MYRModel Year Report

2002 Mitsubishi Montero

◆ Worse than typical
2002 Mitsubishi Montero
RENDERED 2026-11-01T12:56:15.938Z

This year had 30% to 100% more complaints than this model's typical year.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

How is this computed?

Complaints
111
Recalls
3

Campaigns on file for 2002

Investigations
1

Opened by NHTSA

Top problem
Service brakes

62% of complaints

Complaints per year

1986: 4 complaints 1986 1987: 3 complaints 1988: 1 complaint 1989: 10 complaints 1989 1990: 23 complaints 1991: 18 complaints 1992: 12 complaints 1992 1993: 14 complaints 1994: 32 complaints 1995: 86 complaints 1995 1996: 27 complaints 1997: 63 complaints 1998: 74 complaints 1998 1999: 40 complaints 2000: 51 complaints 2001: 166 complaints 2002: 111 complaints 2002 111 2003: 39 complaints 2004: 5 complaints 2005: 1 complaint 2006: 4 complaints
1986: 4 complaints 1986 1987: 3 complaints 1988: 1 complaint 1988 1989: 10 complaints 1990: 23 complaints 1990 1991: 18 complaints 1992: 12 complaints 1992 1993: 14 complaints 1994: 32 complaints 1994 1995: 86 complaints 1996: 27 complaints 1996 1997: 63 complaints 1998: 74 complaints 1998 1999: 40 complaints 2000: 51 complaints 2000 2001: 166 complaints 2002: 111 complaints 2002 111 2003: 39 complaints 2004: 5 complaints 2004 2005: 1 complaint 2006: 4 complaints 2006
1986: 4 complaints 1986 1987: 3 complaints 1987 1988: 1 complaint 1988 1989: 10 complaints 1989 1990: 23 complaints 1990 1991: 18 complaints 1991 1992: 12 complaints 1992 1993: 14 complaints 1993 1994: 32 complaints 1994 1995: 86 complaints 1995 1996: 27 complaints 1996 1997: 63 complaints 1997 1998: 74 complaints 1998 1999: 40 complaints 1999 2000: 51 complaints 2000 2001: 166 complaints 2001 2002: 111 complaints 2002 111 2003: 39 complaints 2003 2004: 5 complaints 2004 2005: 1 complaint 2005 2006: 4 complaints 2006

2002: 111 complaints

View as data table
YearComplaints
19840
19864
19873
19881
198910
199023
199118
199212
199314
199432
199586
199627
199763
199874
199940
200051
2001166
2002111
200339
20045
20051
20064

Known problem areas

Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.

Service brakes

62% · 69 reports

Most commonly citing hydraulic and air.

CRASHFIRE
Show complaint excerpts

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated that while applying the brakes, a clicking sound was heard as smoke was emitted from the driver's side.

NHTSA ODI report, 2013-08-15

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact was driving approximately 40 MPH and heard a loud squeaking noise when depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection of the failure.

NHTSA ODI report, 2013-01-09

Loud noise front driver side dashboard chirping and vibrating .

NHTSA ODI report, 2012-08-24

Engine and engine cooling

8% · 9 reports

Most commonly citing engine and gasoline.

Electrical system

6% · 7 reports
Show complaint excerpts

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…

NHTSA ODI report, 2019-07-24

Air bags

6% · 7 reports

Most commonly citing frontal.

CRASHINJURYDEATH
Show complaint excerpts

2 seperate head on accidents in this vehcile and the airbags have failed both times. This time the ABS also did not work. Dt

NHTSA ODI report, 2002-11-01

Vehicle involved in accident when second party ran red light. Vehicles air bags did not deploy causiong injury to consumer and his daughter.

NHTSA ODI report, 2002-07-31

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...

NHTSA ODI report, 2024-04-16

Structure

5% · 5 reports

Most commonly citing body and frame and members.

CRASHINJURYDEATH
Show complaint excerpts

Was driving 60MPH and had swerved to miss a dog when the vehicle flipped and rolled over. The roof had caved in and injured the driver and passenger. Both were hospitalized. The air bags on the side failed to deploy.…

NHTSA ODI report, 2002-10-25

Safety timeline

3 recalls · 1 investigation · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

  1. R
    2001-10-01Service brakes, hydraulic01V254001 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…

    Remedy: 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…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  2. ▮
    2002Complaint volume 111 complaints filed for this model year.
  3. R
    2004-08-30Fuel system, gasoline04V319000 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…

    Remedy: 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.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  4. I
    2006-05-24Recall queryClosed 2006-10-12 Brake booster accumulator failure
  5. R
    Date not on fileEquipment04V428000 Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard no.

    Remedy: Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label.

    Check if this car was fixed →

Buy-smart checklist

2002 Mitsubishi Montero — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

  • Service brakes: 69 reports on file for this year.
  • Engine and engine cooling: 9 reports on file for this year.
  • Electrical system: 7 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

  • Recall 04V428000 · Equipment
  • Recall 01V254001 · Service brakes, hydraulic
  • Recall 04V319000 · Fuel system, gasoline
Inspected by ______________ Date ______________

Other years of this model

See all years ranked →

Best years3 years

Worst years3 years

FAQ

Is the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero is rated "worse than typical".
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero?
The most-reported component is service brakes, accounting for 62% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero have?
3 recalls on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-10-31 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.