RecallRadar

HomeMitsubishiMontero → 2002

2002 Mitsubishi Montero Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Critical

132 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.67 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical04V319000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage

IF THE FUEL LEVELING VALVE DOES NOT SEAL PROPERLY, FUEL MAY LEAK ONTO THE GROUND.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEVELING VALVE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037 OR MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-787-251-8715.

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS FULL AND THE VEHICLE IS PARKED FACING FORWARD ON AN UPWARD SLOPE, THE FUEL TANK LEVELING VALVE MAY NOT MAINTAIN PROPER SEALING IN THE EVENT THE FUEL EXPANDS FROM A RISE IN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE.

Serious01V254001

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum

THE LOSS OF THIS GAS PRESSURE COULD 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…

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN IMPROVED ACCUMULATOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING BEGAN OCTOBER 1, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE ACCUMULATOR THAT IS INSTALLED ON THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE BOOSTER MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, THIS COULD RESULT IN LEAKAGE OF THE PRESSURIZED NITROGEN GAS FROM INSIDE THE ACCUMULATOR.

Serious04V428000

Equipment:Other:Labels

THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Remedy & full details

MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN WILL MAIL A CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION LETTER CONTAINING A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION AND A GRAPHIC OF THE BI-LINGUAL DASHBOARD AIR BAG WARNING LABEL. IN ADDITION, ALL CURRENT 2000-2004 NATIVA OWNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT AIR BAG ALERT LABELS FOR THE SUN VISORS. THIS RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH OR APRIL 2005. THE NOTIFICATION TO THE NATIVA OWNERS IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL OR MAY 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-787-251-8715.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE BILINGUAL ENGLISH/SPANISH REMOVABLE AIR BAG WARNING LABELS AFFIXED TO THE DASH AND TO THE SUNVISOR DO NOT MEET THE SIZE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Complaint volume

132 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

11Crashes
1Fires
11Injuries
2Deaths

Across 132 complaints. Severity Index 0.67.

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 Brakes21 · 16%Service Brakes, Hydraulic17 · 13%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…15 · 11%Electrical System7 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…6 · 5%Air Bags5 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…5 · 4%Unknown Or Other4 · 3%
  1. Service Brakes — 21 reports
  2. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 17 reports
  3. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum — 15 reports
  4. Electrical System — 7 reports
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 6 reports
  6. Air Bags — 5 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 5 reports
  8. Unknown Or Other — 4 reports
  9. Fuel System, Other — 3 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling — 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 (2) · 1998 (4) · 1999 (2) · 2000 (2) · 2001 (4) · 2002 · 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.