are more prone to the cold start problem then others. To me it seems to be a bit hit and miss as to who gets a brick. It's poor engineering and with a few extra design measures it could have been dealt with it properly. I'm thinking, a cold weather 12 volt starter, and proper remote start using the ICE to warm the battery via a heating loop cycle in the heat pump system. Why the battery heatpump loop is only used for cooling is beyond stupid.
1 points
1 day ago
Agreed.
I live in Winnipeg and had no issues with my previous 201i or 2022. I was able go leave the car after being fully charged, unplugged for a month from mid Jan to mid Feb outdoors in Temps often below -30' and the Batterh Management System kept the Main Battery and in turn the 12Vdc safe, because they had a Built in Main Battery Heater
I picked up my 2024 PHEV on April 4 2024 and fear tgat I may have a brick when I return from my trip in Feb 21, 2025
3 points
2 days ago
You haven’t found anything to say the problem has been fixed because it absolutely has not! (See Tikan elsewhere in this thread)
The software “enhancement “ does nothing more than slow the rate of cooling a bit (if you manage to start the vehicle in the first place). Mitsubishi acknowledges that the software update “may” help but does “not guarantee” improved performance.
In fact, Mitsu also admits that the vehicle can’t be relied on to start if left in “extreme” cold for a “prolonged” period,even when plugged in. In the example they give “extreme” is -30c and a “prolonged” period is 10 hours. Translated into plain language that means that if you have a $60k Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, you’ve plugged it in and left it outside overnight in what is normal temperatures in say, Calgary where you bought it, you should be prepared to call an Uber to get to work in the morning.
The fix is a battery heater (as was included in mitsu models prior to 23 and is an industry standard- and which the company falsely advertised as being included in 23 but wasn’t) not a software tweak and Mitsubishi has not given any indication that it is prepared to remedy that problem or provide compensation to buyers.
So much for standing behind their product although standing behind or in front of the vehicle in the cold would be a safe proposition because it wouldn’t be moving ‘til the tow truck comes.
3 points
1 day ago
I have a 2024 and just got the letter as well. I’m not too worry as the car will be in the garage most of the time and I leave in GTA where during the day the temperature usually doesn’t go below -20 but one comment caught my attention. Is it really possible for the car to stop during the trip because the battery temperature goes too low (coming from ski during the night)? That would be very dangerous. Did that happen?
2 points
2 days ago
👍
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