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Mitsubishi MonteroModel year report

1998 Mitsubishi Montero Problems

Complaints
74filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
89,500miles, 8 complaints with mileage
Recalls
4campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
16 mpgcombined, 3.0L 6-cyl 4WD/AWD · 15 city / 18 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe front-end vibrations, noises and steering looseness, plus occasional reports of broken suspension or steering parts. A second cluster involves the crankshaft pulley bolt shearing off, which takes out the belts and power steering, and several owners report fuel odors or leaks and brake pulsation. Air bag complaints are mostly about the open driver-side inflator recall and parts not being available, rather than about new failures.

  1. Suspension

    Front-end vibration, shimmy and worn front-end parts

    • 10 complaints (14%)
    • median 68,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 1998–2003

    Complaints describe a steady shake or shimmy from the front of the vehicle, often felt through the steering wheel at highway speeds and sometimes while braking. Owners also report clicking, chirping or rattling noises over bumps and uneven tire wear; in some cases a shop found a broken leaf spring or a worn tie rod, ball joint or control arm. Several say the dealer balanced wheels, replaced bushings or said the condition was normal, and the vibration returned. Reported across a wide mileage range, from near-new vehicles to trucks well past 100,000 miles, often at 50-65 mph.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Drive it at highway speed and feel for steering wheel shake, then check tire wear patterns and ask whether ball joints, tie rods and sway bar links have been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I was in an accident six weeks after I purchased my Montero. Stuart lincoln-mercury, who is an authorized dealer, repaired my Montero. My front end was supposed to be aligned. At 6400 miles, I had my tires rotated, and I saw that the tires on the passanger side were wearing as if they were out of alignment. I took my Montero back to the shop to have it checked. I was told they aligned my front end while my vehicle was being repaired for the accident. I was told that mitisubishi uses cheap tires, and that is normal wear. …”

    NHTSA complaint #705236, filed 1999-04

    “While driving passenger's front inner tie rod broke, causing loss of steering control which might have resulted in a crash. Dealer said consumer needed to replace tie rod/ball joint, and control arm which seemed to have worn out. Please provide further information.”

    NHTSA complaint #860791, filed 2000-04
  2. Engine cooling

    Crankshaft pulley bolt shears, belts and power steering lost

    Mentioned in 5 of 44 sampled complaints

    Complaints describe the crankshaft pulley bolt breaking or backing out while driving, letting the pulley and belts come off. Owners report losing power steering and charging, and shops quoting crankshaft or engine replacement because the broken bolt could not be removed. Some owners note the same failure pattern was covered by a recall on other engines and ask why their vehicle was not included. Mostly reported between roughly 85,000 and 155,000 miles, sometimes at low speed when pulling out of a lot.

    What to check: Ask for service records on the crank pulley bolt and belt service, and have a mechanic check the pulley for wobble and the bolt for looseness before buying.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Crankshaft bolt broke, causing timing belt pulley/sprocket to fall off. This is an interference engine and could had caused serious damage. There has been a recall for the Montero 3.0 engine for same problem..why not the 3.5? Intend to contact the corporation commission. Very poor design.”

    NHTSA complaint #10068313, filed 2004-05

    “Was pulling out off parking lot and crankshaft pulley bolt broke or sheared off. Had no steering control at 10mph. Just managed to drive vehicle to dealership. Mechanic indicated that bolt could not be removed from crankshaft. Entire crankshaft was to be replaced.”

    NHTSA complaint #877359, filed 2001-01
  3. Air bags

    Driver air bag inflator recall and parts availability

    • 6 complaints (8%)
    • median 95,500 mi at 6.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 1999–2021

    Several complaints concern the driver-side air bag inflator recall rather than a new failure: owners say the repair parts were unavailable for an extended period and that dealers could not schedule the work. A few others report air bags not deploying in a collision or the horn sounding constantly as the driver air bag cover swelled, with the dealer saying the vehicle was out of warranty. Recall-related complaints were filed many years after purchase; deployment and horn reports came at 85,000 miles and above.

