Owners have filed 289 complaints on the Mitsubishi 3000GT, covering 1991–1999. The system named most often is Power Train (147 reports). Worst years by volume: 1992, 1994, 1995; cleanest: 1999, 1996, 1998. 10 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 8.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mitsubishi 3000GT
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 289 3000GT complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 147 Read
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
Dt: the contact complained about transmission problems. The previous owner had the transmission rebuilt on october 4, 2003. Later, the transmission was again rebuilt. The contact was having problems again with the transmission when the vehicle was totaled in an accident
The contact owns a 1992 mitsubishi 3000gt. The contact stated that the powertrain was leaking fluid through the casket. He referenced recall 02V143001 (power train transfer case (4- wheel drive) for which the repairs had been performed when the vehicle was in the possession of the a previous owner. The contact took…
Seat Belts 69 Read
I drive a 1999 mitsubishi 3000gt sl. The seat belts in this car do not retract correctly, they actually allow for too much slack and most of the time I have to manually draw the slack back into the mechanism. I feel this lack of function of my seat belts puts me and my passengers in danger...I complained about this…
Seat belts do not retract back into holders and remain loose. Do not tighten automatically
I purchased my 99 mitsubishi 3000gt used and it's seat belt has rarely worked. I sold my 94 mitsubishi 3000gt which has the same exact problem. While driving the belt always becomes slack and doesn't retract
Service Brakes 16 Read
Rotors/brake pads designed for the vehicle do not hold up to normal driving conditions rotors get too hot and warp causing excessive shaking of the steering wheel when the brakes are applied
Vehicle is pulling to either right or left when braking. Dealer replaced both front calipers/ master cylinder/ brake lines and brake valves. *ak the dealer asked the consumer to turn in the vehicle for buy back, but the factory representative said that the fault could be repaired and was returned to the consumer. The…
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 transmission fluid was changed…
Wheels 12 Read
Dt: the contact's vehicle crashed. The rear passenger wheel split in two places. The driver lost control and over corrected. The vehicle proceeded into a fence and was totaled. A police report was taken , and insurance report is on file
The seal between the tire and the wheel loosens which appears to be caused by the reaction between the chrome and alloy of the wheel resulting in corrosion
Plating on the wheels is peeling causing a slow air leak on all four tires. This is the second set that has exhibited this problem. The orginal set was replaced under warranty
Engine And Engine Cooling 8 Read
Severe tick in engine even after dealer changed all lifters. Chrome 17" factory rims break seal on tires resulting in numerous flat tires
The contact owns a 1995 mitsubishi 3000gt. While entering the vehicle, the contact noticed oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. Upon further investigation, he determined that the oil transfer case was failing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for further inspection. The dealer refused to inspect the vehicle…
Water pump was leaking, which damaged the timing belt and valves, consumer feels that this a manufacturing defect
Suspension 7 Read
Driving at 45 mph, steering wheel jerked abruptly to the left and took car into opposing lane of traffic. Tried to correct and the rear end fishtailed, spun the car 180 degrees, and went off the side of road (10 to 12ft. Embankment) flipped over and landed on it's top. Minor injuries to the two paseengers considering…
While driving in a stop and go/bumper-to-bumper traffic vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated and lurched forward and hit another vehicle in front. No injuries were reported. Vehicle was towed to the dealer, who replaced vehicle's control unit. *ak transmission feels as if slipping gears. Transmission control…
Front suspension failure has caused front wheel and tire damage. These are low profile tires and the wheels are a two-piece design (the center spokes are welded to the rim). This leaves the rim area not fully supported and therefore weak.*ak( DOT number: tire size: 245/45zr18 )
Vehicle Speed Control 6 Read
While pulling out of car wash consumer put vehicle in gear, and vehicle suddenly accelerated, went down a 6 feet drop off, and came to a stop at a barrier fence. Vehicle was totalled, damage $ 20000.00. There were witnesses to this accident. *ak the vehicle was returned to the insurance and was sold at auto auction
While looking for an opportunity to pass another car, the accelerator pedal got stuck and the car's speed was increasing rapidly. While there was no opportunity to pass (another car coming from opposite direction), the driver had to swerve quickly back to own lane while the car?s accelerator pedal was still stuck. The…
Floor mat is supposed to be anchored with locking clip to keep from traveling; clip is not installed, caused sudden acceleration; car hit guard rail/embankment
Air Bags 4 Read
Failure on the driver and passenger side air bags, consumer was invovled in an accident and the driver and passenger side air bags did not deploy
Got in the car put key in ignition started to turn key and passenger air bag deployed for apparently no reason. Broke windshield. Was unable to see or hear at first and suffered a cut under chin and headache for 4 days. Where the car was parked there was no way for anyone to hit the front end. There is video showing…
1995 mitsubishi 3000gt sl. Consumer stated purchased vehicle off ebay and upon delivery, he discovered the airbag had been removed
3000GT years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1997 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1996 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 1994 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — | |
| 1992 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 1991 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 144 |
| Average complaints per series | 2 |
| Worst single series | 9 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 8.5 years |
A model average of 2 hides a worst series at 9. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 3000GT?
By complaint volume, 1992, 1994, 1995 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 3000GT years are the cleanest?
1999, 1996, 1998 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mitsubishi 3000GT have?
289 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1991–1999. Of those, 10 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.