Brake complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 6% | 35,000 miles |
| 2007 | 4 | 17% | 28,000 miles |
| 2006 | 4 | 17% | 17,000 miles |
| 2005 | 6 | 23% | 16,000 miles |
| 2004 | 6 | 10% | 20,000 miles |
| 2003 | 14 | 11% | 16,000 miles |
| 2002 | 28 | 21% | 23,000 miles |
| 2001 | 33 | 22% | 34,000 miles |
| 2000 | 17 | 13% | 49,000 miles |
| 1999 | 96 | 45% | 80,000 miles |
| 1998 | 12 | 23% | — |
| 1997 | 13 | 16% | 60,000 miles |
| 1996 | 30 | 22% | 82,000 miles |
| 1995 | 35 | 17% | 109,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mitsubishi Galant. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal became difficult to depress. The contact stated that the brakes failed to work several times and the failure progressed intermittently. Due to the failure, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the head, neck, back, bruising on the left knee, and a black left eye. Medical attention was received and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
I purchased my 2007 Mitsubishi Galant on April 28, 2007. After about 7000 miles, my brakes started pulsating. I took a day off work to return to the dealer and have them fix this problem. The service department decided to just re-surface the rotors and send me on my way. About 7,000 miles later it happened again... So back to the dealership I went again and once again, they decided to resurface my rotors.. Now of coarse at 22,000 miles on my vehicle, my break light has been coming on with the pulsation back and my brake pedal now continues to move toward the floor when at a complete stop. …
I have a 2006 Mitsubishi Galant and have had it in the shop repeatedly for the front suspension, brakes, electrical problems and now I'm having transmission problems and lots of engine noise. My front suspension has a squawking sound everytime you go over a speed bump, the whole front end has been rebuilt but it is still doing the same thing. This started at about 8,800 miles and there is now 23,000 and the dealership is telling me there is nothing wrong my brakes have been squeaking since about 8,800 miles also and they have replaced my front pads since there was a tech bulletin placed and yet this has still not fixed the squeaking. My engine idle fluctuates while sitting in drive and my engine has a loud start up sound almost like there is an exhaust leak but there is not. …
Lamp sockets for both left and right side brake lights burnt out at 5 years, 2 months with less than 50,000 miles. If one side went out I'd call it a manufacturer defect. Both sides,...seems more like an engineering problem. Only the contact for the brake side of the 2057 lamp was melted and recessed. The tail lamp side of the socket is still clean. Put in a GM replacement socket which looks better made than the OEM. Just glad the wife did not get rear-ended. Hung onto the old sockets just in case someone might be interested in looking at them. Lots of tailgaters in my state, so brake lights are important here.
Brake failure when you stop the brakes scrub I have receipts showing that the I have to continue to have the brake inspected and also have to slam very hard when trying to stop the car. The noise when you are stopping the car is very loud and contact the manufacturer and was told nothing they can do due to no warranty. Also, there is no signal indicating when the car needs oil, no check engine comes on, front lights blew a week after buying the car and replace it several times and continue to blow, the same brake light blew again and contact Mitsubishi and ask them about it and they told they will charge me to fix it. When pulling up the brake in the car no light indicating that the brake light is on. My fan for the ac stop working and now when I drive I can hear the ac sounds like it is going to blow when you turn it on.
The vehicle has a consant squeaking noise and a slight vibration when braking. I have contacted the local mitsubitsi service department 4 times about this concern. I know that it is not the brake pads because I have changed them 4 times and the vehicle only has 27000 miles. I was told at my last visit that I should have reproted this problem before the vehicle had 10000 miles. However, when I told the service clerk that I had, he advised me that they had no record of it, only that I had taken the car in for oil changes. I feel that my vehicle is unsafe. It is not normal for a vehicle do the above described when braking.
I have taken my 2004 Mitsubishi Galant to the dealer over 9 times for my brakes. I contacted a lawyer for the lemon law and was advised that due to my mileage I didn't qualify for a lemon return. He advised me to settle with Mitsubishi and move on. In the process of the attorney processing my settlement, my vehicle was involved in a non collision accident, we feel it was break failure, but the lawyer stated it would cost too much to prove it was break failure. I did as he stated except that I didn't move on because I can't afford another vehicle. I took my vehicle to another institute and had them inspect my vehicle, they stated to change my breaks again...I paid them to do it and I am still having the same issue with the breaks. …
I have developed a consistent squealing of my front brakes with only 12,500 miles on my 2004 Galant ls. I recently took my car back to dealer for scheduled maintenance and reported this to dealer. Dealer said they could not recreate this problem. When bringing the TSB's for this vehicle and complaints similar to this problem, advisor said to bring it back and he would investigate it further. When pulling out of dealership, the squealing began immediately. What is up with this inattention to what could be a potentially serious problem? I am tired of dealers trying to pass the blame on the materials being used in place of asbestos.
Related recalls (1)
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with anti-lock brakes, the brake master cylinder, which controls the fluid pressure to the vehicle's brakes, May allow brake fluid to bypass internally during stopping.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. The recall began on October 3, 2005. Owners May contact Mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mitsubishi Galant years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (96), 1995 (35), 2001 (33), 1996 (30) and 2002 (28) model years. Brake complaints make up 45% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Mitsubishi Galant brake problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-409 (master cylinder, Sep 15, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mitsubishi Galant brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 34,000 miles; 72% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the foundation components › disc › rotor (90 mentions), followed by the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (73).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.