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1997 Mitsubishi Montero Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

85 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.94 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious98V205000

Unknown Or Other

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 & full details

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.

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.

Moderate98V220000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

BRAKE FLUID CAN LEAK RESULTING IN DETERIORATED BRAKING PERFORMANCE AND ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE INDICATOR LAMP.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

85 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

7Crashes
6Fires
12Injuries
0Deaths

Across 85 complaints. Severity Index 0.94.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic…7 · 8%Engine And Engine Cooling…5 · 6%Engine And Engine Cooling5 · 6%Air Bags · Frontal4 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…4 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…4 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling…4 · 5%Equipment · Appliance · A…3 · 4%
  1. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 7 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 5 reports
  3. Engine And Engine Cooling — 5 reports
  4. Air Bags:Frontal — 4 reports
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings — 4 reports
  6. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 4 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 4 reports
  8. Equipment:Appliance:Air Conditioner — 3 reports
  9. Structure:Body — 3 reports
  10. Suspension:Front — 3 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (2) · 1996 (2) · 1997 · 1998 (4) · 1999 (2) · 2000 (2) · 2001 (4) · 2002 (3) · 2003 (2) · 2004 (3) · 2006

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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