IllustrationCONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT AT WORK, WHEN THE RADIO CAUGHT ON FIR DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.
1997 Mitsubishi Galant
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Mitsubishi Galant do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 26.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Galant years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 18 of 80 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
What owners actually said
80 reportsCONSUMER NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND THE DEALER SAID THE CRANK SHAFT BROKE CAUSING THE FAN BELT TO POP. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
1997 MITSUBISHI GALANT. DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS--------------770787. *AK *NLM
THE ENGINE HAS AN UNEVEN IDLE AND HESISTATES AT 2200 RPM. FOUR LIFTERS WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT 23K MILES. THE ENGINE WAS REMANUFACTURED UNDER WARRANTY TO FIX AN OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM AT 28K MILES. THE CAR NOW HAS 75K MILES AND IS AGAIN BURNING OIL AT 1 QUART/1K MILES. THE CASTER ALIGNMENT IS OFF BY 1.2 DEGREES AND …
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THE ENGINE HAS AN UNEVEN IDLE AND HESISTATES AT 2200 RPM. FOUR LIFTERS WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT 23K MILES. THE ENGINE WAS REMANUFACTURED UNDER WARRANTY TO FIX AN OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM AT 28K MILES. THE CAR NOW HAS 75K MILES AND IS AGAIN BURNING OIL AT 1 QUART/1K MILES. THE CASTER ALIGNMENT IS OFF BY 1.2 DEGREES AND CANNOT BE FIXED. THE FRONT BUMPER IS FALLING OFF BECAUSE THE THIN METAL PLATE THAT HOLDS IT ON HAS RUSTED OFF. THE HORN HAS STOPPED WORKING SEVEN DIFFERENT TIMES, DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE GROUND AND WIRING IN GENERAL.
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN CAUSING LOST OF POWER STEERING. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
WHILE DRIVING, ALL LIGHTS DIM RANDOMLY FOR 1-3 SECONDS. ALSO, THE DOME LIGHT SWITCH FAILS TO TURN THE DOME LIGHT ON WHEN SET TO "ON" AND SOMETIMES DOES NOT TURN THE LIGHT ON WHEN SET TO "DOOR" WITH THE DOOR OPEN. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER POWER REARVIEW MIRRORS NO LONGER MOVE THESE DEFECTS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW, TO …
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WHILE DRIVING, ALL LIGHTS DIM RANDOMLY FOR 1-3 SECONDS. ALSO, THE DOME LIGHT SWITCH FAILS TO TURN THE DOME LIGHT ON WHEN SET TO "ON" AND SOMETIMES DOES NOT TURN THE LIGHT ON WHEN SET TO "DOOR" WITH THE DOOR OPEN. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER POWER REARVIEW MIRRORS NO LONGER MOVE THESE DEFECTS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. *****DIMS 11 IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*****769329. *AK *JB
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLOOR SHIFT LEVER CAN BE MOVED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL JUST BY TOUCHING IT WHILE DRIVING. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WENT TO DEALER TO HAVE CHECKED, EXPLAINED THEY SAID THE LITTLE DELAY AND THUNK IT HOW THE TRANSMISSION OPERATES. WENT ABOUT 6 MONTHS OR LESS BEFORE DEFAULT. *AK
CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A RECALL CAMPAIGN 00V421001 CONCERNING THE LOWER ARM BALL JOINTS ON THE FRONT SUSPENSION BEING DAMAGE. CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FROM MANUFACTURER. *TT
Official recalls
100V421001 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint
Dec 18, 2000
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE. ALSO, MMC HAS ADDED THE POTENTIAL OF LEAKING MOISTURE, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE BALL STUD TO CORRODE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. THIS CAMPAIGN SUPERCEDES MMC'S PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN, SEE 99V-066.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT FOR WEAR. BALL JOINTS THAT EXHIBIT WEAR BEYOND THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY DESIGNED LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS. BALL JOINTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE CLEANED AND A SPECIAL SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED TO PREVENT INTRUSION OF MOISTURE.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.