2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport problems & reliability
54 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport. 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.
11 complaints report injuries (14 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 11 | 20% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 13% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 13% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 11% |
| Power Train | 5 | 9% |
| Structure | 5 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 6% |
| Steering | 3 | 6% |
| Visibility | 3 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 89,000 miles (middle 50% between 47,000 and 127,218 miles), based on 32 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I checked and there's several recalls on the vehicle and I purchase it last year from the dealership and I never received anything about the recalls and now my vehicle doesn't want to start it lock me out.”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 4, 2022
“I have a 2002 Mitsibishi Montero Sport.I was driving home from work, and all the sudden i couldn't steer. I had no steering, Lost power to vehicle and battery light came on. Wasnt sure what happened, looked under the hood and noticed belts were off. Went and got new ones and noticed when trying to put the mew belts on…”
Engine · filed Aug 3, 2021
“The hood flew up when safety latch failed to hold it,, plus brake line troubles as well as gas tank fill pipe all rusted out,, hood was on highway at about 30mph an wrapped arround windshield,,”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 9, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE BOOSTER ACCUMULATOR FAILURE
Recall Query RQ06007 · opened May 24, 2006 · closed Oct 12, 2006
Technical service bulletins
52 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 2002 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 89,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.