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Mitsubishi Montero Sport

1997-2000 models

MODERATE OVERLAP FRONT TEST

OVERALL EVALUATION: Poor

Structure/safety cage	Injury measures				Restraints/dummy kinematics
Structure/safety cage	Head/neck	Chest	Leg/foot, left	Leg/foot, right	Restraints/dummy kinematics

Important: Frontal crash test ratings can be compared only among vehicles of similar weight.

Good Good Acceptable Marginal Poor Poor

Test details:

The Mitsubishi Montero Sport was introduced in the 1997 model year.

Restraints/dummy kinematics — Dummy movement wasn't well controlled. Special stitching on the lap belt, designed to limit belt forces by tearing and lengthening the belt, allowed too much dummy movement. There was too much upward movement of the steering wheel, which contributed to the dummy's head bottoming out the airbag and hitting the steering wheel. During rebound, the dummy moved upward and toward the driver door, hitting the B-pillar and roof rail.

Injury measures — Measures taken from the head, neck, and chest indicate low risk of injuries to these body regions in a crash of this severity. Forces on both tibias indicate that injuries to the lower legs would be possible. Accelerations on the feet indicate that injuries to the feet would be possible. Forces on the right knee indicate that injuries to the knee would be likely. Head accelerations from the steering wheel and B-pillar hits were low.

Left to right:

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates the movement allowed by the torn safety belt stitching (see bottom left).
Special stitching intended to limit belt forces tore and lengthened the belt too much for effective control of the dummy's movement.
Smeared red greasepaint on the knee bolster shows where the dummy's shin contacted it hard enough for a likely knee injury.

Additional features:

Antilock brakes (standard on 1998-2000 4-wheel-drive models, optional on 1997 4-wheel-drive and 1997-2000 2-wheel-drive models)

Tested vehicle specifications:

1999 Mitsubishi Montero Sport XLS 4wd
Class: Midsize SUV
Weight: 4,156 lbs.
Side airbags: none
Wheelbase: 107 in.
Length: 178 in.
Width: 70 in.
Engine: 3.0 L V6
EPA ratings: 18 mpg city | 21 mpg highway

See all test results for Mitsubishi Montero Sport

Last updated: March 29, 2006