>A gas spring cylinder rupture or a liftgate falling unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury.

>NHTSA ID Number: 26V252000

>Manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

>Components STRUCTURE

>Potential Number of Units Affected: 108046

>Summary

>Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Outlander PHEV and 2014-2020 Outlander vehicles. The liftgate gas spring cylinders may corrode and lose pressure, which can result in a gas spring cylinder rupture or the liftgate falling unexpectedly.

>Remedy

>MMNA will replace the left and right liftgate gas springs, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 17, 2026. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-26-001. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov June 3, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V507.

Credit: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Hey everyone, I’ve got a 2000 Honda Insight 5-speed manual that I bought with the hybrid system already non-functional in early May... The previous owner had an alternator installed as a workaround so the car could run without relying on the IMA system.

The problem is that the charging system clearly isn't keeping up, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to fix it.

What it's doing

The car will eventually get to the point where it can't maintain enough voltage, especially at idle/low RPM.

• I have to keep it above ~2,000 RPM as much as possible to keep the battery charged.
• If I'm sitting at idle with the lights/accessories on for too long, the battery starts getting low.
• Sometimes while driving, the head unit will shut off, and I have to downshift/raise the RPM.
• When I do that, the voltage comes back up, the head unit turns back on, and the headlights noticeably get brighter.
• So the alternator is definitely charging at higher RPM, but apparently not enough at idle/low RPM.
• At night, I don't feel comfortable driving for very long because I know the battery can eventually get drained.
• I've gotten into the habit of putting the 12V battery on a charger whenever I get home just to make sure it doesn't get too low.

It's honestly getting pretty annoying to drive like this because I'm constantly thinking about keeping the RPM up instead of just being able to let the car idle normally.

What I'm doing with the hybrid system

I'm currently working on removing the old hybrid battery. The IMA system doesn't work anyway, so I'm mainly doing this for weight savings and because eventually I'd like to do a lithium battery conversion when I can afford it.

So while I'm already in there, I figured I might as well try to fix the alternator/charging setup properly.

I'm also doing a LED projector headlight retrofit, and I've replaced basically all of the exterior lighting with LEDs. Hopefully that reduces the electrical load somewhat, but I obviously don't want the alternator producing some unstable/high voltage situation that could damage the new LEDs.

Why I want to fix it

There are a few reasons I'm trying to get this sorted out:

1. Winter is coming, and cold weather isn't exactly going to help the 12V battery.
2. I don't want to be driving at night constantly worried about losing electrical power.
3. I want the headlights/projectors to have stable voltage.
4. I eventually want to install a small subwoofer + amplifier, but I definitely don't feel comfortable adding another ~300+ watts of electrical load to the car right now.
5. I'd rather fix the charging system properly than continue relying on charging the battery at home.

What I'm trying to figure out

What would you guys recommend checking/fixing with this alternator setup?

I'm not entirely sure what alternator was installed or exactly how the previous owner wired everything. I can get pictures/details of the setup if that would help.

I'm wondering if the issue could be:

• An alternator that's simply too small
• Poor alternator wiring
• Bad grounds
• Incorrect voltage regulation
• A bad alternator
• Alternator pulley/drive ratio
• Something with the way the alternator was installed to replace the IMA system
• Or some combination of these

I'd especially like to know what voltage I should be seeing at idle vs. ~2,000 RPM, and what/how I should test first before throwing parts at it.

I've attached some pictures of the car/current setup.

TL;DR: Bought a 2000 Insight manual with a dead IMA system and an alternator conversion. The car charges poorly at idle/low RPM and sometimes the head unit shuts off until I raise the RPM. I'm removing the dead hybrid battery, eventually want to do a lithium conversion, and want to properly fix the alternator/charging system before winter. Also planning LED projectors and eventually a sub/amp, so I want a reliable electrical system first. What should I test/check?