- Vehicles
- 18,123
- Built between
- Jun 1997 – Dec 1999
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 25 February 2021
- Repaired
- 4%
- Unrepaired
- 13,424
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between June 1997 and December 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998-2000 Mitsubishi MonteroBuilt June 1997 to December 1999
Repair progress
13,424 of 18,123 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2022.
4% repaired — 639 of 18,123 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 2,512
- Scrapped or exported
- 1,548
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain 1998-2000 Montero vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
What could happen
In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2021.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJune 1997 to December 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA23 January 2020
- Owners notified25 February 2021
- Latest repair reportQ4 2022 — 4% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 23 January 2020.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-20-001.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- SR-20-001
- Recalling manufacturer
- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.