AI Damage2002 Mitsubishi Galant: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Mitsubishi Galant filed 135 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 135
- involving a crash
- 21
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 21% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 19% of all complaints
- 3 Visibility 16% of all complaints
- 4 Structure 14% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 4% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 4% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 28 complaints (21% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 26 complaints (19% of all).
- Visibility: 21 complaints (16% of all).
- Structure: 19 complaints (14% of all).
- Air bags: 17 complaints (13% of all), 16 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 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 135 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 | 28 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 17 | 16 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 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 vehicle veered off the road and initially hit a garbage can that ricocheted and broke another vehicle's taillight. The vehicle continued to move forward before it hit both an electrical box and a tree which stopped the vehicle's momentum. The air bags did not deploy upon impact.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact suffered a neck injury that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph there was a loss of steering control and the vehicle crashed into a guard rail. The air bags failed to deploy with the impact. The driver sustained injury to the shoulder and suffered from moderate headaches. A police report was filed.
While the 2002 galant was in park and engine off , vehicle was parked in steep driveway I was fastening baby into carseat on rear passenger side other child bumped gear shift into reverse and car engaged .
I wanted to know if the same recall that was done on the 2003 mitsubishi galant could also be for the 2002 because my car caught on fire.
Foia request copy of info re complaints of defects & crash testing...nar 07/14/2003 info request. The law office of david itkoff on behalf of consumer azekel paul who was killed as a direct result of a defective rear seat seat back
Brakes failed to stop vehicle, hit another vehiclle then a concrete barrier. Speed approximately 45 mph, both frontal airbags failed to deploy.
Graco snugride model # 7464-cel. On 3/16/2004, during a four car pile up, consumer's vehicle was rear ended. During the collision, the infant child seat turned over on its side. The child seat was installed at an inspection station by a certified child seat technician prior to th ecollision.
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 2,869 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 135, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
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 2000136 sources
- Galant 2001151 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 2002 Mitsubishi Galant?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, visibility. Total complaints: 135. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: A/C or heater (19%), knocking, grinding or other noise (13%), vibration (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.