Suspension complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Montero. While the contact's daughter was accelerating from a stop sign, she heard a popping sound. She had to maneuver the vehicle onto the side of the road. The front driver's side wheel was twisted. The vehicle has not been inspected. The current and failure mileages were 85,000. Updated 09/15/08 updated 09/18/08.
Recent incident of right back wheel displaying excessive noise and impairing driving, as well as repeated incidents of brake wear, malfunction and excessive brake noises. Repeated replacement of rear right rotor. Driver was in fear for her safety.
Last year in November of 2005, I had to replace the passenger side wheel hub bearing because the bearings inside the hub broke down. Prior to getting it replaced, loud metallic grinding noise was coming from the wheel area. I took the hub bearing apart and found that the bearings were damamged and no sign of grease inside of the hub bearing. Now, on May 5, 2005, I have the same kind of problem and I inspected the hub bearing by taking it apart and discovered the bearings were damage. This LED to my conclusion that it must have been a product defect and not a coincidence. I drive my vehicle from home to work normally and never have abuse the use of the vehicle like taking it offroad for a joy ride. It is a 2001 full size limited Mitsubishi Montero. Please, someone help me out because it caused me a great deal in time and money to replace the parts.
Right side of car suddenly dropped when making a left turn from a stop light. Driver lost control of car running into right side curb no injuries. After collision the wheel was at an angle and joint at the right upper control arm was loose at the hub. Also, the right rear wheel rim was broken and the rear tire had become flat. There was no damage to tire to indicate any kind of blow out. Parts that required replacement included right rear hub, right rear axle assembly, right rear shock, right rear wheel and tire, right rear upper control arm and right lower trailing arm. Observation of the damaged hub indicated that the slot that holds the bolt from the upper control arm was distorted into an oval shape. Dt
My vehicle has not had a catatrophic failure as of yet. However the front suspension components and wheel bearings have degraded rapidly to the point of being unsafe at highway speeds and has totally ruined the front tires at 20000 mi.(the alignment has been checked and is perfect) the local Mitsubishi dealer "courtesy Mitsubishi" has twice refused to honor my factory warrantee and has made ridiculous excuses such as "the tire tread is separating on the front tires, therefor we cannot diagnose any problems with the front end". Afterwhich, I went to an authorized yokohama tire dealer and was assured that nothing was wrong with my front tires save for the excessive wear caused by suspension component problems! I feel as if I have no where else to turn as I cannot personally afford to hire a lawyer and sue for breech of contract. …
The vehicle was sold with inadequate rear coil suspension resulting in the vehicle "bottoming out" with rear passengers. The vehicle was represented to be able to tow 5000#. But due to the improper suspension, towing anything is dangerous as a result of the inability of the suspension to accommodate minimal tongue weight. Supposed repair did not fix the problem. A cushion was installed rather than increasing the coil strength or otherwise "repairing" the problem. The cushion merely attempts to "mask" the inadequate suspension and does not resolve anything.
Highw speed of40mph vehicle shifted with heavy wheel vibration vehicle was unstabled and reported this complaint to the factory. When makin a turn if there was a crack or pot hole in the street the vehicle had a tendency to shift off the wheels leaning to left. If it rains the vehicle would slide to the left.
Problems with tires wearing bad chop wearing on outside and in the middle, front end slanted inward I believe causing tires to wear badly also bad vibration coming from front end as well taken to dealer several times still not corrected they say tires are bad I replaced tires at 18,700 miles still doing same thing noththing has changed car is still at dealer for repair. Automatic transmission at a cold start seems like it does not to go has trouble shifting and very high rpms at 35 MPH taken to drealer several times for service on this they say it is normal for the Montero sport. Front end feels lo0se when driving on rough terrain feels like bottom is going to fall out. Sometimes the brakes feel like they don't want to work when applied quikly.( dot number: tire size: p265/70r15 )
Frequently asked questions
Which Mitsubishi Montero years have suspension problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (18), 1999 (11), 2001 (11), 1995 (8) and 1997 (6) model years. Suspension complaints make up 24% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Mitsubishi Montero suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for any Mitsubishi Montero model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Mitsubishi Montero suspension problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles; 38% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front (25 mentions), followed by the rear (6).
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.