The 1997 Mitsubishi Montero Sport has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 210,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 37 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING00V3110012000-10-02210,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES: MIRAGE MODEL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.5L ENGINES; MONTERO SPORT MODELS EQUIPPED WITH 3.0L ENGINES; AND MONTERO MODELS EQUIPPED WITH 3.0L ENGINES. THE BOLT SECURING THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY CAN BECOME LOOSE AND THE PULLEY COULD FALL OFF THE VEHICLE.
Consequence
THE CONDITION CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
ON THE MIRAGE VEHICLES, THE DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW, IMPROVED CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT ON THE OLDER ENGINES. ON NEW ENGINES WHICH ALREADY HAVE THE IMPROVED BOLT, THE DEALER WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT TO THE CORRECT TORQUE SPECIFICATION. ON THE MONTERO MODELS, DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY…
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mitsubishi montero sport. While driving between 55 and 65 mph, the front end of the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ball joints, wheel bearings, transmission mount, universal bolt, and tires needed to be…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mitsubishi montero sport. While driving between 55 and 65 mph, the front end of the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ball joints, wheel bearings, transmission mount, universal bolt, and tires needed to be…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mitsubishi montero sport. While driving between 55 and 65 mph, the front end of the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ball joints, wheel bearings, transmission mount, universal bolt, and tires needed to be…”
“Vehicle lost power steering and stalled. Crankshaft pulley bolt fell out and harmonic balancer fell off.causing loss of control and life threatening situation. *tr”
“Common problem with these, crank shaft pulley bolt defective should have recalled all of them. *tr”
“Crankshaft pulley bolt came loose causing loss of steering. Had to steer very hard manually to park car. Dangerous situation. *tr”
“Crankshaft pulley bolt came loose causing loss of steering. Had to steer very hard manually to park car. Dangerous situation. *tr”
“Steering terminal came off making the vehicle go in danger. *tr”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero Sport as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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