Eclipse Cross Fuel & Exhaust Issues: Help Needed

Hey there, I had a similar issue with my 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV last winter. The symptoms you're describing match what I experienced, excessive fuel consumption, strong exhaust odor, and the check engine light. At first, I thought it was just a sensor malfunction. Took it to the dealership and it turned out to be a faulty secondary air pump connection. The cable and plug were corroded, causing poor electrical contact. This affected the air-fuel mixture and emissions control system. It's not a catastrophic problem if caught early, but it definitely needs attention to prevent potential damage to other components. The fix involved replacing the corroded connector and cleaning the entire connection point. They also had to recalibrate the system afterward. The car's been running perfectly since then, fuel consumption back to normal and no more exhaust smell. Hope this helps with your diagnosis. Get it checked soon, these issues tend to get worse if left unattended. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful since it sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Do you remember roughly how much the repair set you back? And has everything been running smoothly since the fix, or have you noticed any other issues pop up?

Hey again! Glad I could help! Yeah, after seeing the mechanic, it turned out to be exactly what I suspected, the faulty air valve connection. The total bill came to 95€, which covered fixing the cable/plug connection between the secondary air valve and pump. Honestly, I was relieved it wasn't anything more serious! Everything's been running like a dream since the fix. No more check engine light, fuel consumption is back to normal, and that nasty exhaust smell is completely gone. It's been several months now, and I haven't had a single issue pop up. My Outlander PHEV is purring along just like it should. Just make sure you get it looked at soon, these things can get more expensive if you let them drag on. Feel free to hit me up if you need any more info about the repair process! Take care!

Just wanted to update everyone! I took my Eclipse Cross to the mechanic yesterday based on your advice. You were spot on, it was indeed the secondary air pump connection causing all the trouble. The mechanic found some pretty bad corrosion on the cables and connectors. The whole thing cost me about 120€, a bit more than what you paid, but they also did a general inspection while they were at it. The repair took about two hours, and I've already noticed a huge difference. My fuel consumption has dropped back to normal, that awful exhaust smell is gone, and the check engine light finally turned off! Really appreciate everyone's help on this. It's such a relief to have it fixed, and it wasn't nearly as expensive or complicated as I'd feared. The mechanic was great too, super transparent about what needed fixing and why. Thanks again for steering me in the right direction! Now I can finally enjoy driving my car again without worrying about every little noise or smell!