AI Damage2000 Mitsubishi Galant: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Mitsubishi Galant filed 136 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 136
- involving a crash
- 15
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 18% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 11% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 4% of all complaints
- Structure: 25 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 21 complaints (15% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 19 complaints (14% of all).
- Service brakes: 17 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 15 complaints (11% 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
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 136 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 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.
The contact's air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained neck inquires and a herniated disk displacer. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed, but was not reported accurately. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact stated that on june 25, 2010, the throttle became stuck causing him to crash into a fuel pump at a gasoline station. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged but not destroyed. The contact stated, that was the first time he experienced that type of failure.
(1) minor front bumper impact was to be repaired under an insurance claim (2) in teardown process found spot welds that were rusted out and improperly sealed. This was determined to be a manufacturer defect - nature of accident would not have caused damage to apron area.
It was slipping. They rub it off and told us before we purchase the car, the car went through a great inspection and nothing was wrong. July 4, my husband was on his way to work when he realized that the brakes would not stop the car on the highway.
This happened because the belt restraint did not sufficiently hold consumer and the air bags did not deploy. Consumer suffered a concussion as a result of the accident. After contacting mitsubishi's claims service, they found nothing wrong with the seat belts or the air bags.
Upon impact with the other vehicle, the front air bags failed to deploy. Three (3) passengers were injured.*jbconsumer suffered neck, back and soft tissue pelvic injuries.
Dealer fixed recall on vehicle, and next day while driving steering wheel locked up, and spun out of control. Contacted dealership, and dealer stated nothing they could do without police report.
The car will not start because my ecu was defective and I replaced it with a used one and took it to the dealer to program my key to the replacement ecu and the key still doesn't work even though I am getting a p1610 trouble code for immobilizer malfunction which is due to an ecu not recognizing the key.
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 2,845 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Galant has 64 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 136, above average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
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 1999215 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 2000 Mitsubishi Galant?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 136. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (10%), airbags did not deploy (6%), headlights and tail lights (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 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 2000 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 2000 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.