IllustrationJUST PULLED OFF A MAIN STREET AND HEARD LOUD BANGING NOISE , GAS PEDAL FELL TO THE FLOOR ,AND ACCELERATOR CABLE BROKE AND FELL TO THE FLOOR. CONTACTED THE DEALER, HAD VEHICLE TOWED. ALSO, CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, NO WARRANTY. *AK
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 reportsVEHICLE BRAKES HAVE BEEN FIXED TWICE BY DEALER WITH SAME PROBLEM AND DEALER INSISTS THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. HAD ACCIDENT WITH BRAKING PROBLEMS APRIL, 1997 WHEN BRAKES FAILED TO GIVE GOOD RESPONSE. CAR WAS FIXED BY DEALER BUT HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE. ALWAYS HAVING PROBLEM WITH BRAKES. REPLACE …
Read full complaint
VEHICLE BRAKES HAVE BEEN FIXED TWICE BY DEALER WITH SAME PROBLEM AND DEALER INSISTS THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. HAD ACCIDENT WITH BRAKING PROBLEMS APRIL, 1997 WHEN BRAKES FAILED TO GIVE GOOD RESPONSE. CAR WAS FIXED BY DEALER BUT HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE. ALWAYS HAVING PROBLEM WITH BRAKES. REPLACE BRAKES EVERY 3 - 6 MONTHS.
THE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING NOISES OR HUMMING NOISES FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE, AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, BRAKE PADS AND MASTER CYLINDER HAVE BEEN REPLACED. CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM BEGAN WHEN VEHICLE HAD 11684 MILES ON IT. *AK
THE FRONT BUMPER HAS COME OFF TWICE ON THIS SAME CAR. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME MODEL/MAKE HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM.
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS ARE PREMATURELY WEARING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THIS COULD BE THE WOREST CAR IN THE WORLD, BESIDES THE BRAKES FAILING 9 TIMES THE HEAD GASKET AND TRANSMITION AND RADIO. THE CAR NEEDS TO BE SENT TO THE SCRAP YARD
CARTER PIN AND NUT WHICH HOLDS TIE ROD END TOGETHER WAS NOT ON VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING OF VEHICLE. *AK
HORN FAILED UPON DELIVERY.
DEFROSTER SYSTEMS LACKS SUFFICIENT AIR FLOW. ADDITIONALLY, THE FRONT DISC BRAKES WERE COMPLETELY WORN AT 7,070 MILES.
SPEEDOMETER FAILED. SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED 1 ADDITIONAL MILE FOR EVERY 10 MILES OF TRAVEL.
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.