AI Damage1989 Mitsubishi Galant: common problems
Owners of the 1989 Mitsubishi Galant filed 19 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 19
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 37% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 21% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 5% of all complaints
- 8 Wheels 5% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 7 complaints (37% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (21% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (5% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (5% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 19 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 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.
Consumer parked vehicle, she turned it off, and took keys out. Keys were not inside of the car, and consumer walked alway, thinking everything was in order. However, vehicle rolled back, and hit two other vehicles.
Rear wheel bearing disconnected from axle, causing wheel to come off, resulting in an accident.
While applying brakes pedal went all the way down to the floor.
While traveling about 55mph on the highway and with prior warning left rear wheel fell off.
Engine will increase the gas, when stepping on the brake to slow down, the vehicle revved up and increased speed, dealer is not aware of the problem, the warranty has expired.
Engine front motor mounts breaking down every 30,000 miles. Please describe details. Tt
Driver seatbelt buckle does not stay fastened, unfastens when making certain turns. Tt
Passenger seat belt buckle fails to latch, intermittently. Please describe detail. Tt
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 8,437 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Galant has 64 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 19, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Galant 19864 sources
- Galant 19879 sources
- Galant 19887 sources
- Galant 199021 sources
- Galant 199163 sources
- Galant 199239 sources
- Galant 19939 sources
- Galant 1994198 sources
- Galant 1995209 sources
- Galant 1996136 sources
- Galant 199780 sources
- Galant 199853 sources
- Galant 1999215 sources
- Galant 2000136 sources
- Galant 2001151 sources
- Galant 2002135 sources
- Galant 2003126 sources
- Galant 200461 sources
- Galant 200526 sources
- Galant 200624 sources
- Galant 200724 sources
- Galant 20086 sources
- Galant 200916 sources
- Galant 20109 sources
- Galant 20113 sources
- Galant 20129 sources
- Galant 99994 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Mitsubishi Galant?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, powertrain, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 19. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (32%), door locks, latches, handles (5%), rollaway, parking brake (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 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 1989 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 1989 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.