Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. While driving 65 MPH, the horn sounded loudly without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the horn failed and the horn module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 352,478. Ma 10/15/2015
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero. The contact stated that the horn sounded independently. The contact stated that the battery had to be disabled to stop the horn from sounding. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
1) event leading to the failure is unknown. 2) the alarm system goes off for no reason at all times of day or night. Frequency is from minutes to several hours. The horn honks and lights flash until the alarm is reset or until the battery dies. 3) fuses removed but alarm still operates. Horns disconnected but lights still flash. The safety issue is that there is no way to turn off the alarm or disable the alarm without also turning off the horn. Reportedly, inorder to fix the problem a switch behind the air bag must be replaced which also requires replacing the airbag. Replacing the airbag is potentially dangerous and over $1000. There is no way to turn off the alarm in a safe manner. Consumers should be able to totally disarm or turn off the alarm system simply and safely.
At 35000, the trunk door latch mechanism is broken. At 57000 miles check engine light lit, caused by spark plugs or spark plug wires open. Replace all plugs and wires at dealership, cost $300.not covered by warranty. At 77000 miles, check engine light lit, dealership replaced catalytic converter under warranty but I pay for the oxygen sensor plus labor that goes with the catalyst.old parts not available. Car driven about 3 miles home from dealeship after replacing the cat. Converter, the check engine light lit again. Dealership checked and said another oxygen sensor is bad. Total 4 oxygen sensors in the system. Cost $230 to replace one sensor. I could not believe that these sensors will go bad at the same time. Is that a coinsidence or manufacturer parts defects???
The horn button sometimes sticks when used and goes off frequently in the cold of the evening many times in the 4-6 am hours. The horn is very loud and wakes the neighbors. This has become such an inconvenience that initially removed the fuse for the horn - this is very unsafe! Right after disabling the horn someone almost backed up into me! So I have re-enabled the horn system (put the fuse back). This horn button is also the airbag unit - so it is very expensive to replace. So I have wired a switch in the horn circuit, so that I and my neighbors can sleep at night - I just have to remember to flip the switch back on when I get in the truck.
I have had an issue with my truck because the horn quit working several years ago. I was told by the dealer multiple times that the airbag has a metal ring inside of it that makes contact to activate the horn when pressed. They claimed the ring has either deteriorated or broken internally and that is why the horn doesn't work and is a very common issue for years with these trucks. Based on the current recalls I am wondering if that also effects the airbags and if they will work properly or if there could be metal shards in there that when deployed could pose a safety issue.
The horn randomly sounds off during the night. I've discovered its a temperature thing. When its cold or the interior cools down the horns starts to blow, but when warm everything is fine. So mostly at night this occurs. This should be a recall! As the connection ring inside the airbag is clearly faulty. The only fix is to replace the air bag or pull the fuse to the horn. How is this safe? I just bought this car and found the horn didn't work. There was no fuse! So I replaced it and that's when the problems occurred. Clearly the fuse was missing for this very reason.
February 02, 2008; as I was driving my vehicle, the horn began to sound consistently without stopping. I had to pull over and open the fuse box in the engine compartment area 7 remove fuse. Mitsubishi dealer on 02/06/2008 told me that the entire steering wheel with air bag has to be replace. Most likely it has a short and the inside area has no replacement parts to fix the horn from non-stop sounding. Cost to replace steering wheel unit with air bag is $1,575.00 ! There should be a recall or something for just a short in the horn system.
March 25th 2008: car was parked at golf course and horn began to sound continuously. Had to disconnect battery and the pull fuses to stop horn. Dealer told me that it was a stuck switch in the horn assembly and that the entire steering pad/airbag assembly had to be replaced at an approximate cost of $1175 parts and labor. On searching the internet I find this be a fairly common problem with monteros prior to 2003. I can't find a recall on this but believe that there should have been one.
Tl contact owns a 2001 mitsusbishi Montero. The vehicle was parked and shut off for approximately eight hours when the contact heard the horn sound. The contact had to disconnect the fuse for the horn to stop it. The failure occurred intermittently in cold weather. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop but the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000 and the current mileage was approximately 130,000.
Electrical complaints in other Montero years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero, 13% of the model year's 166 complaints. The component named most often is horn (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Mitsubishi Montero electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Mitsubishi Montero electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles.
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.