2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport problems & reliability
63 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport vehicles were involved in 15 fatal crashes with 10 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 14 | 22% |
| Electrical System → | 11 | 17% |
| Power Train | 8 | 13% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 10% |
| Steering | 6 | 10% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 5% |
| Suspension | 3 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 5% |
| Equipment | 2 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 66,825 miles (middle 50% between 32,750 and 106,625 miles), based on 36 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On multiple occasions, the horn itself will start blowing without command. After pressing the horn to alert another driver, the horn will then stick again. There are repairs where 3m tape is applied to the horn switch behind the airbag, however it is not a professional repair and looks like it could potentially cause…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 24, 2024
“4 wh drive light flashes no apparent reason no issues makes the anti lock light come on and also the abs light worried cause a prob wit the brakes or something”
Service Brakes · filed Nov 24, 2022
“Brake lines completely rusted through and I lost all brakes while heading to work, thankfully I was able to pull the emergency brake to slow down and I coasted through a red light blowing my horn so I was not hit. I bought this vehicle brand new with only 3 miles on it and ever since I initially got it , it began to…”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 16, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
74 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport. The 10 most recent:
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
TSB-23-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin reviews the regulations that require a label showing the reduction in load carrying capacity be affixed to vehicles when the total net weight of accessories is more than 1.5 percent of…
TSB-23-00-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.
TSB-22-54-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2022
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT253 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2019
This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers. This bulletin supersedes TSB-18-00-003, issued April, 2018, to add updated information for Carrying Capacity Reduced Label.
TSB-19-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 30, 2019
This is a message sent to dealers, to inform them that an update for MEDIC will be available.
MEDICUpdate517 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT237 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 28, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 66,825 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.