AI Damage2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport filed 97 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 97
- involving a crash
- 17
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 15% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 15% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 14% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 10% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 10% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 15 complaints (15% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 15 complaints (15% of all).
- Powertrain: 14 complaints (14% of all).
- Suspension: 14 complaints (14% of all).
- Air bags: 10 complaints (10% of all), 10 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 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 97 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Structure | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 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.
The driver's and front passenger air bags failed to deploy. The contact suffered injuries to the left shoulder, hip, knee, back, face, back, and spine. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted.
I was pulling into my sisters drive which has a big trash dispenser in it & I already had my foot on the brake going about 1mph the suv lunged forward like I was hit from behind & my vehicle crashed into the trash dispenser & that then hit their fence which bent.
My wife was driving are 00 mits montero sport, on the fwy she try to slow down to get out of the fwy. She was pressing on the brake but the car was not slowing down so she put the transmission to lower gears to make the suv to slow down it help but not to get the suv to stop. So she hit the car in-front.
Air bag failed to deploy when driver lost control of vehicle and drove into a small grove of trees. Car was totaled. Windshield collapsed, entering car cabin and hit driver. Driver was wearing his seat belt at the time of the incident. Driver incurred bump to head and bruised hip.
The air bags failed to deploy. The entire front end of the vehicle was crushed. The vehicle was able to be driven, but was towed to the dealer. The contact sustained back injuries and was transported to the hospital. The child in the back seat was uninjured.
Consumer states that the ten inch fused loop/energy management loop to the right front passenger seat belt is defective. This accident had a death involved. The lawyer stated the fused loop/energy management loop deployed, the added 10 inches of slack in the seat belt system would eliminate the ability of the seat and…
On first impact his seat belt released, therefore he was thrown up and down each time he flipped. On inspection of the seat belt, it was found that the red release button was ripped out of the receiver part of the seat belt. My son missed five days of work because of the accident.
As I began to feel faint while driving a mountain highway, I started to pull off the road. I remember putting my foot on the brake and the next thing I knew I had hit a tree. I was able to get out of the driver's seat and out of the vehicle. The airbag did not fully inflate on the driver side position.
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 3,638 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Montero Sport has 35 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 97, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, structure, powertrain. Total complaints: 97. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (9%), vibration (8%), airbags did not deploy (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport?
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 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport 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 2000 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.