Used Mitsubishi Montero Buying Guide: 1983-2006, Year by Year

If you're shopping a used Mitsubishi Montero, the U.S. version ran from 1983 through 2006, and which generation you pick changes almost everything: the early ones are small, slow, body-on-frame 4x4s, while the 2001-2006 trucks are unibody SUVs with independent suspension. For a family hauler, the 2003 and later models are the safer bet because they got electronic stability control. For any year, run the VIN for open recalls, because a 1998-2000 Montero may still carry an unrepaired driver air bag inflator.

I put this together on Oct. 20, 2026 from MotorTrend's model history, Consumer Reports' 2001 test findings as republished by The Auto Channel, and NHTSA's recall data pulled year by year under MITSUBISHI MONTERO. I haven't owned one. Where something is opinion from a reviewer, I say so.

Four generations, and which is which

According to MotorTrend's Montero history, the first truck arrived in 1983 as a boxy two-door with a 105-hp 2.6-liter four and a 5-speed manual, on a 92.5-inch wheelbase. The four-door showed up for 1989 with a 143-hp 3.0-liter V6. The two-door was dropped after 1990, and Dodge sold it as the Raider from 1987; our Dodge Raider buying guide covers that twin.

The second generation came in 1992, bigger and heavier, with full-time 4WD and adjustable shocks. MotorTrend says the 151-hp V6 wasn't really enough for it. A 215-hp 3.5-liter DOHC V6 came in the SR for 1994, the 3.0 went to 24 valves and 177 hp for 1995, and from 1997 both were replaced by a 200-hp SOHC 3.5 with automatic only. The third generation, 2001-2006, switched to unibody construction, rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel independent suspension. A 215-hp 3.8 arrived for 2003 along with a standard 5-speed automatic and stability control. Mitsubishi stopped selling it here after 2006.

The Montero Sport is a different vehicle

Listings mix these up all the time. MotorTrend calls the Montero Sport a smaller five-seat SUV and says plainly that the two are very different vehicles. Check the VIN with our Mitsubishi VIN decoder guide before you trust the ad title, because parts, recalls and values don't carry over.

The 2001 Montero Limited test result

In June 2001 Consumer Reports rated the 2001 Montero Limited "Not Acceptable" after it tipped up on two wheels in its short-course avoidance test. According to the release republished by The Auto Channel, one test truck tipped up in 8 of 9 runs at 36.7 mph or faster, and a second sample bought later did it too. Mitsubishi disputed the findings and the method. CR said the rating covered only the 2001 Limited, not earlier Monteros, the XLS (which it didn't test) or the Montero Sport. That's a single magazine test from 25 years ago, but it's worth knowing if you're looking at a 2001 or 2002 Limited, and it's one more reason MotorTrend points shoppers at 2003-on trucks with stability control.

Recalls NHTSA lists by year

This is what the API returned when I ran each model year, trimmed to the parts that matter. Only the campaigns for the year in front of you count.

• 1984: 84V098000, an oil pressure sending unit that can leak oil.
• 1986-1991: 95V103004, red plastic front belt buckle buttons that can break and jam the buckle.
• 1992-1994: 96V143001/002, front brake hoses that can crack at full lock and full suspension travel.
• 1992-1996 (3.0 V6): 00V311001, a crankshaft pulley bolt that can loosen, with loss of power steering assist.
• 1997-1998: 98V220000, front brake lines that can chafe through at the inner fender.
• 1998-2000: 20V035000, non-azide driver air bag inflators that can absorb moisture and rupture, throwing metal fragments. That recall only began on Feb. 25, 2021, decades after these trucks were sold, so ask for proof it was done.
• 2001-2002: 01V254001, a brake booster accumulator that can lose its nitrogen charge.
• 2002-2004: 04V319000, a fuel tank leveling valve that can leak fuel when the truck is full and parked nose-up.

Our Mitsubishi recall check guide walks through running the VIN instead of the year.

What to look at in person

MotorTrend's advice is the boring kind that actually works: look for rust and abuse, and want maintenance records. It says some of the V6 engines can leak or burn oil. Lots of Monteros got lifted and used off road, and MotorTrend warns that someone else's shoddy project work is a bad starting point. Check that 4WD engages in high and low, look at the frame or underbody for crush marks, and test every belt buckle on older trucks. We explain in whether CARFAX shows a lift kit why most modifications never reach a report.

What a report can and can't tell you

On a 20- to 40-year-old SUV, a history report is mostly about title brands, odometer readings at sale and maybe a few service visits. That's still worth a few dollars, because a salvage or flood brand changes what the truck is worth. Check title data on NMVTIS too, and don't accept a seller's printout; old PDFs get passed around and edited.

CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with either. As of late October 2026, a single report ran about $5.50 as a guest or $4.50 for members, or about $6.75 for both, against retail of roughly $39.99 to $44.99. Confirm at checkout.

Sources

• MotorTrend: Mitsubishi Montero history and generations
• The Auto Channel: Consumer Reports on the 2001 Montero Limited (June 2001)
• NHTSA recalls API: campaign 20V035000
• NMVTIS