What breaks most · 1990 to 2012 model years
Mitsubishi Galant problems by year
Owners have filed 1,725 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mitsubishi Galant across model years 1990 to 2012. Three years stand out: 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1995 for suspension complaints and 1994 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2010 and 1993.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 1995, 1994
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2010, 1993
- Complaints on file
- 17251990 to 2012, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999214 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 25071 fires · 180 injuries · 6 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 55Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 63 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (39) | |
| 39 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (23) | |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 198 | 34 | 4 | Suspension (57) | |
| 209 | 32 | 6 | Suspension (69) | |
| 136 | 27 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (36) | |
| 79 | 9 | 2 | Suspension (18) | |
| 53 | 3 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (12) | |
| 214 | 30 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (89) | |
| 136 | 15 | 7 | Body and structure (25) | |
| 150 | 40 | 8 | Air bags (31) | |
| 133 | 20 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (27) | |
| 124 | 15 | 3 | Visibility (45) | |
| 58 | 5 | 1 | Body and structure (16) | |
| 25 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 23 | 4 | 1 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 23 | 5 | 1 | Air bags (7) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 13 | 3 | 0 | Air bags (7) | |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | Seat belts (3) | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Engine (2) |
What fails on the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 42% |
89 | 12 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 12% |
25 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
21 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
16 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
16 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
14 | 3 | Shop steering parts for the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
13 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant |
| Air bags | 6% |
12 | 12 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Rotors warped and rusted and could not be resurfaced.resulting in cost of $475 dollars for new front rotors and brake pads. Also minor crash for slow stopping.car also jerks when changing gears. *ak
-
While making a left turn out of the parking lot vehicle failed to move. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both frontal lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak
-
During replacement of struts service technician noticed that ball joints had excessive play. *ts the manufacturer has recalled many ball joints recall #sr-04-001 according to alldata. *nm
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mitsubishi Galant years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 1995, 1994 carry the most filings on the Mitsubishi Galant. The 1999 alone has 214 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Mitsubishi Galant problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 89 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mitsubishi Galant problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mitsubishi Galant complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.