Owners have filed 1,735 complaints on the Mitsubishi Eclipse, covering 1990–2012. The system named most often is Service Brakes (282 reports). Worst years by volume: 2000, 1995, 2001; cleanest: 2011, 2005, 2012. 194 reports describe a crash, 48 a fire, 9 a death. On average the car was 4.9 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mitsubishi Eclipse
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,735 Eclipse complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 282 Read
The contact owns a 2008 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that while driving, he attempted to engage the brakes but the vehicle did not respond. As a result, he crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police a report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who was…
When braking to stop, the brake pedal experienced a longer than normal pedal stroke resulting in a rear end collision. It is an intermittent problem. The 2006 eclipse has a recall for this exact problem. 2007-2008 eclipses should also be recalled to fix this potential problem. There are several online posts describing…
The contact owns a 2008 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 15V337000 (service brakes, hydraulic) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair. The dealer stated that the parts were not available for the recall repair and that a second notification would be issued when the recall…
Power Train 222 Read
Takata airbag: my incident has already been reported. I am adding the police report. I am still requiring surgery and unable to use my left arm 10 months later
The contact owned a 2008 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving approximately 55 mph, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The vehicle spun out of control and the transmission shifted independently into the reverse position, which caused the vehicle to crash…
My car was stolen last year by someone I knew, and was wrecked. After the wreck, myself and pennsylvania state police spoke to the person and he said the accident was caused because the brakes failed to engage as he was making a turn and the right lower control arm failed, which caused the tie rod to snap which…
Wheels 187 Read
2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder bent rims and blew tires
While trying to avoid a spin out in heavy snow. I turned to into the curb to help stop my car. My wheel is aluminum spoke design. All the spokes fractured completely out of the wheel. The tire still had air. My wheel came off. My rotor hit the ground and busted. My dad who is a mechanic came out before the tow truck…
On two separate occasions while travelling at low speeds a wheel bent and my tire deflated while driving my 2000 eclipse gt. On both occasions I lost control of the vehicle; it eventually skidded to a halt both times.*ak (tiresize: 250/50/17)( DOT number: tire size: 250/50/17 )
Engine And Engine Cooling 157 Read
The contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi eclipse spyder convertible. The vehicle exploded while driving approximately 45 mph and the driver was killed as a result. The contact was not given a diagnosis as to what caused the vehicle to explode. A police report is available if needed. The mitsubishi manufacturer has not been…
Consumer was driving vehicle at 70 mph when involved in a frontal collision engine flew out of vehicle and neither air bag deployed. Mr
Similar to odi 10080649 but resulted in fire within engine bay which was quickly put out without damage to the interior. Threw a piston through the engine block. Vehicle only had 66k miles. Working car fire first reported via 911 in bridgewater nj. Revised status was also called in but was responded to. State farm…
Structure 146 Read
2002 mitshabishi eclipse rear bumper started to burn and I had just parked at work I was found slumped over behind the wheel apparently from the fumes of the burning plastic. I hope my reporting this removes plastic in areas that may be ignited
The contact owns a 2007 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that the cover of the dash board was lifting exposing the passenger side air bag. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure and the current mileage was 77,000
The contact owns a 2007 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that the dashboard became fractured near the passenger's side air bag area, exposing a portion of the air bag. The contact stated that the dashboard was coming unglued. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that it could not be repaired…
Air Bags 118 Read
The contact owns a 2003 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. While driving approximately 15 mph, the passenger side air bag deployed without warning or impact. When the air bag deployed, the visor on the vehicle detached. The vehicle's top was down at the time and caused the passenger side air bag to blow in the wind, which…
The contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated while driving 25 mph making a sharp turn, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The contact's air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was engulfed in flames within moments. Lucky, the front passenger was able to free the contact in…
The contact stated while driving 30 mph, a vehicle pulled out in front of the contact causing the contact to hit this vehicle on the front driver's side from the wheel forward. The passenger side air bag got stuck to the back plate and did not deploy. The air bag began to smoke and was burned beyond repair. As a…
Suspension 108 Read
My daughter was driving the eclipse, she turned onto a side street and the car spun out of control causing her to hit a parked car. The passenger side tire is sideways, I have pictures of the car after the accident. My insurance company totaled the car. The police are saying she was at fault for the accident. There is…
"takata recall" I have replaced my control arms about 4 times now in the past 2 years. I have it fixed and then the squeaking always comes back, last about 6 months and then lower ball joint breaks. Last time it broke I was going about 40mph, it was very scary. The picture I sent was taken on 7/28/14. The last time it…
"takata recall" I have replaced my control arms about 4 times now in the past 2 years. I have it fixed and then the squeaking always comes back lasts about 6 months then the lower ball joint breaks. Last time it broke I was going about 40 mph, it was very scary. The picture I sent was taken on 7/28/2014. Though the…
Electrical System 102 Read
In the morning, I drove this mitsubishi eclipse 2005 to work(35 miles away from home), it was ok. After work, I drove back to my house, entered our garage, I got off the car, I saw a small fire on the right front lighting place, then I quickly backed my car out of the garage, the fire was getting bigger and bigger, my…
The contact owns a 2005 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving at approximately 35 mph, there was a burning odor and a stream of smoke emitting from inside the passenger door. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000
Electrical cable for Fuel Pump caught fire. My daughter was able to park and exit the car safely before it combusted but it took 8 minutes for the car to basically explode. I think this is very dangerous for a family with kids or someone that wouldn't be as fast as my kid to get out of the car. We found out the same…
Eclipse 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 9 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 14 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2005 | Electrical System | — | 2 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 16 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 23 | 7 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 12 | 3 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 8 | 3 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 15 | 4 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 16 | 4 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 19 | 6 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 30 | 6 | |
| 1994 | Electrical System | 4 | 1 | |
| 1993 | Child Seat | 1 | 1 | |
| 1992 | Electrical System | 2 | 1 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 3 | 1 | |
| 1990 | Electrical System | 2 | — |
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 | 757 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.3 |
| Worst single series | 13 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.9 years |
A model average of 2.3 hides a worst series at 13. 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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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 Eclipse?
By complaint volume, 2000, 1995, 2001 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 Eclipse years are the cleanest?
2011, 2005, 2012 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mitsubishi Eclipse have?
1,735 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1990–2012. Of those, 194 describe a crash and 48 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.