The 1996 Mitsubishi Caribbean Galant has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 8,953 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION00V4210032001-04-065,164 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE. ALSO, MMC HAS ADDED THE POTENTIAL OF LEAKING MOISTURE, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE BALL STUD TO CORRODE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. THIS CAMPAIGN SUPERCEDES MMC'S PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN, SEE 99V-066.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT FOR WEAR. BALL JOINTS THAT EXHIBIT WEAR BEYOND THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY DESIGNED LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS. BALL JOINTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE CLEANED AND A SPECIAL SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED TO PREVENT…
SUSPENSION99V0660041999-05-193,789 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE RUBBER BOOTS, AND IF THE BOOT IS DAMAGED, THEY WILL REPLACE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM AND BALL JOINT ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
1fires
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
1
TIRES
1
Total complaints6
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Both ball joints on the consumers 1996 mitsubishi galant failed, breaking the drive axle. *ts after doing some research, the consumer discovered a recall had been issued for the ball joints. The consumer never received any type of notification. The consumer was told by the manufacturer that the…”
“The left rear passenger door came open while the vehicle was moving. There were children in the vehicle. Consumer tied the door with dome string. Later, the right passenger door opened. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that the latches on both doors were defective.*ak”
“A red light flashed on left side of steering wheel. Vehicle was losing power, then gray smoke from front. Car caught fire and totaled. *bf *tc”
“While driving 65 mph, the front driver side ire blew. The consumer pulled over and changed the tire. The manufacture was notified. The cause was not determined. Please provide more information. Goodyear tire size 18570r/14 please provide the dot number. *nm”
“While driving at high speed, approximately 65mph and applying brakes, brakes shimmy or vibrate very badly. Contacted dealer and was told needed to replace the rotors. *ak”
“Air baglight is constantly on. Contacted the deal, they fixed it. It worked for three days, but still having the same problem. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Mitsubishi Caribbean Galant as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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