EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
2002 Mitsubishi Montero
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 111 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero, most frequently naming the brakes, engine and fuel system categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 78 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2006 | 1 | 39 |
| Oct 2006 | 1 | 40 |
| Nov 2006 | 1 | 41 |
| Jan 2007 | 2 | 43 |
| Feb 2007 | 1 | 44 |
| Apr 2007 | 1 | 45 |
| Jun 2007 | 1 | 46 |
| Jul 2007 | 2 | 48 |
| Aug 2007 | 3 | 51 |
| Dec 2007 | 1 | 52 |
| Jan 2008 | 1 | 53 |
| Mar 2008 | 1 | 54 |
| Apr 2008 | 2 | 56 |
| Jul 2008 | 1 | 57 |
| Aug 2008 | 2 | 59 |
| Oct 2008 | 1 | 60 |
| Dec 2008 | 1 | 61 |
| Feb 2009 | 1 | 62 |
| Mar 2009 | 1 | 63 |
| Apr 2009 | 1 | 64 |
| May 2009 | 1 | 65 |
| Feb 2010 | 1 | 66 |
| Mar 2010 | 1 | 67 |
| Sep 2010 | 1 | 68 |
| Dec 2010 | 1 | 69 |
| Feb 2011 | 1 | 70 |
| Mar 2011 | 1 | 71 |
| May 2011 | 1 | 72 |
| Aug 2011 | 1 | 73 |
| Sep 2011 | 1 | 74 |
| Aug 2012 | 1 | 75 |
| Jan 2013 | 1 | 76 |
| Apr 2013 | 3 | 79 |
| May 2013 | 1 | 80 |
| Aug 2013 | 2 | 82 |
| Oct 2013 | 2 | 84 |
| Nov 2013 | 1 | 85 |
| May 2014 | 1 | 86 |
| Sep 2014 | 1 | 87 |
| Nov 2014 | 1 | 88 |
| Jan 2015 | 1 | 89 |
| May 2015 | 2 | 91 |
| Jul 2015 | 1 | 92 |
| Aug 2015 | 1 | 93 |
| Nov 2015 | 1 | 94 |
| Feb 2016 | 2 | 96 |
| Apr 2016 | 1 | 97 |
| Jun 2016 | 1 | 98 |
| Aug 2016 | 1 | 99 |
| Sep 2016 | 2 | 101 |
| Oct 2016 | 1 | 102 |
| Nov 2016 | 1 | 103 |
| Jan 2017 | 1 | 104 |
| May 2017 | 1 | 105 |
| Jan 2018 | 1 | 106 |
| Jun 2018 | 1 | 107 |
| Jul 2019 | 1 | 108 |
| Nov 2021 | 1 | 109 |
| Mar 2022 | 1 | 110 |
| Apr 2024 | 1 | 111 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Brakes6854.4%
- Engine108.0%
- Fuel system86.4%
- Airbags75.6%
- Electrical75.6%
- Body & structure54.0%
- Exterior lighting32.4%
- Other / unspecified32.4%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
3 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
BRAKE BOOSTER ACCUMULATOR FAILURE
IN OCTOBER 2001, MITSUBISHI NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WOULD CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 01V-254) TO REMEDY A DEFECT CONDITION THAT COULD RESULT IN A LEAK OF PRESSURIZED NITROGEN GAS FROM THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE BOOSTER ACCUMULATOR IN APPROXIMATELY 39,000 MODEL YEARS (MY) 2001-2002 MITSUBISHI MONTERO VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 12, 1999 THROUGH JUNE 20, 2001. ACCORDING TO MITSUBISHI, THE ACCUMULATOR THAT IS INSTALLED ON THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE BOOSTER MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED IMPROPERLY, WHICH OVER A PERIOD OF TIME MAY RESULT IN LEAKAGE OF THE PRESSURIZED NITROGEN GAS FROM INSIDE THE ACCUMULATOR. THE LOSS OF THIS GAS PRESSURE MAY RESULT IN AN ABNORMAL NOISE FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DASH PANEL WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, AND POSSIBLY A DELAYED FIRST TIME BRAKE BOOST ASSIST AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.DURING RQ06-007, MITSUBISHI INDICATED THAT THE DECISION TO CONDUCT RECALL 01V-254 WAS BASED ON PROJECTED FAILURE RATES OF 36.5% WITHIN 2-YEARS OF SERVICE AND 100% IN THE FIRST 4-YEARS OF SERVICE. THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED RQ06-007 BASED ON SIX COMPLAINTS OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE BOOSTER ACCUMULATOR FAILURE IN THE APPROXIMATELY 23,335 MY 2002 MONTERO VEHICLES THAT WERE BUILT AFTER THE VEHICLES RECALLED IN 01V-254.ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGED THAT THE FAILURE RESULTED IN A CRASH.DURING THE INVESTIGATION, ODI IDENTIFIED 20 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND 58 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO BRAKE BOOSTER ACCUMULATOR FAILURE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, RESULTING IN A COMPLAINT RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 85 PER 100,000 VEHICLES AND A WARRANTY CLAIM RATE OF 0.25%.MITSUBISHI?S PROJECTED ACCUMULATOR FAILURE RATES AT 2- AND 4-YEARS IN SERVICE FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE 0.5% AND 1.3% RESPECTIVELY AND ODI?S ANALYSES PRODUCED SIMILAR RESULTS.ODI?S INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THE INCIDENTS OF INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT TYPICALLY OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST FEW SECONDS AFTER THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND WERE ACCOMPANIED BY NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCUMULATOR CHARGING.ODI?S INVESTIGATION OF THE CRASH INCIDENT CONCLUDED THAT IT COULD NOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT CONDITION.ODI ALSO COLLECTED AND ANALYZED DATA FOR POST-REMEDY ACCUMULATOR FAILURES IN VEHICLES THAT HAD THE 01V-254 REPAIRS COMPLETED.MITSUBISHI