AI Damage1999 Mitsubishi Galant: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant filed 215 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 215
- involving a crash
- 30
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 45% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 12% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 96 complaints (45% of all), 12 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 26 complaints (12% of all).
- Electrical system: 21 complaints (10% of all).
- Powertrain: 16 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 16 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
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
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 215 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 96 | 12 | 0 |
| Suspension | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 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.
She continually complained of steering wheel vibration which I did feel on the couple of occasions I drove the vehicle. In late 2005 she went to make a left hand turn and the vehicle would not steer left. She subsequently hit a retaining wall. I did not turn it into my insurance since it was purely cosmetic.
Now I cant even drive the car the brakes are very bed rotor is noisy car is vibrate and brakes are down. I suggest since there are 1000 of complaints on abs systems rotors pads and vehicle vibration and safety issues, please investigate this complain.
Was involved in an accident head on, and air bags did not deploy. I was injured. I own a 1999 galant.
I was stopped at a light when I barely let my foot off the brake. My vehichle lept forward, hitting the car in front of me, which caused that car to hit the car in front of him.
Rotors warped and rusted and could not be resurfaced.resulting in cost of $475 dollars for new front rotors and brake pads. Also minor crash for slow stopping.car also jerks when changing gears.
I leased a 1999 mitsubishi galant on aug 30, 1999, two weeks later I took my car back because of hearing grinding and scrubbing noises when applying my brakes, I was told by a rude service manager that it was brake dust so all they did was clean it out which was a lame excuse, I have been driving and owned cars for…
The vehicle was involved in two accidents, and the air bags failed to deploy.
Upon impact, frontal air bags did not deploy, and consumer sustained body injury. Also, vehicle was totaled.
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 1,893 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Galant has 64 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 215, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
- Galant 19864 sources
- Galant 19879 sources
- Galant 19887 sources
- Galant 198919 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 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 1999 Mitsubishi Galant?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, suspension, electrical system. Total complaints: 215. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: vibration (27%), knocking, grinding or other noise (8%), smoke, burning smell, fire (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 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 1999 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 1999 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.