2001 Mitsubishi Galant Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2001 Galant most often write about repeated front brake work — pads and rotors resurfaced or replaced every few thousand miles, with vibration through the pedal and steering wheel — and about the horn sounding on its own or failing. Many complaints also describe the engine stalling and refusing to restart, sometimes traced to the crankshaft position sensor, and several describe transmission fluid leaks and loss of drive. A separate, very common theme in the sample is peeling clear coat that turns the roof and trunk chalky white.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Front brake vibration and repeated rotor replacement

   • 27 complaints (18%)
   • median 40,845 mi at 3.3 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2014

   Owners describe a shimmy or vibration felt through the brake pedal and steering wheel when slowing down, and say pads and rotors have to be resurfaced or replaced again within a few thousand miles. Several report the brake and ABS/traction warning lights coming on together, and a few describe longer stopping distances or a pedal that went to the floor. According to complaints, dealers often treated the wear as normal use or a maintenance item. Commonly reported from a few thousand miles up to roughly 60,000 miles, with several owners noting recurrence within about 5,000 miles after each repair.

   What to check: Test drive at highway speed and brake firmly to feel for pulsation or steering-wheel shake, and ask for receipts showing how recently pads and rotors were done. Have the ABS warning light checked if it stays on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchase a Mitsubishi Galant on july 23, 2003. Since then I have had 4 front brake change, rotor cut 2 times,replace caliper, ABS / anti-lock sensor sensor replace once. With that been the manger and on going problems I have had an accident due to brake failure. I also notice that the steering wheel is always vibrating.”

   NHTSA complaint #10021012, filed 2003-06, 13,500 miles

   “Front brake rotors become warped every 5,000 to 8,000...this is the third set of rotors I have gone through since 2002. There is heavy vibration in the steering wheel when braking. I constantly have to keep having the rotors cut. Mitsubishi said this is normal .”

   NHTSA complaint #10068383, filed 2004-05, 8,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission fluid leak and loss of drive

   • 20 complaints (13%)
   • median 71,000 mi at 6.3 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2020

   Owners report the car slipping, flaring between gears, bucking on acceleration, or suddenly losing forward and reverse movement, in some cases leaving the vehicle disabled in traffic. Several say a transmission fluid leak was found, that low fluid led to internal damage, and that shops quoted a rebuilt or replacement transmission. Some complaints describe a humming or smoke under the vehicle and a failure that appears once the transmission is warm. Typically reported between about 35,000 and 110,000 miles, with a few at much higher mileage.

   Recall 01V0110013 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the transmission fluid level and colour, look for red leaks around the cooler lines and under the car, and drive through light and moderate acceleration watching for slipping or a flare on the 2-3 shift.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling rush traffic going over a hill when the car stop and started to reverse, while in drive. I braked and put car in park stop the engine and restart the vehicle and tried moving forward but the car still preceded backward down the hill. I tried all gears included reverse and none worked except park and car engine was kept on running fine all that time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10043418, filed 2003-10, 34,857 miles

   “In december 2005 the car started experiencing problems with a drop in power between 10 and 20 miles per hour. The dealer diagnosed is as shift surge and said the transmission had a leak, resulting in low fluid that overheated the transmission and caused internal damage. The surge occurred on and off for just a week. Now they say we have to replace the transmission and quote of $2,000 plus for a rebuilt transmission. They stated that if we had taken the car to them the first sign of shifting, they might have been able to fix it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10146018, filed 2005-12, 117,679 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Crankshaft sensor stall and no-restart

   • 16 complaints (11%)
   • median 73,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2016

   Complaints describe the engine quitting without warning while driving or just after starting, sometimes with the check engine light coming on, then restarting only after a wait or not at all. Several owners say repair shops traced the problem to the crankshaft position sensor or its wiring harness, and one mentions camshaft sensor replacement as well. Some owners state the vehicle was not covered by the crankshaft sensor harness recall because of its VIN. Spread across the mileage range, mostly between about 60,000 and 160,000 miles.

