AI Damage1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT: common problems
Owners of the 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT filed 25 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 25
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 44% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 40% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 4 Structure 4% of all complaints
- 5 Wheels 4% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 11 complaints (44% of all).
- Seat belts: 10 complaints (40% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 1 complaints (4% of all).
- Wheels: 1 complaints (4% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 25 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The consumer noticed while traveling 50-55 mph when depressing the gas pedal to gain speed, the pedal became stuck which resulted in a crash.
Normal everyday usage of seat belts. The front seat belts do not work any more they pull out but do not retract back. Mitsubishi says to wipe the belt down with a damp cloth then dry off to remove dirt.
I have a 96 mitsubishi 3000gt and my front seat belts do not retract after being put on or taken off. If I were to get into an accident they would do very little to protect me. I tried to see if mitsubishi would fix the problem but they said they are not covered under warranty.
1996 mitsubishi 3000gt vr4 - driver's and passenger's seat belts do not retract after use. This has been an issue since I've owned the car - purchased in 07/2000.
60 miles per hr when car surged forward 4 times in a row. She almost hit vehicle in front of her! Check engine light came on. She was less than a mile home and drove car very slowly home. Vehicles reverse no longer works at all!!!
Bought car with 46,000 miles and all 4 rims had the chrome peeling off. The chrome peeling was extremely bad from the back of the rim but the front shows major signs of peeling. I cut my fingers/hand multiple times changing the tire.
I noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the car. I'm worried that my car is about to catch on fire. I began pouring the water onto the transmission, which was boiling the water at this point, but it seemed to be enough to stop the engine area from smoking.
This is my 2nd tranny because the first tranny was grinding from a 1st to 2nd gear. The problem was the 1-2 gear synchro that got worn out due to the manufacturer's poor design. Upon failure at 55mph, the car suddenly stopped and the transmission and transfer case locked up.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,448 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 3000GT has 39 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 25, below average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, seat belts, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 25. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (40%), knocking, grinding or other noise (4%), smoke, burning smell, fire (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1996 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.