Montero SUV Gets Dismal Rollover Rating
For only the third time, Consumer Reports magazine has rated a vehicle “not acceptable”: Mitsubishi Motors’ Montero Limited sport-utility vehicle, which the magazine says has a high likelihood of rolling over during sharp turns.
The Montero Limited tips dangerously in emergency accident avoidance maneuvers in which drivers swerve to avoid something in their path, and it should be recalled, the magazine said Wednesday.
“If you’re shopping for an SUV, we advise you not to buy the 2001 Montero Limited until this safety problem has been corrected,” Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, said in a statement. “In our opinion, there are safer choices.”
Mitsubishi immediately criticized the test as unscientific. “CU’s conclusions about this vehicle are false,” said Pierre Gagnon, president of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, based in Cypress. “They are based on a widely criticized, unrealistic maneuver that can be used to force vehicles to tip up under extreme conditions. The federal government has concluded that this maneuver is unscientific and cannot be linked to real-world safety matters.
“In the real world, this vehicle’s performance has been outstanding,” he added. “This is a safe vehicle.”
Neither Mitsubishi nor the magazine found any reports of actual rollovers involving the SUV.
Consumer Reports tested the $35,000 2001 Montero Limited, the higher-end version of the Montero with 5-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and some luxury amenities, which accounts for about 80% of Montero sales. It did not test the $31,000 4-speed Montero XLS, which has part-time four-wheel drive.
The Montero was significantly redesigned for 2001, changing from a stiff body-on-frame construction typical of trucks to a “unibody” or more car-like construction that generally improves ride and handling.
The driving test was conducted at Consumer Reports’ test track in East Haddam, Conn. “The Montero Limited, in eight out of nine runs at or faster than 36.7 mph, tipped up on two wheels during a sharp right turn,” the magazine said. “In one run at 37.7 mph, it tipped up so far that the safety outriggers contacted the ground. Without the outriggers, we believe, the Montero would likely have rolled over.”
Outriggers are arms, with wheels on the ends, that are attached to the sides of vehicles tested, much like training wheels on a child’s bicycle. They are installed to protect test drivers in case the vehicles start to roll over.
The Montero is a full-size SUV that competes with the Ford Expedition, General Motors Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon, Toyota Land Cruiser and others. Built in Japan, it has a 3.5-liter, 200-horsepower V6 engine.
Consumer Reports, which buys all its test vehicles anonymously, purchased one 2001 Montero Limited last August. Its rollover risk was observed during routine accident-avoidance testing last month, while on the same day six other SUVs of similar size--DaimlerChrysler’s Dodge Durango, the Ford Explorer, GMC Envoy, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota 4Runner--showed no propensity to roll over, Consumer Reports said.
The magazine purchased and tested a second Montero Limited, which also showed a tendency to tip, or lift two wheels from the ground.
The poor rating does not apply to previous models of Montero or to the smaller Montero Sport SUV, which is a completely different vehicle.
It was only the third time in Consumer Reports’ testing of 118 vehicles in 13 years that the magazine judged a vehicle so poor as to receive the “not acceptable” rating. Previously, the Suzuki Samurai in 1988 and the Isuzu Trooper and its twin, the Acura SLX, in 1996 tipped severely enough to receive the same rating.
Isuzu Motors filed a highly publicized defamation lawsuit against Consumers Union that went to trial last year. CU won a jury verdict and was awarded court costs. Suzuki Motors filed suit as well but the case was dismissed before trial. Consumers Union was awarded court costs; Suzuki’s appeal is pending.
