Clearly an issue easily fixed by software. But too late for this poor owner. I haven't experimented with this myself yet. It may already be fixed. https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/MITSUBISHI/OUTLANDER/SUV/AWD#complaints ON 27MAY2018, I STARTED MY 2018 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV AND PUT IT IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF THE GARAGE. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE ALARM DINGED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT REVERSE. MY CONSOLE INDICATED THE CHARGE CORD WAS STILL PLUGGED IN. SO I JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR TO UNPLUG THE CORD, NOT REALIZING THAT I NEVER PRESSED THE ?P? BUTTON TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK. I DIDN?T EVEN THINK TO PRESS THE ?P? BUTTON TO INITIATE PARK BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAD NO MOTION. ANYWAY, I QUICKLY UNPLUGGED THE CHARGER, AND IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, THE CAR STARTED MOVING IN REVERSE, WHICH WAS THE LAST COMMAND THAT I HAD PLACED IT IN. IN SHOCK, I RAN AROUND TO THE BACK OF THE CAR WITHOUT SHUTTING THE ELECTRIC RECEPTACLE DOOR AND WAS NEARLY RUN OVER BY THE VEHICLE WHILE TRYING TO STOP IT FROM ROLLING OUT OF MY GARAGE. LUCKILY, I MOVED OUT OF THE WAY QUICKLY ENOUGH, BACK AROUND THE DRIVER?S SIDE OF THE CAR, HOPPED INTO MY SEAT, AND HIT THE ?P? BUTTON TO PARK THE CAR. HOWEVER, BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE ELECTRIC RECEPTACLE DOOR I LEFT OPEN IN MY HASTE WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED BY THE VEHICLE REVERSING INTO THE SIDE OF MY GARAGE DOOR OPENING. OVERALL, THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT I FEEL WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IN A CONVENTIONAL VEHICLE BECAUSE, IN A CONVENTIONAL VEHICLE, THE DRIVER, UPON REMOVING HIS OR HER FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, WOULD IMMEDIATELY NOTICE IF THE VEHICLE WAS ACTUALLY IN PARK OR REVERSE. IN CONTRAST, THE PHEV WAS IN A STANDBY STATE, WHICH APPEARED THE SAME AS PARK, THEREBY SIMULATING THE PERCEPTION OF BEING IN PARK EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY WAS UNDER THE LAST COMMAND OF REVERSE. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS INCIDENT HAS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT VEHICLE AND PROPERTY DAMAGE, NOT TO MENTION A HIGHLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WOULD RECOMMEND THE 2018 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV BE PROGRAMMED TO SHIFT TO PARK AUTOMATICALLY IF THE CHARGE CORD IS STILL PLUGGED IN.
Wow. Design failure there. Clarity PHEV owners have mostly discovered that the system will put itself into park (or not let it leave park) under oddball conditions such as this. Not having the shift lever present is definitely a contributing factor to someone doing this. I've been frustrated by the Clarity once already. Situation where you want to sneak up on something (like a newspaper), open the door and reach out and get it. I wasn't quite in the right spot, so with the door open, I unbuckled and then tried to let the car roll a little farther but it would have none of it and put itself in park.