IllustrationTHE OWNER SMELLED GASOLINE FUEL WHEN OPERATING VEHICLE AND STARTING IT ONE LAST TIME, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BURST INTO FLAMES. THIS LOSS WAS INVESTIGATED BY SUPERIOR INVESTIGATIONS 800-779-2858. THE FUEL RAIL PRESSURE VALVE WAS LOOSE, AND CAUSED FUEL TO LEAK AND START A FIRE.*AK
2003 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Mitsubishi Montero Sport do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 33.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Montero Sport years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
90–25K
325–50K
350–75K
275–100K
4100–150K
4150K+
25 reports with mileage · 6 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
31 reportsWHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED DASHBOARD LIGHTS REFLECTED ON THE EXTERNAL REAR VIEW MIRROR AT NIGHT. CONSUMER CONSIDERED THE REFLECTION VERY DISTRACTING WHILE DRIVING. *AK SPEEDOMETER REFLECTS OFF DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AND ONTO THE EXTERIOR REAR VIEW MIRROR. *LA
I BOUGHT THE TRUCK ON A CLOUDY DAY. WHEN THE SUN HIT IT, IT HAD SWIRL MARKS BURNT INTO IT FROM WHERE IT WAS BUFFED AT THE FACTORY. WHEN TURNED IN THEY BUFFED IT AGAIN. NOW THAT IT RAINED IT STILL SHOWS ALL. ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE TRANSMISSION. IT HAS SEVERE LAG AND SOMETIMES WON'T SHIFT AT ALL. *JB
VEHICLE SWAYS, WONDERS ON THE ROAD AND IS UNCONTROLLABLE. ALSO, IT FEELS AS THOUGH SOMETHING IS LOOSE UNDER THE FRONT END. I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT HE FEELS EXACTLY THAT WHICH I AM DESCRIBING BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG AND THAT OTHER VEHICLES WERE DR…
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VEHICLE SWAYS, WONDERS ON THE ROAD AND IS UNCONTROLLABLE. ALSO, IT FEELS AS THOUGH SOMETHING IS LOOSE UNDER THE FRONT END. I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT HE FEELS EXACTLY THAT WHICH I AM DESCRIBING BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG AND THAT OTHER VEHICLES WERE DRIVEN AND THAT THEY TOO DID THE SAME THING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS OBSTACLE TO HAVE CONTROL OF A MOTOR VEHICLE. *LA
BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS REPLACED EVERY 3,000-4,000 MILES. DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS DRIVER'S ABUSE THAT CAUSED PREMATURE WEAR OF BRAKE ROTORS/PADS. CONSUMER WAS FURIOUS. CURRENTLY, AFTER 4,000 MILES. BRAKES WERE SHOT.*AK
THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS WENT OUT. THE BULBS WERE GOOD THEREFORE IT'S PROBABLE THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A RELAY DEFECT. THE HORN WAS ALSO DEFECTIVE. THE HORN WOULD BLOW BUT WOULDN'T STOP. THE DRIVER HAD TO PULL THE FUSE IN ORDER TO GET THE HORN TO STOP BLOWING. PROVIDE FURTHER ANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NLM
2ND TIMEINTO DAELER FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WILL HAVE PROBLEMS SHIFTING THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. FIRST TIME DEALER UNSURE OF THE CAUSE OR HOW TO FIX HAD VEHICLE IN SHOP ALMOST 2 WEEKS. 2ND TIME, DEALER HAS HAD VEHICLE OVER 2 WEEKS AND STILL NOT FIXED ,SAID COULD BE 1 OF 3 THINGS. THEY HAVE REPLACED 2 OF THE 3 SO …
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2ND TIMEINTO DAELER FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WILL HAVE PROBLEMS SHIFTING THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. FIRST TIME DEALER UNSURE OF THE CAUSE OR HOW TO FIX HAD VEHICLE IN SHOP ALMOST 2 WEEKS. 2ND TIME, DEALER HAS HAD VEHICLE OVER 2 WEEKS AND STILL NOT FIXED ,SAID COULD BE 1 OF 3 THINGS. THEY HAVE REPLACED 2 OF THE 3 SO STILL HAVE 1 TO GO AND I GUESS I WILL BE OUT OF THE VEHICLE ANOTHER WEEK FOR A TOTAL OF 3 WEEKS IF THIS FIXES THE PROBLEM.FIRST INCIDENT WAS AROUND 3000 MILES SECOND INCIDENT AT 16000 MILES.
WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. *JB
VEHICLE WAS IDLING IN A RESTAURANT DRIVE THRU LANE. WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED CAUSING CONSUMER TO REAR-END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT.
WHEN IT IS COLD VEHICLE WILL NOT ENGAGE INTO DRIVE. IT TAKES ABOUT 30 TO 40 SECONDS, AND THEN VEHICLE JUMPS INTO GEAR. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.