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2003 Mitsubishi Montero

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Mitsubishi Montero do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.5.

Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.

About this comparison →
39Owner complaints

Model-year median: 20.5

2Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Inspection summary

2003 Mitsubishi Montero

NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 39 owner complaints · 2 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.

Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.

Top reported categories (up to 5)

  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 7 reports
  • Power Train: 6 reports
  • Service Brakes: 5 reports
  • Electrical System: 4 reports
  • Fuel System, Gasoline: 4 reports

Full reported-category list and vehicle report

Recall links

Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
51
2000166
2001111
200239
20035
20041
20054
2006
Compare all Montero years →

Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
7Power Train
6Service Brakes
5Electrical System
4Fuel System, Gasoline
4
All reported categories
Air Bags
3Engine And Engine Cooling
3Suspension
3Fuel System, Other
2Seat Belts
2Tires
2Visibility
2Wheels
2Electronic Stability Control (esc)
1Equipment
1Fuel/propulsion System
1Interior Lighting
1Latches/locks/linkages
1Seats
1Steering
1Structure
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

32 reports with mileage · 7 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.

  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. 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.

4 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports

Steering complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
177,000 miles · Dec 4, 2014
Air BagsSteering

THE HORN GOES OFF BY ITSELF THE PADS WHERE STUCK AND IT COST $1000 TO REPAIR SINCE IT NEEDS TO REMOVE THE STEERING AIRBAG,THIS SHOULD BE ON A RECALL.THIS HAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS WHO HAS SAME MODEL ON MITSUBISHI FORUMS FOUND HERE HTTP://MITSUBISHIFORUM.COM/FORUM/MITSUBISHI-MONTERO-MONTERO-SPORT-14/HORN-ACTIVATE-ITSELF-01-MONTERO-…

Read full complaint

THE HORN GOES OFF BY ITSELF THE PADS WHERE STUCK AND IT COST $1000 TO REPAIR SINCE IT NEEDS TO REMOVE THE STEERING AIRBAG,THIS SHOULD BE ON A RECALL.THIS HAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS WHO HAS SAME MODEL ON MITSUBISHI FORUMS FOUND HERE HTTP://MITSUBISHIFORUM.COM/FORUM/MITSUBISHI-MONTERO-MONTERO-SPORT-14/HORN-ACTIVATE-ITSELF-01-MONTERO-LTD-28034/. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10662222

Recall campaigns

2

04V428000 · Equipment:other:labels

Sep 1, 2004

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

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. 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.

04V319000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage

Jul 6, 2004

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THE FUEL LEVELING VALVE DOES NOT SEAL PROPERLY, FUEL MAY LEAK ONTO THE GROUND. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Defect investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.