Your vehicle report
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 209
- Received Aug 2000 to Nov 2022
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Alloy wheel rims crack and lose air56 complaints · 27% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Headlights dim or fail at night16 complaints · 7.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes12 complaints · 5.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #15V338000Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 22, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach.
- Recall #04V428000Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 24 crashes, 6 fires, 13 people injured, 2 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
- Paint peels off roof and hood
- Glass shatters or cracks without impact
- Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 33 |
| 2002 | 44 |
| 2003 | 22 |
| 2004 | 34 |
| 2005 | 21 |
| 2006 | 15 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2008 | 11 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 209 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloy wheel rims crack and lose air | 56 | 27% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 16 | 7.7% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 12 | 5.7% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 10 | 4.8% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 10 | 4.8% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 8 | 3.8% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 7 | 3.4% | – | |
| Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag | 6 | 2.9% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 5 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #01V069000 |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 5 | 2.4% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 5 | 2.4% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 5 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #00V299001 |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 4 | 1.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 1.9% | – | |
| Tail light sockets melt and burn | 4 | 1.9% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 3 | 1.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #15V338000June 2, 2015443,442 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 22, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach.
If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
Remedy
MMNA will notify their owners, and Chrysler will notify the Chrysler and Dodge owners. Dealers will install a tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-15-005. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R30.
NHTSA recall #04V428000September 1, 2004100,432 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Remedy
Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label. In addition, all current 2000-2004 nativa owners will also receive replacement air bag alert labels for the sun visors. This recall is expected to begin during march or april 2005. The notification to the nativa owners is expected to begin during april or may 2005. Owners should contact Mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
NHTSA recall #01V069000March 8, 2001192 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A bulge in the fuel tank caused by the manufacturing process resulted in thinning of the material during a welding operation, increasing the risk of fuel leakage.
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel tank assembly. Owner notification began march 26, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
NHTSA recall #01V011001January 16, 2001277,227 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. A hose was mis-manufactured and could weaken over time, which could result in leakage of the automatic transmission fluid.
Fluid leakage from the cooler hoses Can cause transaxle driveability problems and smoke if the oil contacts the front exhaust pipe.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the hose assembly for the automatic transmission oil cooler. Owner notification mailing will be phased over a five-month period starting march 26, through july 23, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
NHTSA recall #01V005001January 8, 200147 vehicles affected
seats
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A number of incorrect driver side seat mounting bolts were installed into vehicles.
The rear anchor bolts securing the driver's seat may not properly secure the seat and could increase the risk of driver injury in an accident.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the seat mounting bolts and then replace the bolts if necessary. Owner notification began february 15, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
NHTSA recall #00V320001October 27, 200010,510 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The outer layer only of this 3-LAYER fuel return hose does not contain the desired ozone protection due to a processing error.
This hose is considered to be inadequate.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel return hose.
NHTSA recall #00V299001October 2, 20006,037 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The harness for the crankshaft position sensor could come in contact with a new protective shield causing a grounded circuit.
Prolonged wiring harness contact with the heat shield will cause the wiring insulation to wear and eventually to ground out. This could cause the engine to die-out, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will re-route the crankshaft position sensor harness.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN