The 1997 Mitsubishi Montero has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 122,043 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 85 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC98V2200001998-09-0961,800 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE FRONT BRAKE LINES CAN DEVELOP PIN HOLES DUE TO CHAFFING AGAINST THE EDGE OF THE PASS-THROUGH HOLE IN THE INNER FENDER.
Consequence
BRAKE FLUID CAN LEAK RESULTING IN DETERIORATED BRAKING PERFORMANCE AND ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE INDICATOR LAMP.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FRONT BRAKE LINES FOR SIGNS OF WEAR AND ROUTING. IF THE LINES ARE NOT CORRECTLY CENTERED IN THE PASS-THROUGH HOLE, THE LINES WILL BE REPOSITIONED BY BENDING SLIGHTLY TO CORRECT. IF THERE IS EVIDENCE OF BRAKE LINE WEAR, THE BRAKE LINE WILL BE REPLACED.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER98V2050001998-09-0260,243 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ACCESSORY CARGO MATS IN THE THIRD-SEAT AND CARGO AREA. THIS CARGO MAT INTERFERES WITH THE LATCHING INTEGRITY OF THE FOLDING THIRD SEATS.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, AN OCCUPANT OF THE THIRD SEAT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED AND COULD BE EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE THIRD-SEAT LATCH AND STRIKER. A RECTANGLE WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CARGO MAT AROUND EACH STRIKER TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE STRIKER CLEARANCE AND PROPER LATCHING.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
5
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
4
4crashes4injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
1fires
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
3
STRUCTURE:BODY
3
1crashes
Total complaints85
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“On 5/31/14, my 1997 mitsubishi montero was parked in my driveway. When I went to get into the vehicle, I noticed a large burn in the back of the driver's side seat. After calling mitsubishi, the fire department came since it was still smoldering and disconnected the battery. They believed it to be…”
“On 5/31/14, my 1997 mitsubishi montero was parked in my driveway. When I went to get into the vehicle, I noticed a large burn in the back of the driver's side seat. After calling mitsubishi, the fire department came since it was still smoldering and disconnected the battery. They believed it to be…”
“1997 mitsubish montero 3.5 liter automatic- crank shaft bolt has come out on 5 separate occasions and has cost over $3000 to have it replaced. The inside of the crankshaft where the bolt goes is completely stripped to the point I now have to replace the engine. This is not an isolated issue as…”
“Crankshaft pulley pin/bolt gets sheared off. Dash lights come on and vehicle power steering stops working as the pump is not turning because the problem affect the entire pulley system. It also affects the timing gear/belt/harmonic balancer. This is the 3rd time in as many years this has happened.…”
“The vehicle was parked and idling. I was in the driver's seat when a fire broke out and the flames caused me severe burns to my body. I was nearly asphyxiated. The car was a total loss. *tr”
“The vehicle was parked and idling. I was in the driver's seat when a fire broke out and the flames caused me severe burns to my body. I was nearly asphyxiated. The car was a total loss. *tr”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mitsubishi montero. When the vehicle was started, the crankshaft pulley detached from the vehicle. The dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the repair. The vehicle has not been driven since. The failure mileage was 190,000.”
“1997 mitsubishi montero crankshaft pulley came loose three times which created no power steering and no charging of the battery purchased new crankshaft pulley but did not help the third time installed a lock washer on the bolt and re torqued to spec last week. *tr”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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