The 2003 Mitsubishi Montero has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 144,646 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 53 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
EQUIPMENT04V4280002004-09-01100,432 affected
Defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE BILINGUAL ENGLISH/SPANISH REMOVABLE AIR BAG WARNING LABELS AFFIXED TO THE DASH AND TO THE SUNVISOR DO NOT MEET THE SIZE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
Consequence
THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
Remedy
MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN WILL MAIL A CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION LETTER CONTAINING A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION AND A GRAPHIC OF THE BI-LINGUAL DASHBOARD AIR BAG WARNING LABEL. IN ADDITION, ALL CURRENT 2000-2004 NATIVA OWNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT AIR BAG ALERT LABELS FOR THE SUN VISORS. THIS RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS FULL AND THE VEHICLE IS PARKED FACING FORWARD ON AN UPWARD SLOPE, THE FUEL TANK LEVELING VALVE MAY NOT MAINTAIN PROPER SEALING IN THE EVENT THE FUEL EXPANDS FROM A RISE IN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE.
Consequence
IF THE FUEL LEVELING VALVE DOES NOT SEAL PROPERLY, FUEL MAY LEAK ONTO THE GROUND. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEVELING VALVE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037 OR MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-787-251-8715.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
5
1crashes
AIR BAGS
3
2crashes4injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
POWER TRAIN
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
2
1fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
SUSPENSION
2
Total complaints53
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi montero. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated when the vehicle was purchased from the dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle had a strong hesitation as the failure progressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi montero. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle started to veer to the left independently. The contact stopped on the shoulder to check the tire pressure. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic. The technician put…”
“A siren sound came on. My husband proceeded to get of the road. In his attempt, the brakes became very hard to press. The vehicle continued to roll as the brakes were being applied. He the pull the emergency brakes to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Aaa was called to tow the vehicle to a…”
“The horn goes off by itself the pads where stuck and it cost $1000 to repair since it needs to remove the steering airbag,this should be on a recall.this has a lot of problems who has same model on mitsubishi forums found here…”
“The horn goes off by itself the pads where stuck and it cost $1000 to repair since it needs to remove the steering airbag,this should be on a recall.this has a lot of problems who has same model on mitsubishi forums found here…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi montero. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph down a slight incline, the brake pedal failed to respond and the vehicle was shifted to neutral in order to stop. The contact also stated that the abs warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi montero. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph down a slight incline, the brake pedal failed to respond and the vehicle was shifted to neutral in order to stop. The contact also stated that the abs warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi montero. The contact heard a loud piercing sound when the ignition was started. All of the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 230,000.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Mitsubishi Montero as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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