They messed up my booking for my family, including my toddler. I've spent the last 4 days trying to get it fixed. Calls go unanswered, and every basic request seems to come with another charge. This has been an incredibly frustrating experience.
Hey everyone,
I’m sharing my absolute nightmare of an experience with **Palm Beach Mitsubishi (The Taverna Collection)** in Florida. If you own a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, especially a 2018–2020 model, you need to read this. This dealership put my life in danger, illegally withheld my vehicle, charged me $750 to cover up their own technician’s mistake, and is now attempting corporate damage control.q
Here is exactly how they operate and how they trap you when you try to claim your high-voltage battery warranty.
### 1. The Setup: A Routine Service Turns Life-Threatening
On April 10, I took my 2018 Outlander PHEV (65,000 miles) to Palm Beach Mitsubishi for a routine 12V battery replacement, oil change, and tire rotation ($558.99).
Immediately after leaving the lot and merging onto the highway, **my engine suffered a catastrophic power loss at highway speeds**. It was incredibly dangerous. I managed to limp the car back to the dealership immediately. Their staff confirmed there were "issues" but refused to do an emergency safety triage, telling me to "come back next week" because they had "no appointments".
I had to drive home in an unsafe, malfunctioning vehicle. Over the weekend, the car suffered a complete electrical death in my driveway and had to be towed back to the dealer on April 15.
### 2. The Warranty Trap & "Hostage" Fees
Because the car was back at the shop, I requested a **High-Voltage Battery State of Health (SoH) diagnostic**.[1] My hybrid battery has degraded by over 50%—charging only to 7–8 miles of range instead of the original 22 miles.[1, 1] I provided my 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty information.
Service Manager Audrey Henry told me I needed to approve **$750** (3 hours of labor at $250/hr) for the diagnostic. I approved it, assuming this was the diagnostic fee to establish a warranty replacement.
When I followed up, Audrey admitted that **the battery health check was never performed**. Instead, they claimed the $750 was used to perform "software maintenance cell resets" to clear the "limp-mode" error.
*Let that sink in:* **They charged me $750 to fix the electrical fault their own technicians caused on April 10 during the botched 12V battery install, while completely ignoring my battery warranty diagnostic request**.
When I demanded a written estimate (which is required by the **Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act F.S. 559.905** for any repair over $150) and a copy of the diagnostic, Audrey got extremely rude and literally hung up the phone on me.
### 3. Paying the Ransom under Protest
When I went to pick up my car on Saturday, May 2, the sales manager refused to release it unless I paid the $750, citing "Store Policy". I quoted **Florida Statute 559.909(4)**, which makes it strictly illegal to withhold a vehicle for unauthorized charges. They did not care.
To make matters worse, their card machines were "conveniently" down, and they initially demanded cash. In I refused, waited them out until they got a card reader working, and paid the $750 under duress and formal protest just to get my family's car back.
During the pickup, the service advisor on tape admitted that the $750 was for "software updates" and "resets". **Not a diagnostic.**
### 4. The Plot Twist: "Corporate" Damage Control
After I posted a savage 1-star Google Review and initiated a credit card chargeback through my bank, I got a voicemail from Service Manager Audrey.
With **zero apologies** for putting my life at risk or holding my car hostage, she claimed she was acting under a "Corporate directive" from Mitsubishi and demanded I bring my car back to the facility for "more testing".
When I asked what this testing was for and who would pay for it, she refused to commit to any specifics.
**My stance is clear:** Their sudden phone call is a tacit admission that the initial $750 "maintenance" was defective, flawed, or fraudulent.
If Mitsubishi Corporate actually wants to audit this vehicle, they can pay to **tow my car to their facility and tow it back to my house**. I am not wasting another dime or hour on this dealership.
### 5. Why the Mitsubishi 10-Year Battery Warranty is a Joke (US Owners Beware)
If you are buying a used Outlander PHEV in the US thinking the 10-year battery warranty protects you from degradation, do your research.
Unlike other countries (like the UK or Australia) which guarantee a 70% battery capacity retention, **the US Mitsubishi warranty has no explicit percentage-based degradation clause**. If your battery has lost 50% of its capacity (GOM shows 8 miles) but isn't throwing a specific error code, dealerships will do everything in their power to avoid replacing the pack. They will label basic software resets as "vehicle maintenance" and charge you $750 out of pocket to avoid opening a warranty claim.[1]
### What I’m Doing Now:
If you are in South Florida, stay far away from Palm Beach Mitsubishi and any dealer owned by **The Taverna Collection** (who currently has an "F" rating on the BBB with dozens of unanswered consumer complaints).