   Recall 00V2990014 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the crankshaft position sensor and its harness have been replaced or inspected, and check that the VIN was included in the recall campaign listed here. Note whether the car has ever stalled when hot or at low speed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The engine stalled, which caused the steering wheel to lock up. The engine stalled, which caused the steering wheel to lock up. There is no warning or indication in which to let you know that the vehicle is about to stall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10011096, filed 2003-03, 28,500 miles

   “When battery cables are disconnected for service, the car stalls suddenly & repeatedly without warning. This continues for approximately 10-12 miles before returning to normal. Twice in 2007 when the battery cables were disconnected from the battery; once to clean acid build-up off the cables (5/07) & then again to install a new battery (10/07) , the car started right up and ran fine until out on the road and preparing to stop for a light and/or slowing down under 30 MPH and then it died repeatedly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10218268, filed 2008-02, 42,807 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Horn sounds on its own or stops working

   • 8 complaints (5%)
   • median 83,305 mi at 5.4 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2014

   Complaints describe the horn honking by itself at random, day or night, until the fuse is pulled, or the opposite — the horn failing entirely when needed. Owners say the horn pad or airbag assembly was implicated, with one dealer quoting a substantial repair, and several mention the horn and other electrical functions acting up together. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Press the horn and listen for a weak or intermittent note, and ask whether the horn pad or airbag assembly has been replaced. A horn that sounds with the key off points to this area.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had repeated incidents where my horn will sound during the night, and if I was using it as a warning to another driver. I have had it checked several times, and I was finally told that the airbag is probably what is causing the problem. Now my horn doesn't sound at all and this poses a safety hazard to me, my children and any other passengers as well as other drivers and pedestrians.”

   NHTSA complaint #10649656, filed 2014-10, 98,000 miles

   “Brakes & rotors constantly have to be replaced. Car was in an accident 3 times hit from the front and airbags never deployed. Engine has stalled on several occasions. Problem with horn fuse. High beams stopped working. When accelerating, sounds like engine is having problems getting gas. Doesn't accelerated to well at all sometimes.”

   NHTSA complaint #10078532, filed 2004-06, 55,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Paint clear coat fading to white chalk

   • 9 complaints (6%)
   • median 58,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2005–2009

   Owners report the roof, trunk lid and hood turning chalky white and powdery, with the clear coat cracking or lifting and the affected area spreading over time. Several say the problem appeared within a few years of purchase and that a repaint covered only part of the car, or that the repair was declined once the vehicle was out of warranty. Reported from a few thousand miles to well over 100,000 miles, often described as starting a few years after purchase.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the horizontal surfaces — roof, hood and trunk — in daylight for cloudy or chalky patches and check whether any panels have been repainted.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We purchased a new 2001 Mitsubishi Galant in december 2001. It is black. The car is now 3.5 year sold and the paint is turning white. It started to have a problem 3 months after purchase when the clear coat started to crack. They re-painted the roof. Now is is over the mileage for coverage under the warranty. The paint is fading so fast and turning white. Mitsubishi is giving us the run around. We have even contacted corporate and they push us off on someone regional that continues to give us the run around. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10129656, filed 2005-07, 3,500 miles

   “Well I have a black 2001 Mitsubishi Galant gtz. Within the past year I discovered that the top of my hood started getting white spots. After 10 months they small spots spreaded into white blobs on my hood. I soon found out that it was chalking do to a bad clear coat on the vehical. After doing a little research I found very quickly that many friends, coworkers and family were having the exact problem between the model years of 1998 - 2002. This was not only my state it was mutiple places so I knew it wasn't the weather. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10167615, filed 2006-09, 65 miles

Buying note. A 2001 Galant with service records for the front brakes, crankshaft position sensor and transmission fluid is a better bet than one with no history. Budget for brake work and check for stalling, transmission slipping and paint condition on any car you consider.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.