1997 MITSUBISHI 3000GT

1 recalls, 42 complaints - 65 TSBs

POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)

Defect Description

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 B... Read more

15,000 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: MITSUBISHI AMERICA

Complaint Statistics

42 total complaints 2 crashes

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	8
WHEELS	6
WHEELS:RIM	3
SEAT BELTS	3
POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)	3
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION	3
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT	3
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT	2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS	1

Incident date: Nov 23, 2012

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 EX... Read more

Incident date: Nov 23, 2012

Incident date: May 10, 2011

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

Incident date: Aug 4, 2010

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 CAUS... Read more

Incident date: Jan 12, 1997

I OWN A 1997 MITSUBISHI 3000GT AND THE SEAT BELT RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR THE DRIVES AND PASSENGER SIDE FAIL TO RETRACT. THE ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM IS TO REMOVE THE SEATBELT WHILE DRIVING AND MANUALLY FEED THE BELT BACK INTO THE SYSTEM. *TR

Incident date: Jul 14, 2007

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

Incident date: Jan 9, 2007

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 DEALER.... Read more

Incident date: Jan 12, 2005

MY DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT NORMALLY. THEY REQUIRE SOME EXTRA FORCE. IT STARTED WHERE IT ONLY HAPPENED EVERY NOW AND THEN AND NOW IT IS ALL THE TIME. I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO CORRECT THIS YET. *NM

Incident date: Dec 16, 2006

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

Incident date: Aug 12, 2006

VEHICLE: 1997 MITSUBISHI 3000GT VR4 THE FRONT SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY, THEREBY LEAVING ENOUGH SLACK IN THE SEAT BELT TO DEEM IT UNSAFE WHEN DRIVING. THIS WAS ALSO A PROBLEM ON MY '94 3000GT AND I HAVE HEARD MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS FROM MANY OTHER OWNERS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2006

1997 MITSUBISHI 3000GT VR-4 SEAT BELTS DON'T RETRACT WHEN YOU RELEASE THEM AND YOU HAVE TO FEED IT BACK INTO THE PANEL. *JB

Incident date: Jul 24, 2006

DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELTS DON'T RETRACT CORRECTLY. WHEN THE SEAT BELT DOESN'T RETRACT, IT LEAVES SEVERAL INCHES OF SLACK. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, THIS DEFECT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THIS DEFECT IS COMMON IN FROM 1991 TO 1999 FOR THE MITSUBISHI 3000GT AND DODGE STEALTH GT M... Read more

Incident date: Jun 9, 2006

WHEN THE SEAT BELT ON MY 1997 MITSUBISHI 3000GT IS PULLED ON, IT SOMETIMES DOES NOT RETRACT, LEAVING ENOUGH SLACK IN THE BELT THAT IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR, IT WOULD NOT SERVE ITS PURPOSE AS A SAFETY RESTRAINT. *JB

Incident date: May 31, 2006

I OWN A 1997 3000GT VR4 AND ALSO OWNED A 1998 3000GT SL. THE SEAT BELTS IN BOTH OF MY CARS DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN THE SEAT BELT IS PULLED ON IT DOES NOT RETRACT, LEAVING ENOUGH SLACK IN THE BELT THAT IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR, IT WOULD NOT SERVE ITS PURPOSE AS A SAFETY RESTRAINT. BOTH SEA... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2006

SUPPORT FOR A SEAT BELT RECALL ON THE MITSUBISHI 3000GT/DODGE STEALTH ALL YEARS SEAT BELTS ARE NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM. SURE THEY MAY START FRAYING A LITTLE OVER TIME BUT THEY SHOULD ALWAYS RETRACT ON THEIR OWN. EVERYTIME I LEAN FORWARD TO TURN ON THE RADAR DETECTOR, CHANGE THE STATION ON THE RADI... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2006

1 - SEAT BELTS IN THE MITSUBISHI 3000GT FAIL TO WORK ON A NUMBER OF CARS 2 - THIS FAILURE TO RETRACT IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND COULD BE MAJOR IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. *JB

Incident date: Oct 14, 2003

1997 MITSUBISHI GT 3000 - DEFECTIVE CHROME WHEELS FLAKE, PEEL AND WEAR INSIDE SO THAT A SEAL CANNOT BE MAINTAINED. CONSTANTLY, INFLATE TIRES WHERE OF A HORRIFIC SAFETY HAZARD. STRANDED WITH FLATS. EXPENSIVE CHROME WHEELS CAME STANDARD WITH THIS VEHICLE. MITSUBISHI HAS SO FAR ELECTED TO REPLACE ONLY ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 10, 2003

NHTSA RECALL 02V143000 CONCERNING TRANSFER CASE. THIS RECALL FAILED ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. A CONDITION EXISTED THAT ALLOWED OIL TO LEAK FROM TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE). DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSFER CASE FOR INDICATIONS OF OIL LEAKAGE OR DAMAGE. VEHICLES THAT HAVE OIL LEAKAGE WILL ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 7, 2003

AIR LEAKING OCCURS IN 2 TIRES. MITS SERVICE DEPARTMENT CHECKED TIRES & STATED THEY ARE FINE. THEY STATED THE PROBLEM IS AIR LEAKING AROUND THE 2 RIMS AND THAT SEALS ARE BREAKING, POSSIBLY DUE TO WHEEL CORROSION. THE PROBLEM IS WORSENING. THIS IS THE 2ND SET OF WHEELS. MITSUBISHI REPLACED ALL 4... Read more

Incident date: Jun 3, 2002

THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING AT THE TIME THAT I PURCHASED THIS CAR. THE DEALER WHO I HAD INSPECT THE CAR TOLD ME THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, WHICH IT EVENTUALLY WAS. HOWEVER, I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THESE TRANSMISSION FAIL ON A VERY WIDESPREAD BASIS, WHICH I WAS NOT TOLD. I TH... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2000

