2001 Mitsubishi Galant problems & reliability
151 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Mitsubishi Galant, alongside 7 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
17 complaints report injuries (22 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 Mitsubishi Galant vehicles were involved in 10 fatal crashes with 10 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 31 | 21% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 29 | 19% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 21 | 14% |
| Power Train | 20 | 13% |
| Structure | 16 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 13 | 9% |
| Suspension | 10 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 5% |
| Engine | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 60,000 miles (middle 50% between 34,857 and 92,000 miles), based on 77 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi galant. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the transmission had malfunctioned and the vehicle would not operate in the drive and reverse position. In addition, there was a leakage and smoke was also present coming from under the vehicle. The contact indicated…”
Power Train · filed Jan 2, 2020
“The intake manifold cracked in aug 2014 so I bought one and repaired it and changed three motor and train mounts drove for two months and cracked again right behind the throttle body it started stalling when come to a stop rough idle.”
Engine · filed Jan 8, 2016
“I had issues with my driver side seat for years and currently still an issue. I never realized this was a recall issue. I had a number of issue/problems with my vehicle and always took my car to the mitsubitshi dealer and they too never mentioned any recall regarding driver side seat. The driver's seat is not properly…”
Seats · filed May 29, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- PASSENGER DOOR FIRE
Engineering Analysis EA08011 · opened Jul 1, 2008 · closed Aug 21, 2009
Technical service bulletins
129 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Mitsubishi Galant. The 10 most recent:
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
TSB-23-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin reviews the regulations that require a label showing the reduction in load carrying capacity be affixed to vehicles when the total net weight of accessories is more than 1.5 percent of…
TSB-23-00-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.
TSB-22-54-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2022
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT253 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2019
This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers. This bulletin supersedes TSB-18-00-003, issued April, 2018, to add updated information for Carrying Capacity Reduced Label.
TSB-19-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 30, 2019
This is a message sent to dealers, to inform them that an update for MEDIC will be available.
MEDICUpdate517 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT237 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 28, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2001 Mitsubishi Galant has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2001 Mitsubishi Galant?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 60,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.