The 1997 Mitsubishi 3000gt has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 15,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 42 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN02V1430012002-05-1415,000 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A CONDITION EXISTS THAT ALLOWS OIL TO LEAK FROM THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE TRANSFER CASE.
Consequence
LOW OIL LEVELS IN THE TRANSFER CASE COULD CAUSE BEARING DAMAGE AND RESULT IN DRIVE TRAIN LOCKUP, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSFER CASE FOR INDICATIONS OF OIL LEAKAGE OR DAMAGE. VEHICLES THAT HAVE OIL LEAKAGE WILL HAVE THE TRANSFER CASE RESEALED AND RE-FILL THE TRANSFER CASE TO THE PROPER LEVEL, OR REPLACED THE TRANSFER CASE IF THERE IS EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DECEMBER 9,…
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
8
WHEELS
6
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
3
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
3
POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)
3
SEAT BELTS
3
WHEELS:RIM
3
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
2
2crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
1
Total complaints42
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My car is well kept and garaged at night. In november 2012, I was having trouble with the car and was told by my mechanic of 20 years that my "total front end" on the car needed replaced. This required the replacement of gaskets, an oal flex, rack & pinion, and a wheel alignment. It was a very…”
“My car is well kept and garaged at night. In november 2012, I was having trouble with the car and was told by my mechanic of 20 years that my "total front end" on the car needed replaced. This required the replacement of gaskets, an oal flex, rack & pinion, and a wheel alignment. It was a very…”
“My car is well kept and garaged at night. In november 2012, I was having trouble with the car and was told by my mechanic of 20 years that my "total front end" on the car needed replaced. This required the replacement of gaskets, an oal flex, rack & pinion, and a wheel alignment. It was a very…”
“Seat belt retractors stop working over time, causing extreme slack on the seat belt. There is no tightness left on seat belt, even when wearing while driving. If a crash were to occur, the seat belt would not be able to do it's job. *tr”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mitsubishi 3000gt. While driving 60 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. She was able to move the vehicle on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the garage for diagnostic testing which indicated that the transmission transfer case wasn't sealed properly…”
“I own a mitsubishi 1997 3000gt vr4, and a 1996 3000gt base model. On both cars there was tremendous slacks in the seat belts. I worry that if not recalled they would do little to protect me in a collision. Please investigate this.*ak”
“Mitsubishi has not honored their responsibility on the recall nhtsa campaign id 02v143001 for my 1997 3000gt vr4. The local zone rep has turned it done without a personal visit . I have forced a meeting with him for thursday jan 18th but I have been told it is a waste of my time by the local…”
“The seat belt in my 1997 sohc 3000gt does not always retract and sometimes locks up when I lean forward. I have been in numerous close calls due wiggling out of the predicament. *nm”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE02013 Opened 2002-01-31 · closed 2002-06-03
TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE02013 Opened 2002-01-31 · closed 2002-06-03
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mitsubishi 3000gt as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.