Your vehicle report
1997 Mitsubishi Montero
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 63
- Received Jun 1997 to Jun 2014
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbags fail to deploy in crashes5 complaints · 7.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed4 complaints · 6.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Engine suddenly shuts off while driving4 complaints · 6.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #98V220000Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The front brake lines can develop pin holes due to chaffing against the edge of the pass-through hole in the inner fender.
- Recall #98V205000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with accessory cargo mats in the third-seat and cargo area. This cargo mat interferes with the latching integrity of the folding third seats.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 6 crashes, 4 fires, 9 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 7 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 5 |
| 1998 | 14 |
| 1999 | 15 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 4 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2004 | 4 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 63 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 5 | 7.9% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 4 | 6.3% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 6.3% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 4.8% | – | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 3 | 4.8% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 4.8% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 3 | 4.8% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #98V220000September 9, 199861,800 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The front brake lines Can develop pin holes due to chaffing against the edge of the pass-through hole in the inner fender.
Brake fluid Can leak resulting in deteriorated braking performance and illumination of the brake indicator lamp.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the front brake lines for signs of wear and routing. If the lines are not correctly centered in the pass-through hole, the lines will be repositioned by bending slightly to correct. If there is evidence of brake line wear, the brake line will be replaced.
NHTSA recall #98V205000September 2, 199860,243 vehicles affected
unknown or other
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with accessory cargo mats in the third-seat and cargo area. This cargo mat interferes with the latching integrity of the folding third seats.
In the event of a crash, an occupant of the third seat may not be properly restrained and could be ejected from the vehicle.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the third-seat latch and striker. A rectangle will be removed from the cargo mat around each striker to provide adequate striker clearance and proper latching.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN