AI Damage1994 Mitsubishi Montero: common problems
Owners of the 1994 Mitsubishi Montero filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 31
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 42% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 19% of all complaints
- 3 Exterior lighting 10% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 6% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 3% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 3% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 13 complaints (42% of all).
- Service brakes: 6 complaints (19% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 3 complaints (10% of all).
- Suspension: 3 complaints (10% of all).
- Steering: 2 complaints (6% of all).
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 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 2 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 31 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 1 | 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 air bags did not deploy. The contact hit her head but was unable to give specific details regarding the head injury. The contact was taken to the hospital for a broken ankle, head trauma and was also placed in intensive care due to the head trauma.
A 12 year old boy was killed when his cargo seat in a mitsubishi montero detached and catapulted him out the side window in a rollover accident. He was wearing his seat belt, but with this particular seat design the belts are all attached to the seat, rather than the floor, giving the occupant no restraint when the…
1994 mitsubishi montero bolt securing crankshaft pulley came loose resulting in loss of power steering. Accident averted, thank god. As stated in other complaints, mitsubishi dealership and mitsubishi america absolutely refuse to repair my truck because my vin is not a match for the recall on this same exact problem.
While driving my 1994 mitsubishi 3.0l montero at 55mph on a four-lane highway, the power steering suddenly failed. I was able to make it to the side of the road without hitting any other vehicles.when the vehicle was taken to my dealer's service department, they determined that the crankshaft pulley bolt had broken…
Last month my mitsubishi montero stalled. I was able to get it to the dealers, and they found that the plenum needed to get checked. They did that, but now they found that the butterfly valves on the plenum broke off ( which were plastic) and went in to the engine.
A defective right brake hose lose all brake fluid and the montero run out of brake . The mitsubishi engineers in pr. Said that the recall for the defective hose was made for the lower hose not for this one. I think that 72331 miles are no the reason to justified the failure of this hose.
While driving at speeds of 50 mph or higher steering will pull to the left intermittently. Dealership has examined vehicle for this problem four times and performed alignments, but could not reproduce the problem to diagnose the cause. Please provide any additional information / documentation.
While driving bolt that holds steering rod to tire fell out. This caused left front tire to wobble. If on the highway there would have been a serious accident. Please provide any further information.
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 6,740 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Montero has 36 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 31, about average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
- Montero 19864 sources
- Montero 19873 sources
- Montero 198910 sources
- Montero 199023 sources
- Montero 199118 sources
- Montero 199212 sources
- Montero 199314 sources
- Montero 199586 sources
- Montero 199627 sources
- Montero 199763 sources
- Montero 199874 sources
- Montero 199940 sources
- Montero 200051 sources
- Montero 2001166 sources
- Montero 2002111 sources
- Montero 200339 sources
- Montero 20045 sources
- Montero 20064 sources
- Montero 99993 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1994 Mitsubishi Montero?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, service brakes, exterior lighting. Total complaints: 31. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (19%), loss of power / limp mode (10%), airbags did not deploy (3%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1994 Mitsubishi Montero?
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 1994 Mitsubishi Montero 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 1994 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.