Problems · NHTSA complaints
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems
Owners filed 300 complaints about the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse with NHTSA between Apr 2000 and Nov 2022. The most-cited component is wheels (112).
Complaints
300
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
32
Reported by owners
Fires
8
Reported by owners
Injuries
19
People reported injured
Deaths
3
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Wheels112
- Power train31
- Structure29
- Air bags28
- Electrical system21
- Exterior lighting21
- Visibility18
- Engine and engine cooling16
- Tires14
- Suspension11
- Steering10
- Fuel system, gasoline8
- Service brakes, hydraulic6
- Equipment5
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
38
50
42
50
33
19
21
12
5
5
3
0
0
5
4
4
2
0
1
1
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 38 |
| 2002 | 50 |
| 2003 | 42 |
| 2004 | 50 |
| 2005 | 33 |
| 2006 | 19 |
| 2007 | 21 |
| 2008 | 12 |
| 2009 | 5 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Wheels
112 reports2 crashes1 fire
“TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER WITH AN ODOMETER READING OF 100,000. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IF VEHICLE HIT THE SMALLEST OF POT HOLES, AT ANY SPEED THE RIM WILL BEND, BOTH ON THE INSIDE AND OUT SIDE. THE CONTACT HAD 2 OF THE RIMS REPLACED AND TWO OF THE TIRES AS WELL. ON FIVE OCCASIONS THE RIMS WERE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAS REPAIR ORDERS, AND WILL HAVE PICTURES OF THE LATEST FAILURE.*AK”
Power train
31 reports5 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“I almost got into a accident because it's late sobits really hard to see because the headlights u cnt see any at all at night I can use a flash light out the window and see better like that but on top of that my car just decides to up and stall on me and not wanna start back and it had melted my crankshaft sensor wires and I guess it just decided to also mess up the wiring on my camshaft sensor I literally had to wire up the wires straight around the plug on both just to make it home it was cold out and all I really love my car but I'm spending more money than I've got just tryna keep it running and between that and the lights that's gonna get sum1 hurt or killed if not fixed I was on a backroad had no service to call anybody for help and I was right between 2 blind turns”
Structure
29 reports
“1. EVERY TIME IT RAINS THERE IS A LARGE ACCUMULATION OF WATER LEAKING FROM FRONT WINDOW/FRONT VENTS EVERY RAINFALL ON FRONT FLOOR BOARDS; 2. EVERY RAINFALL, SOAKS CARPET FLOOR BOARDS THROUGH TO BOTTOM FRAME OF CAR; 3. MANY, MANY THICK TOWELS ON FRONT FLOOR BOARDS. *TR”
Air bags
28 reports16 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM FAULT. SRS LIGHT ELLUMINATES ON DASHBOARD WHENEVER DRIVER OR PASSENGER SEATS ARE MOVED, INDICATING THAT THE SIDE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS DEACTIVATING THE ENTIRE SRS SYSTEM INCLUDING THE FRONT AIRBAGS.”
Electrical system
21 reports4 fires
“2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO EXTERIOR LIGHTING RECALL, ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT RECALL, POWER TRAIN, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COOLING UNIT AND LINES RECALL ISSUES. *SMD THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THEY ONLY HAD ONE RECALL APPLICABLE TO HIS VEHICLE, WHICH WAS FOR THE SUN VISOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER STATED THE GAS TANK IS LEAKING AND HAS MANY WELDING ISSUES. *JB”
Exterior lighting
21 reports2 fires3 related recalls
“I HAVE A 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE RS 2.4 ENGINE I BOUGHT IT OFF MY HUSBAND'S UNCLE FOUR MONTHS AGO AND EVER SINCE I GOT THE CAR I NOTICED THE LIGHT ADJUSTERS DON'T WORK AT ALL AND AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS ARE SO DIM THAT SOMETIMES I CAN'T EVEN SEE THE ROAD AT ALL THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.