Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Mitsubishi Montero owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal felt sticky. Additionally, the contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal twice, the brake pedal vibrated and shuddered. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ABS system had failed due a faulty hydraulic pump and accumulator. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 01V254002 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,600.
Defective hydraulic brake booster accumulator (NHTSA id#01V254001) on my 2001 Montero caused my brakes to fail while stopping at an intersection which resulted with me rear ending another vehicle! This happened over 1 year ago and the defective part has been making a terrible sound while braking for over 2 years. Everytime I performed maintenance on my vehicle. No one could confirm what was causing this noise. I just found out today (06/08/2004) what the part is and that it's known to fail, causing crashes what happened on 03/10/2003. I was cited for "failure to yield, but contested that my brakes failed at the point of avoiding the car in front of me. I had the vehicle checked several times and no one knew what was wrong with the vehicle? The brakes would continue to fail if I came to a fast stop and I have been driving the vehicle very carefully since this accident. …
The hydraulic brake booster, manufactured by aisin, failed due to a worn out pump motor. This is a brushed motor with no service interval so much as mentioned in either the owners manual or the factory service manual. Moreover, you can not purchase brushes for the motor from the dealer or anyone else. Here is a photo of the motor: http://I.imgur.com/dui0x0k.jpg as you can see it's completely worn out. This was taken after it was cleaned with compressed air. The motor was filled with the remains of the brushes and commutator. It is extremely irresponsible to power a breaking system with such a low quality motor and not even give it a service interval. When this motor fails, so do the brakes. Every single generation three Montero will suffer from this failure, some catastrophically. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated that he was traveling 10 MPH when he applied the brakes to avoid a preceding vehicle than abruptly applied their brakes. The brakes failed and the contact crashed into the vehicle. The ABS warning light illuminated immediately after impact. The police were not contacted. There were no injuries associated with the crash. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact stated that he was involved in two additional crashes as a result of failed brakes. The vehicle was not inspected and the contact stated that the ABS accumulator was the cause of the failure, based on his research. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. The current mileage was approximately 152,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and also while at a stand still, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the anti-lock braking system accumulator failure was coming from the ABS system. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 01V254002 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact NHTSA to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 172,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. While driving at 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact had to engage the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake booster assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 01V254001 (service brakes, hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 203,730.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. While driving 30 MPH, the contact's wife heard an abnormal chirping sound and the brakes failed. The sound originated from the under the dashboard. When the contact attempted to brake, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. In addition, the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 228,983.
The brake booster accumulator is leaking so it makes a 'chirping' sound from the left side of the vehicle. This is a recognized fault with this vehicle and a recall was issued I did not get notification of the recall so did not get it fixed. It has now become a problem which I am told could cause the brakes to fail, obviously a serious safety issue. I have spoken to Mitsubishi and they will not honor the recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal noise coming from the brake booster and there was fuel leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,895.
I had a total brake failure of my 2001 Mitsubishi Montero, found out there is a recall on them, yet Mitsubishi will not honor it!.here is recall. My cost to repair it is $1300.00 I think Mitsubishi should foot cost! <recall>aug 03, 2001 | recall id# 271 recall reason service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum recall date aug 03, 2001 model affected Montero potential units affected 39020 recall summary vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The accumulator that is installed on the hydraulic brake booster May have been improperly manufactured. Over a period of time, this could result in leakage of the pressurized nitrogen gas from inside the accumulator. …
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The accumulator that is installed on the hydraulic brake booster May have been improperly manufactured. Over a period of time, this could result in leakage of the pressurized nitrogen gas from inside the accumulator.
Remedy: Dealers will install an improved accumulator. Owner notification mailing began October 1, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…
Brake complaints in other Montero years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero?
NHTSA has 74 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero, 45% of the model year's 166 complaints. The component named most often is power assist › vacuum (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Mitsubishi Montero brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 01V254001 (vacuum, Aug 3, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Mitsubishi Montero brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 124,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.