"How reliable is the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero?"

"Based on 85 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero has a median complaint mileage of 110500 miles. The most common issue is Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero is Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip, accounting for a significant portion of the 85 total complaints filed."

1997 Mitsubishi Montero: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 85 complaints

Total Complaints

110,500mi

Median Mileage

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

75,000 25th Percentile

110,500 Median Mileage

156,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Frontal

Gasoline

Foundation Components

Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

Body

Electrical System

Front

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING FRONT END CRASH, VEHICLE BROADSIDED ANOTHER MOVING VEHICLE, ACCORDING TO AUTO REPAIR SHOP, SENSORS WERE NOT HIT, FRONT BUMPERS TOTALLY DAMAGED. *AK"

"14 HOURS AFTER PURCHASING A NEW VEHICLE THE CONSUMER TRIED TO START IT UP AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, AND THEN TRIED TO TURN THE RADIO ON AND THE RADIO DID NOT WORK BECAUSE OF A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine And Engine Cooling 5 complaints

Median: 134,990 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 9 CA: 8 VA: 7 MA: 7 PR: 7 TX: 5 NY: 4 GA: 3 WA: 3 MD: 3

Who Files Complaints?

49.4%

Original Owners

50.6%

Second+ Owners

Mitsubishi Montero — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	25	-	Buckle Assembly	2
1991	22	-	Engine	0
1994	35	185,000	Engine	3
1995	106	143,000	Engine	8
1996	40	-	Unknown Or Other	0
1998	91	89,500	Front	13
1999	47	84,000	Automatic Transmission	4
2000	68	109,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	8
2001	213	103,530	Vacuum	16
2002	132	84,000	Service Brakes	11
2003	53	67,000	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	6

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28