What breaks most · 1990 to 2006 model years
Mitsubishi Montero problems by year
Owners have filed 765 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mitsubishi Montero across model years 1990 to 2006. Two years stand out: 2001 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2002 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2004, 1992 and 1993.
- Years to check closely: 2001, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 2004, 1992, 1993
- Complaints on file
- 7651990 to 2006, all trims
- Worst year
- 2001166 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6715 fires · 84 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 103kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 41Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 2 | 1 | Engine and cooling (7) | |
| 18 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (7) | |
| 12 | 1 | 4 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 14 | 0 | 3 | Engine and cooling (8) | |
| 31 | 2 | 5 | Engine and cooling (13) | |
| 86 | 7 | 2 | Engine and cooling (34) | |
| 27 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 63 | 6 | 2 | Engine and cooling (17) | |
| 74 | 9 | 4 | Suspension (18) | |
| 40 | 4 | 2 | Suspension (11) | |
| 51 | 8 | 2 | Body and structure (7) | |
| 166 | 15 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (56) | |
| 111 | 9 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (46) | |
| 39 | 4 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (7) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (2) |
What fails on the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 34% |
56 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
22 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
21 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
17 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero |
| Air bags | 8% |
14 | 9 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
13 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 7% |
11 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
8 | 2 | Shop steering parts for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Brake booster accumulator failure there was a recall in 2001 it was replace now it fail. Mitsubishi refuse to replace.
-
When attempting to brake there was a loud noise coming from the left side out of my dashboard. Then all of a sudden my brakes would not work. The ABS light came on as well as the emergency brake light.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mitsubishi Montero years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2001, 2002 carry the most filings on the Mitsubishi Montero. The 2001 alone has 166 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Mitsubishi Montero problem?
On the 2001 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 56 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mitsubishi Montero problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mitsubishi Montero complaints that include mileage is about 103,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.