The 1996 Mitsubishi Galant has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 884,432 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 200 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION00V4210012000-12-18567,432 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE. ALSO, MMC HAS ADDED THE POTENTIAL OF LEAKING MOISTURE, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE BALL STUD TO CORRODE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. THIS CAMPAIGN SUPERCEDES MMC'S PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN, SEE 99V-066.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT FOR WEAR. BALL JOINTS THAT EXHIBIT WEAR BEYOND THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY DESIGNED LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS. BALL JOINTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE CLEANED AND A SPECIAL SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED TO PREVENT…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CRACKS CAN OCCUR IN THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK DUE TO AN IMPROPER SPOT WELD ON THE BAFFLE PLATE TO THE TOP PORTION OF THE FUEL TANK.
Consequence
A CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK COULD ALLOW FUEL OR FUMES TO ESCAPE. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FUEL TANK FOR ANY SIGNS OF CRACKING. IF NO CRACKING OR LEAKING IS FOUND, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SEALING PROTECTOR PLATE. IF ANY CRACKING OR LEAKAGE IS FOUND, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY.
SUSPENSION99V0660011999-04-05307,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE RUBBER BOOTS, AND IF THE BOOT IS DAMAGED, THEY WILL REPLACE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM AND BALL JOINT ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
24
1crashes
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
13
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
12
11crashes7injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
11
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
9
3crashes3injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
8
AIR BAGS
7
7crashes11injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
7
2fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
6
Total complaints200
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi galant. The contact stated that routine maintenance was being performed on the vehicle when she was notified that the frame was corroded. The mechanic stated that the vehicle needed to be destroyed and was no longer safe to operate. The damage was beyond…”
“I currently bought the 1996 mitsubishi galant for my wife and 11 month old daughter. The dealer told me I needed a front end alignment to get the pull and shake out of my front end. I took it to an alignment shop and the ase master tech. Told me my control arms were bent due to corrosion of the…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi galant. The rear wheel assembly is attached to the subframe, which is attached to the body. The entire part is extremely rusted and prevented the contact from jacking the vehicle and changing the tire. The dealer notified the contact of this failure. The…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi galant. While attempting to change a flat tire, the jack went straight through the frame while the vehicle was being lifted. The contact had the vehicle towed to a shop and they informed him that there was excessive rust in the rear subframe. The contact sold…”
“The rear undercarriage of my 1996 mitsubishi galant has severe rust damage to the point that you cannot even jack up the car as the jack penetrates they sub frame. The strut from the right rear also came loose from the tower. The rear wheels that are attached to the sub frame are extremely unsafe.…”
“Tl* - the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi galant. During routine maintenance checks the mechanic discovered rust on the frame under the vehicle in front of each rear wheel. The current mileage was 157000 and the failure mileage was 155000. *ak updated 2/27/2007 - *nm”
“Transmission fluid dipstick impossible to read, notified dealer, dealer said that's just how it is designed. I'm worried because tranmissions are a common failure on this generation of mitsubishi galant. Can this be corrected by a dipstick redesign?”
“The manual transmission of my 1996 mitsubishi galant slips out of gear at various speeds and reengages. Control of the vehicle is lost when this happens.*ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationRQ00015 Opened 2000-08-02 · closed 2001-04-20
LOWER CONTRTOL ARM BALL JOINT
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationRQ00015 Opened 2000-08-02 · closed 2001-04-20
LOWER CONTRTOL ARM BALL JOINT
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationRQ00015 Opened 2000-08-02 · closed 2001-04-20
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Mitsubishi Galant as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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