AI Damage2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor: common problems
Owners of the 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor filed 40 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 40
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 25% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 20% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 10% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 8% of all complaints
- 8 Seat belts 5% of all complaints
- Structure: 10 complaints (25% of all).
- Service brakes: 8 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (18% of all).
- Powertrain: 6 complaints (15% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 4 complaints (10% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 40 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I was pulling into an apartment parking lot at 3 miles per hour or less applied brake and car surged forward. I applied more pressure to brake and the car surged again and would not stop. This caused me to crash into a unoccupied parked car which banged another unoccupied car parked next to it. All 3 cars were damage.
My 17 year old son's seatbelt failed to work, causing him to hit the windshield, breaking the windshield. After he hit the windshield, his airbag deployed late throwing him up and back. In my opinion, my seatbelt did not work either.
The airbag did not deploy during the collision which resulted in the total loss of my vehicle.
Lst friday I was driving normally to my work when I felt thumps and if it were pulling back and forth. I don't know how but I managed to park, and when I did something under it ripped off and a huge spot of oil appeared. It leaked all the transmission fluid on the pavement.
The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the fuel leak ceased. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The contact stated that on the second occasion, while refueling the vehicle, an oil pan was placed underneath. After refueling the vehicle, there was an eighth of a cup of fuel inside the oil pan.
I was using an exit to merge into the highway and when I merged, the vehicle completely lost power. I could hear the engine working but no power to the vehicle. A semi almost totaled me but thank god it merged thanks to another driver.
Due to the placement of the air conditioning drain plug, water leaked onto the floorboard. The contact stated that the carpet in the vehicle was soaked. While driving and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the contact's foot slipped off of the brake pedal due to the bottom of her shoe being wet from the leak.
That is, the heater controller signal to the hvac system codes as u111, and consequently the a/c will not turn on at all, but indicator light shows it to be on. The compressor is not receiving the signal from the controller. The dealer says this recall (number 10v514000) does not cover 2005 cars.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 5,948 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 16% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Endeavor has 42 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 40, about average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, service brakes, electrical system. Total complaints: 40. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: A/C or heater (35%), rust, corrosion (8%), knocking, grinding or other noise (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2005 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.