Black Smoke & Power Loss: Outlander PHEV Issues

Hey there! I can relate, had a similar issue with my 2021 Eclipse Cross PHEV (I've got some experience working with hybrid vehicles). Your symptoms sound exactly like what I dealt with last spring. My trusted mechanic found that the lambda/O2 sensor was clogged with ceramic deposits. Got it fixed for around 375€ and the car's been running like new since then. Before jumping to conclusions though, could you share: How many miles/km on your Outlander? Any recent changes in fuel type? When was your last service? This info would help confirm if we're looking at the same problem. The Outlander PHEV is a solid car, but these sensors can be tricky sometimes!

Thanks for the reply! My latest service was just 2 months ago and everything was good back then. I'm currently at 62073 KM. Haven't changed anything with my fuel routine, always go with premium as recommended. Though I've noticed these issues started right after I filled up at a new gas station, so maybe got some contaminated fuel? Really hoping it's just the sensor and nothing more serious. The repair cost you mentioned sounds reasonable, I'll get it checked out ASAP. Let me know if you think I should look into anything else!

Hey again! Thanks for those details, your situation is sounding even more similar to what I experienced. You know what's funny? My issues also started right after using a new gas station, at around 58,000 KM on my Eclipse Cross. Between you and me, contaminated fuel can definitely mess with the O2 sensor readings. When it happened to my car, I actually ran a tank of fuel system cleaner through it along with getting the sensor replaced, just to be on the safe side. Made a huge difference! Since you mentioned that the problems started after using that new station, I'd definitely mention this to your mechanic. From my experience, it might be worth getting the fuel system cleaned out while they're checking the sensor. My mechanic did both for me and threw in a fuel filter change too, ended up costing a bit more (around 450€ total) but totally worth it for the peace of mind. Just keep an eye on it for the next few days, if you notice the black smoke getting worse, might want to avoid heavy acceleration until you can get it checked out. That's what I did with my Eclipse Cross and it helped prevent any potential bigger issues. Keep us posted on what your mechanic finds! Always curious to hear if others run into the same fixes I did.

Thanks so much for all that detailed advice! That's super helpful, especially knowing you dealt with such a similar situation. I'll definitely mention both the sensor and fuel system cleaning to my mechanic when I take it in tomorrow. Really appreciate you sharing your experience with the Eclipse Cross, it's given me a much better idea of what to expect. Will definitely avoid pushing the car too hard until it's fixed, and I'm going to steer clear of that new gas station from now on! I'll update the thread once I get it checked out. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out with this!