    Recall 20V035000Recall 04V4280001 related service bulletin

    What to check: Check the vehicle's VIN against open recalls and confirm whether the driver air bag inflator recall has actually been completed, and test that the horn works normally.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “At the moment the only situation that I have had with the Mitsubishi airbag recall is that when I call the customer relations department they say they do not have the parts, that supposedly the Mitsubishi company has not yet sent the replacement parts.....I have to call within 2 months to see if the parts have arrived at the repair shops.”

    NHTSA complaint #11415421, filed 2021-05

    “While driving 35 MPH consumer's vehicle was involved in a three vehicle pile up. Upon impact, dual air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained major head injuries, and passenger broke his shoulder.”

    NHTSA complaint #10099789, filed 2004-11, 85,000 miles

Buying note. Given the age of this model year, a pre-purchase inspection focused on the front suspension and steering, the crank pulley bolt and the fuel system is worthwhile, and confirming that the air bag recall work was done matters more than the mileage shown.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 44 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 74 consumer complaints for the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero. 8 of the complaints include a mileage, and 25% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 89,500 miles. Of all complaints, 9 involved a crash, 12 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns and 16 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Seat belts (3), Tires (3), Transmission and drivetrain (3), Equipment (2), Fuel system (2), Wheels (2), Engine (1), Seats (1).

Example complaints

Suspension: “There is a continuous and extreme pulsation,vibration of the steering wheel at speeds greater than 40 m.p.h. The same problem exists when braking at certain speeds as well. From reading your web site this appears to be an ongoing problem with this vehicle.”

NHTSA complaint #720957, filed 2000-04

Brakes: “Whenever brakes are applied, vehicle would slide or skid. Intermittent problem. Took to dealer & informed brakes are sticking. Would have odors/fumes coming inside vehicle. Also, some squeaking coming from front end.”

NHTSA complaint #845230, filed 1999-08

Engine cooling: “The contact owns a 1996 Mitsubishi Montero. While driving 40 MPH,the power steering failed. The mechanic stated that the front crank shaft pulley bolt detached and caused the pulley to wobble. This failure was encompassed in recall # 00v311000. The dealer stated that this vehicle was excluded from the recall. However, the contact strongly believed otherwise. The current and failure mileage were 94,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10187107, filed 2007-04, 94,000 miles

Air bags: “The contact owns a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact discovered that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 20v035000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.”

NHTSA complaint #11362913, filed 2020-10

Mileage when problems were reported

25% of the 8 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 68,000 and 106,000 miles.

13%0–100%10–2513%25–5013%50–7525%75–10025%100–15013%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (8 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 89,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’9830’00’02’04’06’08’21
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 1998 Mitsubishi Montero version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Montero 4WD/AWD3.0L 6-cyl4-speed automatic151816$4,200
Montero 4WD/AWD3.0L 6-cyl5-speed manual141715$4,450
Montero 4WD/AWD3.5L 6-cyl4-speed automatic141816$4,200

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 16 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 16 bulletins →

Other model years of the Mitsubishi Montero

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20045125,0003—15—Not enough data
20033981,5002—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200211184,5003—15Not compared (before 2008)Falling
2001166107,3714—14Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200051109,0002—16Not compared (before 2008)Rising
19994084,0002—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
19987489,5004—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199763110,5002—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199627135,5002—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199586147,5002—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199431185,0005—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199314150,0003—15—Not enough data
199212168,5003—15—Not enough data
199118133,3451—15—Stable
199023228,8591—16—Stable
198910194,0002—16—Not enough data

All Mitsubishi Montero model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero?

Owners of this model year most often describe front-end vibrations, noises and steering looseness, plus occasional reports of broken suspension or steering parts. The issues reported most often: Front-end vibration, shimmy and worn front-end parts; Crankshaft pulley bolt shears, belts and power steering lost; Driver air bag inflator recall and parts availability.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero have?

NHTSA recorded 74 consumer complaints for the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero as of Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero is reported most often?

Suspension is named most often, in 18 complaints (24% of the total), followed by brakes with 10.

Has the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero been recalled?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero get?

The EPA rates the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero (Montero, 3.0L 6-cyl) at 16 mpg combined, 15 city and 18 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,200 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 1998 Mitsubishi Montero reported?

Among the 8 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 89,500 miles and the middle half falls between 68,000 and 106,000 miles; 25% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.