1997 Mitsubishi Galant

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Mitsubishi Galant, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Suspension18
• Power train15
• Service brakes, hydraulic12
• Engine and engine cooling9
• Electrical system9
• Steering9
• Air bags8
• Structure2
• Unknown or other2
• Vehicle speed control2

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 7 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 1997 Mitsubishi Galant failed the safety check 1.56% of the time — 2% less often than the average 1997 passenger car (1.60%). Median odometer at inspection: 99,029 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

In the Netherlands

39 first registered in 1997 are on Dutch roads; 28% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Band onvoldoende profiel9
• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen9
• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde8
• Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm6
• Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt6
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld5
• Roestschade van 1,5 t/m 2,0E of meer dan 15% dikteafname4
• Roestschade dorpel3

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

9 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 39 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

In Finland

12 of these cars first registered in 1997 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 280,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

195 1997 cars are on the New Zealand register; 65% arrived as used imports, 33% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Mitsubishi told its dealers about the 1997 Mitsubishi Galant: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)