The 1998 Mitsubishi Montero Sport has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 210,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 44 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING00V3110012000-10-02210,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES: MIRAGE MODEL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.5L ENGINES; MONTERO SPORT MODELS EQUIPPED WITH 3.0L ENGINES; AND MONTERO MODELS EQUIPPED WITH 3.0L ENGINES. THE BOLT SECURING THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY CAN BECOME LOOSE AND THE PULLEY COULD FALL OFF THE VEHICLE.
Consequence
THE CONDITION CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
ON THE MIRAGE VEHICLES, THE DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW, IMPROVED CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT ON THE OLDER ENGINES. ON NEW ENGINES WHICH ALREADY HAVE THE IMPROVED BOLT, THE DEALER WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT TO THE CORRECT TORQUE SPECIFICATION. ON THE MONTERO MODELS, DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY…
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
1crashes2injuries
AIR BAGS
4
3crashes4injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
2
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
1
1fires
Total complaints44
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“On tuesday august 31st I pulled up to alexandra tire shop to get a tire. I got out of the truck to inquire if the tire that I needed was available. The mechanic informed me that they had the tire I needed. My wife sat in the car on the passenger side as I inquired with the mechanic. Once he…”
“I turned my ac on and smelled something burning and my car battery light and brake light as well as my at light came on and then my radio, ac,dome light and moon roof wont close I took my car to the dealer and they wanted 400$ just to diagnose the problem and that doesn't include fixing it I took…”
“While traveling on route 632, another vehicle failed to yield the right of way, entered and stopped in the intersection of route 632 & route 645 in new jersey; causing my suv to broad sided their pick-up truck. Luckily there were no fatalities. However, neither the mitsubishi driver or passenger…”
“While traveling on the new jersey turnpike, I-78, and other highways, the mitsubishi alternator intermittently failed, causing loss of power steering and other electrically control functions. What makes this notably is that it was the 5th alternator that failed and had to be replaced within 1-1/2…”
“I was driving along I-17 near phoenix, az merging onto I-10 west - when all of the sudden I couldn't steer the vehicle. All while going 65 mph. It took every bit of my strength to maneuver the vehicle safely off the highway to avoid an accident. I had it towed to mark mitsubishi in avondale, az…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mitsubishi montero sport. While driving at 60 mph, the contact had trouble turning to the right and noticed vibrations in the steering wheel. The contact pulled over and noticed that the driving belts were dislodged and the crankshaft bolt was hanging off the vehicle.…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mitsubishi montero sport. While driving approximately 25 mph, the contact attempted to make a turn and the steering wheel seized without warning. Suddenly, within thirty seconds the steering wheel unseized on its own. The failure occurred sporadicly. The vehicle was…”
“I purchased a used tire at bj tire shop in bryan, tx on july 16, 2009. The tire purchased (bf goodrich radial long trail t/a 265 70r) turned out to be defective with the tread separating from the rest of the tire, causing my vehicle to flip over causing $9000 in damages to my vehicle. We were very…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero Sport as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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