The 1998 Mitsubishi Galant has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 567,432 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 69 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…
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
11
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
4
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:ROTOR
2
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
Total complaints69
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“On jan. 9, 2013, while I was backing up my mitsubishi galant 1998 (vin # [xxx]) in my driveway, I noticed that the car started moving on its own and I had to keep my foot on the brake. After backing up, when I drove forward, my car seemed to be quite jumpy and wanted to lurch forwards. At a…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mitsubishi galant. The contact stated that the front passenger side lower ball joint failed. The contact stated that the nut that held the lower ball joint became loose and detached, causing the lower ball joint failure. The vehicle had been repaired three times prior…”
“Lower lateral arm ball joint broke caused my car to crash into a parked vehicle as I was driving at a low rate of speed. *tr”
“Lower control arm was found to have a problem upon inspection by a mechanic. *jb”
“When you start the car it makes a load noise until fully heated, and the transmission is pulling and making noise, it gets stuck in gear and will not move to next gear, just stalls and then kicks in. First it was just skipping gears for the last five days so I checked the fluid it only could use…”
“The black paint on my 1998 mistubishi galant es has worn off in an a typical pattern. The paint has come off in a grid-like fashion - as though a giant acidic tire has rolled over it. It is effecting the roof, hood and trunk area of the car. I have noticed other mistubishi galants (and eclipses)…”
“The black paint on my 1998 mitsubishi galant es has worn off in an a typical pattern. The paint has come off in a grid-like fashion - as though a giant acidic tire has rolled over it. It is effecting the roof, hood and trunk area of the car. I have noticed other mitsubishi galants (and eclipses)…”
“In november 2003, while driving between 20 to 25 mph, front passenger tire fell off, vehicle was towed to independent mechanic, who determined that ball joints failed. In april 2004 consumer received a recall letter notice concerning ball joint problem.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Mitsubishi Galant as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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