Jump-Start the Car (PHEV)

If your Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is dead and won’t show READY, it is usually the small 12-volt auxiliary battery that has gone flat — never the high-voltage drive battery. You revive it from another 12-volt vehicle using the dedicated jump-start terminal under the bonnet, and the car then powers up silently. Here is the safe, manufacturer-approved method.

Before you start

• The flat battery is the small 12-volt auxiliary battery that wakes the hybrid system — not the large high-voltage drive battery. You only ever jump the 12-volt battery.
• You will need another 12-volt vehicle (or a 12-volt jump pack) and jumper leads in good condition. Wear eye protection and keep sparks and flames away from both batteries.
• Connect only to the dedicated jump-start terminal in the engine-bay fuse block and to an earth point — never directly to the auxiliary battery, and never to the orange high-voltage cables.
• This terminal cannot be used to jump-start another vehicle.
• Do not attempt a jump-start while the Outlander is connected to a charger or charging its high-voltage drive battery.

How to jump-start the car

1. Position a donor vehicle with a 12-volt battery close enough for the jumper leads to reach, without the two cars touching. Switch off the donor’s engine and turn off all lights and electrical loads in both cars.
2. Apply both parking brakes, and put the donor car in P (automatic) or N (manual).
3. Open the Outlander’s bonnet, remove the main fuse-block cover, and lift the small cover over the jump-start terminal (marked A) inside it.
4. Attach the positive leads: one red clamp to the Outlander’s jump-start terminal (A, +), and the other red clamp to the donor battery’s positive (+) terminal.
5. Attach the negative leads: one black clamp to the donor battery’s negative (−) terminal, and the other black clamp to the Outlander’s designated earth point — a solid, unpainted metal earth bolt or bracket in the engine bay. Do not clamp it to the 12-volt battery, to painted or body panels, or anywhere near the orange high-voltage cables.
6. Start the donor car and let it idle for a few minutes. Then, in the Outlander, press the power switch to ON, move the selector to N, and start the Plug-in Hybrid EV system. It powers up silently to READY — it does not crank like a petrol engine.
7. Check that the READY indicator is lit. If it stays off, stop and contact a Mitsubishi dealer — do not make repeated attempts.
8. With READY lit, remove the clamps in the reverse order of connection: the Outlander earth clamp first, then the donor negative, then the donor positive, and finally the clamp at the Outlander’s terminal A. Refit the terminal and fuse-block covers.
9. Confirm the selector shifts out of P, then have the 12-volt auxiliary battery inspected by a Mitsubishi dealer as soon as possible.

If it still won’t start

Do not make repeated jump-start attempts. If the READY indicator does not appear, the auxiliary battery may have failed or there may be another fault. Have the vehicle and its 12-volt battery checked by a Mitsubishi dealer — the owner’s manual advises against charging or replacing the auxiliary battery yourself, as it releases explosive gas and must be the correct type, correctly fitted.

Frequently asked questions

Why didn’t the engine crank when I jump-started it?

The Outlander PHEV has no conventional starter motor. The 12-volt battery only boots the car’s electronics and closes the high-voltage contactors, so a successful jump-start is silent — the car simply shows the READY indicator instead of cranking.

Can I jump-start another car from my Outlander PHEV?

No. Mitsubishi states the engine-bay jump-start terminal cannot be used to rescue another vehicle’s flat battery. It is there only to power the Outlander’s own 12-volt system.

Can I charge or replace the 12-volt battery myself?

The owner’s manual asks you to have a Mitsubishi dealer charge or replace the auxiliary battery. It warns of explosive gas and notes that even the correct battery type can be fitted incorrectly, so this is treated as a dealer job.

If a warning light stays on after you’ve jumped the car, you can look up what the specific dashboard symbol or fault code means on autodtcs.com.