1986 Mitsubishi Galant: common problems

Owners of the 1986 Mitsubishi Galant filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 4
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Seat belts 75% of all complaints
2 Service brakes 25% of all complaints
3 Steering 25% of all complaints
4 Visibility 25% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Seat belts: 3 complaints (75% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Service brakes: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Steering: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Visibility: 1 complaints (25% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: FWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 4 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts2 · 50%
A/C or heater1 · 25%
windows, sunroof1 · 25%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Seat belts	3	1
Service brakes	1	0
Steering	1	0
Visibility	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

35mph, 1:30 on front bumper, when swerved to avoid collision with another vehicle, hit telephone pole, shoulder /lap belt buckle unbuckled, vehicle rolled, driver was thrown out of driver's side window and was killed.
Seat belts · crash · 1997-03-25 · NHTSA complaint #810408
Heater blows cold air if not set on auto-thermostat ; and then must be set at least 75 degrees; was in mitsubishi dealer on 11 avenue nyc over past 2 years; heater core was replaced; evidently not the problem; mitsubishi didn't seem to know what the cause was but wouldn't refund me for the part they orignally replaced
Service brakes · 2000-11-15 · NHTSA complaint #736200
Passenger side seat belt does not latch and driver getting hard to latch. Tt
Seat belts · 1995-05-09 · NHTSA complaint #965046

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19952
19971
20001

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 15,521 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 42% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Galant has 64 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 4, below average.

What to check before buying

Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1986 Mitsubishi Galant?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, service brakes, steering. Total complaints: 4. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (50%), A/C or heater (25%), windows, sunroof (25%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1986 Mitsubishi Galant?

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 1986 Mitsubishi Galant 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 1986 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.