OEM TRANSFER CASE LEAK . CAUSING THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS TO OVERHEAT AND CEASE UP WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION ON INTERSTATE . RESULTING IN ALL 4 WHEELS LOCKING UP AND GOING INTO AN OUT-OF-CONTROL STATE .*AK

Incident date: Feb 1, 2002

TRANSFER CASE IS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. CONSUMER CONCERNED ABOUT TRANSFER CASE LOCKING UP WHICH IS POSING A SAFETY HAZARD.*AK CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSFER CASE LOCKED UP CAUSING ALL THE WHEELS TO LOCK UP *JB

Incident date: Feb 1, 2002

A LEAK WAS COMING FROM TRANSFER CASE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

Incident date: Jul 1, 2002

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

Incident date: Apr 2, 2002

THE CHROME WHEEL RIMS ON MY CAR ARE CORRODING ON THE INSIDE. THE TIRES LEAK AIR BECAUSE THE RIMS DO NOT SEAL PROPERLY. THIS CAUSES THE TIRE TO BECOME FLAT. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A DEFINITE DEFECT IN THE WHEELS AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOUILD REPLACE ALL FOUR WHE... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2000

THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT PROVIDE PARTS FOR THE GERTAG 6-SPEED TRANSMISION IN THIS CAR. INORDER TO REPLACE THE DAMAGED SYNCROS IN THE TRANSMISSION A REBUIT TRANSMISSION MUST BE PURCHASED. THE SYNCRO FAILURE SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS.

Incident date: Oct 20, 2001

THIS IS A VERY WELL KNOW PROBLEM ON THIS CAR.. I'M PART OF THE 3SI COMUNNITY WWW.3SI.ORG, A LOT OF OWNERS EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM, PLEASE CHECK THERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. NO SAFETY DEFEC TLISTED. *AK

Incident date: May 5, 1998

TIRES WOULD NOT STAY INFLATED FOR LONGER THAN A TWO WEEK PERIOD, THE CAUSE WAS FAULTY WHEELS, ON ONE OCCASION THE DEALER REPORTED THAT HE REPLACED A WHEEL, BUT REALLY DID NOT. *SLC

Incident date: May 5, 1998

TIRES WOULD NOT STAY INFLATED FOR LONGER THAN A TWO WEEK PERIOD, THE CAUSE WAS FAULTY WHEELS, ON ONE OCCASION THE DEALER REPORTED THAT HE REPLACED A WHEEL, BUT REALLY DID NOT. *SLC

Incident date: Aug 3, 2000

AT 85MPH THE WHOLE CAR LOCKED UP DUE TO SEIZED DIFFRENTIAL CASE - CAR SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND OFF OF THE HIGHWAY WITH OUT WARNING. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS CAR HAS HAD SUDDEN POWERTRAIN FAILURE RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL - WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET.

Crash

Incident date: Aug 3, 2000

Crash

Incident date: Jan 27, 1999

PROBLEM EXISTS WITH CHROME PEELING ON ALL (4) WHEELS, REPLACED BY MITSUBISHI JAN. OF 1999 CONTACTED MITS. SEVERAL TIMES DURING WEEK OF AUG. 20, 2000. WAS TOLD THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REPLACE WHEELS HAVE BEEN THROUGH 3 SETS OF TIRES BECAUSE OF THE WHEEL DEFECT. TIRE COMPANYS HAVE EXPLAINED CHROME PEEL... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 1999

Incident date: Oct 14, 1997

CONSUMER PICKED UP T CAR WITH 12,000 MILES, AND SLIGHT SHIMMY, TOOK TO DEALER, AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. THEN, DEALER REPLACED BRAKES 17 TIMES SINCE OWNER HAS HAD THE CAR. IN ORDER TO STOP HAD TO PRESS BRAKE PEDAL TO FLOOR, AND THEN IT SHAKES VERY BADLY. *AK

Incident date: Dec 12, 1999

BATTERY EXPLODED - DEALER SAYS HE HAS SEEN MANY EXPLODED MITSUBISHI BATTERIES

Incident date: Oct 1, 1997

THIS CAR (NOT MY FIRST OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL) HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP CONSTANTLY. THE DEALERS HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT MITSU REFUSES TO PAY FOR WARRANTY REPAIRS AND THAT DEALERS MUST PAY OUT OF POCKET. THEREFORE, CUSTOMERS ARE NOT RECEIVING THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT IS SAFE. FOR EXAMPLE - MY TRANSMISSIO... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 1997

Incident date: Oct 1, 1999

THE CHROME WHEEL RIMS ON MY CAR ARE CORRODING ON THE INSIDE. THE TIRES LEAK AIR BECAUSE THE RIMS DO NOT SEAL PROPERLY. THIS CAUSES THE TIRE TO BECOME FLAT. THE LAST INCIDENT CAUSED ME TO BE STRANDED, AT NIGHT. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A DEFINATE DEFECT IN TH... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 1999

CHROME RIM IS RUBBING THE WHEEL WHICH IS CAUSING THE AIR TO LEAK.CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. *AK

Incident date: Mar 1, 1998

ELECTRONIC COMPONENT ON THE TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. MJS

Technical Service Bulletins, 1997 MITSUBISHI 3000GT

65 manufacturer communications from 40 unique bulletins. TSBs describe known problems and recommended fixes from the manufacturer.

Most Affected Components

Component	Bulletins
980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER	7
350000 EQUIPMENT	6
100000 POWER TRAIN	5
200000 WHEELS	4
070000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	4
110000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	3
060000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	3
020000 SUSPENSION	2

980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.

120000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING

350000 EQUIPMENT