"How reliable is the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero?"

"Based on 132 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero has a median complaint mileage of 84000 miles. The most common issue is Service Brakes."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Mitsubishi Montero is Service Brakes, accounting for a significant portion of the 132 total complaints filed."

2002 Mitsubishi Montero: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 132 complaints

132

Total Complaints

84,000mi

Median Mileage

Service Brakes

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

61,000 25th Percentile

84,000 Median Mileage

109,487 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Service Brakes

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Vacuum

Electrical System

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Engine

Air Bags

Unknown Or Other

Body

Fuel System, Other

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BRAKES SYSTEM FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE"

"VEHICLE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT WHEN SECOND PARTY RAN RED LIGHT. VEHICLES AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSIONG INJURY TO CONSUMER AND HIS DAUGHTER. *JG"

"BRIDGESTONE, DUELER HT-689, P265/70R16, DOT # ELLJJNM3701, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2002, MITSUBISHI, MONTERO WITH 11400 MILES. PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR TIRE BLEWOUT AT 65-70 MPH. *AK *YH"

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.

Service Brakes 21 complaints

25th: 108,974 mi Median: 126,000 mi 75th: 140,000 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 17 complaints

25th: 64,418 mi Median: 88,000 mi 75th: 118,105 mi

Vacuum 15 complaints

25th: 66,400 mi Median: 79,670 mi 75th: 83,800 mi

Electrical System 7 complaints

25th: 79,654 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 102,933 mi

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 6 complaints

25th: 44,539 mi Median: 65,750 mi 75th: 86,875 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 26 TX: 17 FL: 10 NY: 8 IL: 7 GA: 6 VA: 5 TN: 5 CO: 5 NE: 5

Who Files Complaints?

27.3%

Original Owners

72.7%

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
1997	85	110,500	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	7
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
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