2001 Mitsubishi Montero problems & reliability
166 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. 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.
9 complaints report injuries (14 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 Mitsubishi Montero vehicles were involved in 4 fatal crashes with 4 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 | 56 | 34% |
| Electrical System | 22 | 13% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 21 | 13% |
| Service Brakes | 17 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 14 | 8% |
| Power Train | 13 | 8% |
| Suspension | 11 | 7% |
| Steering | 8 | 5% |
| Visibility | 7 | 4% |
| Structure | 5 | 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 107,371 miles (middle 50% between 70,000 and 150,000 miles), based on 109 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal felt sticky. Additionally, the contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal twice, the brake pedal vibrated and shuddered. The check engine warning light was…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Oct 20, 2022
“Reporting - safety recall as stated on NY state fail inspection. Emissions issues Émission results- MIL commanded “fail” Code P0136-O2 Sensor Code PO455 -Evaporative emission system leak”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jun 3, 2022
“After googling and doing a little reaching I found out it is a very common problem amongst these vehicles that the horn starts blaring in the early morning hours non stop until unplugging the fuse or battery. I have to remove the fuse therefore I’m unsafe knowing that I’m driving without any communication with other…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Dec 18, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
114 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. 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 has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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?
- · 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 107,371 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.