1994 MITSUBISHI MONTERO — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 31 complaints · 5 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: ENGINE (13 complaints · 41.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 1
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 13 of 31 owner complaints (41.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 13 complaints, 41.9% of reports ENGINE 13 · 41.9% SERVICE BRAKES: 6 complaints, 19.4% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 19.4% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 3 complaints, 9.7% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 9.7% SUSPENSION: 3 complaints, 9.7% of reports SUSPENSION 3 · 9.7% STRUCTURE: 2 complaints, 6.5% of reports STRUCTURE 2 · 6.5% AIR BAGS: 1 complaints, 3.2% of reports AIR BAGS 1 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 1 complaints, 3.2% of reports SEAT BELTS 1 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 1 complaints, 3.2% of reports STEERING 1 · 3.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 20 complaints, 64.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 20 · 64.5% · 1 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 13 41.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 6 19.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 9.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 3 9.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 2 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 1 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 1 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 1 3.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 20 64.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 1996. 1995-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1995 Jan 2011 Recall campaign 96V143001 ◆ Recall campaign 96V143001 Recall campaign 96V143002 ◆ Recall campaign 96V143002 Recall campaign 98V205000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V205000 Recall campaign 00V226001 ◆ Recall campaign 00V226001 Recall campaign 00V311001 ◆ Recall campaign 00V311001
  • Campaign 00V226001 was reported 1,357 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 00V311001 was reported 314 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 2
1995-Q3 Owner reports 2
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q2 Owner reports 1
1999-Q2 Owner reports 1
1999-Q4 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 4
2000-Q4 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q2 Owner reports 2
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 96V143001
Recall campaign 1 96V143002
Recall campaign 1 98V205000
Recall campaign 1 00V226001
Recall campaign 1 00V311001
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V226001

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD RESULT IN IMPAIRED BRAKING ABILITY AND A POSSIBLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT LOWER BRAKE HOSES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V311001

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    THE CONDITION CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    ON THE MIRAGE VEHICLES, THE DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW, IMPROVED CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT ON THE OLDER ENGINES. ON NEW ENGINES WHICH ALREADY HAVE THE IMPROVED BOLT, THE DEALER WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT TO THE CORRECT TORQUE SPECIFICATION. ON THE MONTERO MODELS, DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT TO THE CORRECT TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS. IF THE BOLT IS DAMAGED, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V143001

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE WILL CAUSE ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE WARNING LAMP AND REDUCTION IN BRAKING EFFICIENCY INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT WHEEL-SIDE BRAKE HOSES WITH REVISED HOSE ASSEMBLIES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V143002

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE WILL CAUSE ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE WARNING LAMP AND REDUCTION IN BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT WHEEL-SIDE BRAKE HOSES WITH REVISED HOSE ASSEMBLIES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V205000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 31 complaints · page 1 of 2

No complaints match the current filters.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources