Your vehicle report
2002 Mitsubishi Galant
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 135
- Received Feb 2002 to Aug 2022
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbags fail to deploy in crashes15 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Paint peels off roof and hood14 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Heater blows cold air, defroster fails13 complaints · 9.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #04V428000Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
- Recall #02V147000On certain passenger vehicles, routing of the vehicle's front harness can allow it to come in contact with a rough edge, allowing abrasion. This could result in grounded circuits.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 21 crashes, 10 fires, 19 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 10 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 12 |
| 2003 | 10 |
| 2004 | 20 |
| 2005 | 14 |
| 2006 | 19 |
| 2007 | 16 |
| 2008 | 13 |
| 2009 | 14 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 5 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 135 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 15 | 11% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 14 | 10% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 13 | 9.6% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 11 | 8.2% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 11 | 8.2% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 8 | 5.9% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 6 | 4.4% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 5 | 3.7% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 4 | 3.0% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 3 | 2.2% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #04V428000September 1, 2004100,432 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Remedy
Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label. In addition, all current 2000-2004 nativa owners will also receive replacement air bag alert labels for the sun visors. This recall is expected to begin during march or april 2005. The notification to the nativa owners is expected to begin during april or may 2005. Owners should contact Mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
NHTSA recall #02V147000May 29, 20023,378 vehicles affected
electrical system: wiring: front underhood
On certain passenger vehicles, routing of the vehicle's front harness Can allow it to come in contact with a rough edge, allowing abrasion. This could result in grounded circuits.
There could be a loss of stop or turn signal lamp operation or engine hesitation.
Remedy
Dealers will install a protector, eliminating any harness contact. Owner notification began july 8, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 Mitsubishi Galant.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN