AI Damage1998 Mitsubishi Montero: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero filed 74 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 74
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 24% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 5% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 5% of all complaints
- Suspension: 18 complaints (24% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 10 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 9 complaints (12% of all).
- Air bags: 6 complaints (8% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 5 complaints (7% of all), 1 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
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 74 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 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.
Upon impact, dual air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained major head injuries, and passenger broke his shoulder.
In a frontal head on collision vehicle impacteed on a tree, and it pushed radiator into engine, and frame bent because vehicle had no bumper. Not sure if it came from maufacturer without it or it was removed.
Neck whip-lash despite 3 point seatbelt and added thickness headrest as seatbelt collapsed backward to horizontal position. Unable to move seat fully upright (80%) after that. Car pushed about 20 ft. Tow hitched attached to frame reduced further back damage.
On impact, the rear seat belt came undone and the airbags did not deploy.
After driver had been driving approximately 3-31/2 miles automobile lurched forward, causing the rear end of the auto to fishtail and spin around twice, resulting in another vehicle hitting consumer's automobile.
While traveling 40 mph a sa result of an accident vehicle rolled over, and air bags did not deploy without indications. Please provide further information.
Windshield on the passenger's side has a bad blind spot. It portrudes just outside the side mirror. Was at a stop light & did not notice any vehicles along side of vehicle. Pulled off when light turned green and hit the other vehicle on the passenger's side.
The vehicle was taken to southside mitsubishi in orlando and because a mechanic named bob who's been there for over 20 years says it's the original but it's not the original bolt they don't want to honor the recall I argued with them multiple times..
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 4,291 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 12% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Montero has 36 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 74, above average.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
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 199431 sources
- Montero 199586 sources
- Montero 199627 sources
- Montero 199763 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 1998 Mitsubishi Montero?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, service brakes, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 74. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: vibration (15%), airbags did not deploy (4%), brake failure (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 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 1998 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 1998 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.