Has anyone else successfully fought Mitsubishi US on PHEV battery degradation? Let me know your experiences.
Hey everyone,
I’m sharing my absolute nightmare of an experience with **Palm Beach Mitsubishi (The Taverna Collection)** in Florida. If you own a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, especially a 2018–2020 model, you need to read this. This dealership put my life in danger, illegally withheld my vehicle, charged me $750 to cover up their own technician’s mistake, and is now attempting corporate damage control.q
Here is exactly how they operate and how they trap you when you try to claim your high-voltage battery warranty.
### 1. The Setup: A Routine Service Turns Life-Threatening
On April 10, I took my 2018 Outlander PHEV (65,000 miles) to Palm Beach Mitsubishi for a routine 12V battery replacement, oil change, and tire rotation ($558.99).
Immediately after leaving the lot and merging onto the highway, **my engine suffered a catastrophic power loss at highway speeds**. It was incredibly dangerous. I managed to limp the car back to the dealership immediately. Their staff confirmed there were "issues" but refused to do an emergency safety triage, telling me to "come back next week" because they had "no appointments".
I had to drive home in an unsafe, malfunctioning vehicle. Over the weekend, the car suffered a complete electrical death in my driveway and had to be towed back to the dealer on April 15.
### 2. The Warranty Trap & "Hostage" Fees
Because the car was back at the shop, I requested a **High-Voltage Battery State of Health (SoH) diagnostic**.[1] My hybrid battery has degraded by over 50%—charging only to 7–8 miles of range instead of the original 22 miles.[1, 1] I provided my 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty information.
Service Manager Audrey Henry told me I needed to approve **$750** (3 hours of labor at $250/hr) for the diagnostic. I approved it, assuming this was the diagnostic fee to establish a warranty replacement.
When I followed up, Audrey admitted that **the battery health check was never performed**. Instead, they claimed the $750 was used to perform "software maintenance cell resets" to clear the "limp-mode" error.
*Let that sink in:* **They charged me $750 to fix the electrical fault their own technicians caused on April 10 during the botched 12V battery install, while completely ignoring my battery warranty diagnostic request**.
When I demanded a written estimate (which is required by the **Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act F.S. 559.905** for any repair over $150) and a copy of the diagnostic, Audrey got extremely rude and literally hung up the phone on me.
### 3. Paying the Ransom under Protest
When I went to pick up my car on Saturday, May 2, the sales manager refused to release it unless I paid the $750, citing "Store Policy". I quoted **Florida Statute 559.909(4)**, which makes it strictly illegal to withhold a vehicle for unauthorized charges. They did not care.
To make matters worse, their card machines were "conveniently" down, and they initially demanded cash. In I refused, waited them out until they got a card reader working, and paid the $750 under duress and formal protest just to get my family's car back.
During the pickup, the service advisor on tape admitted that the $750 was for "software updates" and "resets". **Not a diagnostic.**
### 4. The Plot Twist: "Corporate" Damage Control
After I posted a savage 1-star Google Review and initiated a credit card chargeback through my bank, I got a voicemail from Service Manager Audrey.
With **zero apologies** for putting my life at risk or holding my car hostage, she claimed she was acting under a "Corporate directive" from Mitsubishi and demanded I bring my car back to the facility for "more testing".
When I asked what this testing was for and who would pay for it, she refused to commit to any specifics.
**My stance is clear:** Their sudden phone call is a tacit admission that the initial $750 "maintenance" was defective, flawed, or fraudulent.
If Mitsubishi Corporate actually wants to audit this vehicle, they can pay to **tow my car to their facility and tow it back to my house**. I am not wasting another dime or hour on this dealership.
### 5. Why the Mitsubishi 10-Year Battery Warranty is a Joke (US Owners Beware)
If you are buying a used Outlander PHEV in the US thinking the 10-year battery warranty protects you from degradation, do your research.
Unlike other countries (like the UK or Australia) which guarantee a 70% battery capacity retention, **the US Mitsubishi warranty has no explicit percentage-based degradation clause. If your battery has lost 50% of its capacity (GOM shows 8 miles) but isn't throwing a specific error code, dealerships will do everything in their power to avoid replacing the pack. They will label basic software resets as "vehicle maintenance" and charge you $750 out of pocket to avoid opening a warranty claim.[1]
### What I’m Doing Now:
If you are in South Florida, stay far away from Palm Beach Mitsubishi and any dealer owned by **The Taverna Collection** (who currently has an "F" rating on the BBB with dozens of unanswered consumer complaints).
Has anyone else successfully fought Mitsubishi US on PHEV battery degradation? Let me know your experiences.