MITSUBISHI MONTERO ROLLOVER

RATED: "Not Acceptable" By Consumer Reports
IS IT TOO HIGH OF A ROLLOVER RISK ...???

Consumer Reports has rated the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited "not acceptable" after  testing by the publication found that the tall and narrow SUV was prone to lifting its wheels off the pavement during emergency avoidance maneuvers. The test is designed to simulate a situation in which a driver has to steer suddenly around an unexpected obstacle in its path and then return to its lane.                            
Of the 118 vehicles Consumer Reports has tested in this fashion, only three have tipped up onto two wheels so severely that they have been rated "not acceptable": the 1988 Suzuki Samurai, the 1996 Isuzu Trooper and now the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited. Consumer Reports did not test the Montero XLS and  CR reminded its readers that the Montero Sport is an entirely different vehicle from the one that performed poorly in testing.

Mitsubishi, of course, rushed to defend its redesigned 2001 Montero. The Japanese automaker called the Consumer Reports test "unscientific" and "unrealistic." Internal testing could not duplicate the Consumer Reports emergency avoidance maneuver results, and the company stressed that there have been no accidents or consumer complaints about the 2001 Montero. Finally, Mitsubishi asserts that because Consumer Reports uses expert drivers to conduct the test they are able to spin the steering wheel much faster and with greater intensity than the average consumer.

· Of the 118 vehicles that Consumer Reports has tested on its short-course emergency-avoidance maneuver in the past 13 years, only the Suzuki Samurai, in 1988; the Isuzu Trooper and its twin, the Acura SLX, in 1996; and now the Mitsubishi Montero Limited tipped up so severely as to be judged "Not Acceptable." It is highly unusual for a vehicle in our tests to tip up on two wheels. Consumer Reports' "Not Acceptable" rating applies only to the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited. This rating does not apply to previous Montero models or to the Montero Sport, which are different vehicles. We did not test the XLS, another trim line of the 2001 Montero.According to Mitsubishi, 29,253 model-year 2001 Monteros (including Limited and XLS trim lines) had been sold in the U.S as of the end of May 2001. Mitsubishi projects that the Montero Limited will account for about 80 percent of Montero sales.To ensure the validity and reliability of test results, all SUVs, minivans, and pickups in each group are driven through the short course by the same three test engineers, on the same day, and on the same track. The speed at which a test vehicle completes the short course is not as important as what happens when it exceeds its handling limits. Typically, the vehicle will slide or skid sideways, knocking over cones. In most circumstances, this is a more controllable situation for an SUV driver than a tip-up or rollover. Consumer Reports bought two samples of the Mitsubishi Montero Limited. The first sample was built in May 2000. The second Montero was manufactured in March 2001. The first sample of the Montero Limited was tested on May 16 by three of CU's test engineers as part of a group of six other similar-sized SUVs: the 2001 Dodge Durango, 2002 Ford Explorer, 2002 GMC Envoy, 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2001 Toyota 4Runner.

· Of 21 completed runs made in Consumer Reports' short-course avoidance-maneuver test by CU's three test engineers, the first sample of the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited tipped up on two wheels in 8 out of 9 runs conducted at 36.7 mph or faster. In one run at 37.7 mph, the vehicle tipped up so far that the safety outriggers contacted the ground. If not for the outriggers, we believe the vehicle would likely have rolled over. The vehicle tipped up with each of the three test drivers. None of the other six SUVs tested as part of this group exhibited tip ups or other unusual behaviors, even at speeds exceeding 38 mph. Sliding or skidding sideways at their handling limit is what happened with each of these six vehicles.
Because of the behavior of the first Montero Limited sample, we bought a second 2001 Montero Limited. A recognized vehicle-dynamics expert, R. Wade Allen, was asked to assess our test results and to drive the two Monteros along with other test vehicles.

· Allen drove the first sample of the Montero Limited, making him the fourth test-driver of that vehicle. He found that the vehicle "demonstrated reasonable handling" up to about 36 mph. But in a run at 37.8 mph it tipped up severely, causing the outriggers to contact the track surface.While driving the second Montero Limited sample, Allen completed 15 runs at progressively faster speeds without incident. But at 39.4 mph, the vehicle lifted its two right wheels slightly at the same section of the track where the first Montero had tipped up. As he steered back into the original lane, the Montero Limited's left wheels tipped up severely. Again, the safety outriggers kept it from rolling over completely. But it tipped up onto the outriggers with such force that the vehicle lifted off the ground and suffered extensive damage to its right wheels when it landed. This precluded any further testing of that vehicle.

· Allen was the only driver of the second sample. He also drove the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Nissan Pathfinder and experienced no tip-ups with either of them.Consumer Reports has found no reports of rollover crashes involving the 2001 Montero Limited, but Consumers Union believes its test results point to an unnecessary risk.All SUVs with a wheelbase of 110 inches or less are required by the government to display a warning label. The one in the Montero reads, "Warning: Higher rollover risk. Avoid abrupt maneuvers and excessive speed." Labels aside, an emergency can require unavoidable, abrupt maneuvers to prevent a collision. Under those circumstances, some vehicles handle better than others. CU's tests are designed to compare handling in these situations.

· Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America was advised of Consumer Reports' findings and invited to its track via a letter faxed and received on May 31. Representatives of the auto maker visited CU's Auto Test Facility in Connecticut on June 5 to view the 2001 Montero Limited test results and inspect the tested vehicles. In an e-mail following the visit, Mitsubishi stressed the company's commitment to safety, saying: "We have devoted thousands of hours to designing and testing the 2001 Montero Limited, including a full range of tests for handling and stability safety that are well known and widely used in the industry. All of these tests validated the 2001 Montero Limited's stability and safety." Mitsubishi described CU's methods as "unscientific and unreliable" and said that CU's test engineers "created an outcome that misrepresents the stability" of the Montero Limited.