PROVIDED DATA DURING THE INVESTIGATION THAT INDICATED 95% OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES HAD RECEIVED THE RECALL REMEDY.FOR THESE VEHICLES, THERE WERE 14 COMPLAINTS AND 249 WARRANTY CLAIMS IDENTIFIED, RESULTING IN A COMPLAINT RATE OF 28 PER 100,000 VEHICLES AND A WARRANTY CLAIM RATE OF 0.64%.ANALYSIS OF THESE FAILURES SHOWED A DECLINING TREND WITH INCREASING VEHICLE AGE, WITH ALMOST HALF OF THE WARRANTY CLAIMS OCCURRING WITHIN THE FIRST 12-MONTHS AFTER RECEIVING THE RECALL REMEDY. DUE TO THE LOW FAILURE RATES, ABSENCE OF RELATED CRASHES, AND NO INDICATION OF INCREASING FAILURE TRENDS IN EITHER THE SUBJECT VEHICLES OR POST-REPAIR RECALL POPULATION THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
My horn goes off when I turn the steering wheel or hit bumps when driving and when parked and turned off, if its close to freezing it will go off constantly early in the morning before dawn and I have to disconnect the battery or pull the fuse for the horn under the hood fuse panel to stop it. I can't drive it with a horn fuse in and have tried replacing the steering wheel airbag and it still has the same problem. My neighbor had the same issue on his 04 Jeep and his car was fixed with an airbag actuator recall. No warning lights ever come on. Only my mechanic has looked at the vehicle.
- NHTSA ID
- 11583242
- Incident
- Jul 1, 2023
I was driving down the highway, without any prior indication the brake light, and break alarm came on and my breaks went out. All at the same.
- NHTSA ID
- 11455457
- Incident
- Feb 8, 2022
My car has 2 recalls and my local Mitsubishi dealer refused to fix the recalls.
- NHTSA ID
- 11438894
- Incident
- Nov 1, 2021
WE HAVE THE CAR FOR THE PAST 17 YEARS AND WE ALWASY HAVE A ELECTRICAL, ENGINE AND HEAD LIGHTS PROBLEMS. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE THEY CAN FIX IT . WE PAID GOOD MONEY FOR THEM TO FIX IT
- NHTSA ID
- 11234612
- Incident
- Feb 3, 2008
A/L BRAKE LIGHT GOES OFF EVERYTIME BRAKE PEDALS IS APPLIED ACCOMPANIED WITH AN ABNORMAL NOISE FROM THE DASH. THERE IS A NHTSA CAMPAIGN #01V254002 ABOUT A BRAKE BOOSTER ACCUMULATOR DEFECT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR POSSIBLE RECALL FIX BUT GOT DENIED SINCE ITS NOT PART OF THEIR RECALL CAMPAIGN. SHOULDNT THIS BE PART OF A RECALL CAMPAIGN SINCE ITS A SAFETY ISSUE? DO I NEED TO WAIT UNTIL THE BRAKES FAIL AND GET INTO AN ACCIDENT?
- NHTSA ID
- 11104697
- Incident
- Jun 4, 2018
- Mileage
- 135,000 mi
TAKATA RECALL I HAVE PROBLEM WITH MY SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM IT GOES OFF FOR NO REASON AND ALSO THE HORN WHEN THE WEATHER DROPS COLD THE HORN GOING OFF CONTINUOUSLY MY MECHANIC CHANGE THE HORN RELAY MORE THAN 3 TIMES BUT THE ISSUE STILL THE SAME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THESE TWO ISSUES ARE CONNECTED OR NOT BUT I NEED HELP.
- NHTSA ID
- 11063563
- Incident
- Nov 22, 2017
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI MONTERO. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A CHIRPING SOUND. THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE BOTH MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 01V254002 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 10981628
- Incident
- Oct 15, 2016
- Mileage
- 140,000 mi
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI MONTERO. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSFER CASE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT TRANSFER CASE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 10939248
- Incident
- Mar 19, 2016
- Mileage
- 170,000 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
STRUCTURE
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
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 the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or 100 lbs.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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.
EQUIPMENT
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 48.2 |
| 2002Viewing | 111 | 3 | 1 | 56.5 |
| 2001 | 166 | 4 | 0 | 53.0 |
| 2000 | 51 | 2 | 0 | 51.3 |
| 1999 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 50.8 |
| 1998 | 74 | 4 | 1 | 57.3 |
| 1997 | 63 | 2 | 0 | 51.5 |
| 1996 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 42.5 |
| 1995 | 86 | 2 | 0 | 51.4 |
| 1994 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 48.1 |
| 1993 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 40.6 |
| 1992 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 48.1 |
| 1991 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 53.1 |
| 1990 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 53.9 |
| 1989 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 58.2 |
| 1988 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1987 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1986 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.