2003 Mitsubishi Montero problems
Owners have filed 53 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Mitsubishi Montero. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 23% of complaints. After that come fuel system (13%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 53 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 67,000 miles 45 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 12 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 45 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 67,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 114,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Mitsubishi Montero with enough data (30 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55MPH a deer was struck with the front end of the vehicle. While applying brake pressure the vehicle began to gain speed, spun around, veered off the road and rolled over four times in a ditch. The air bags did not deploy in the accident. The air bag warning light was not illuminated prior to the crash. There were three occupants in the vehicle all of which were wearing seat belts. The contact was six months pregnant and received injuries during the accident.
I was operating a 2003 mitsubishi montero when I rear ended a mercury mountaineer and projected it into 2 other vehicles...... Heavy damage to the front end of my montero, however, my driver side air bag did not go off. I was projected into the steering column and then my head went through the windshield.
Previously reported similar problem in nov. 2004 (reference no. 10101312) fuel leakage, acceleration/power loss at critical times of highway travel. SUV is now parked due fueling system problems and unreliability. SUV was repaired at fazeli misubishi 11/2004. Even after know recall (purported) correctly vehicle experienced same problem.
An electrical system failure was causing all electrical operated components to malfunction or inoperative. For example, automatic door locks/interior lights/radio and etc. The cause of the failure had not been determined although vehicle had been serviced several times for this problem.
Hesitation and stalling between 0-45 MPH at slightly above 3/4 full tank of gas. Vehicle leaks substantial quantity of fuel when parked on incline at slightly above 3/4 tank of gas. In addition, this vehicle was not filling properly at the gas pump (pump continually shut off as if tank were full even though it was not). These same problem occurred with our 2002 montero which was returned to mitsubishi through the lemon law.