Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 21 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
1998 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE, UNIT 1 WAS TRAVELING EAST ON THE OHIO TURNPIKE NEAR THE 54 MILEPOST. UNIT 1 FILLED WITH SMOKE. UNIT 1 PULLED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND STOPPED. THE DRIVER OF UNIT 1 EXITED AND OPENED THE HOOD AND OBSERVED FIRE. THE DRIVER OF UNIT 1 WAS CHARGED WITH OVI. BF (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT # 10-0046-89)*JB UPDATED 04/22/11 *BF
AROUND 50,000 MILES ABOUT 2001 MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF. I CALL DEALERSHIP AND BECAUSE I COULDN'T BE SEEN NO EARLIER THAN 2 WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME I WAS UNABLE TO GET A CONVENIENT APPT. I DIDN'T GET THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP UNTIL MUCH LATER. WHEN THE LIGHT STARTED STAYING ON STEADY AROUND 81,000 I TOOK IT IN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHARGED ME OVER $200 TO TELL ME MY COMPUTER WAS NO GOOD AND A NEW ONE WOULD COST $1100 AND MY WARRANTY ON THE COMPUTER WENT OUT AT 80,000. I LET SOME TIME GO BY AND PURCHASED A COMPUTER FROM THE JUNKYARD. I THEN FOUND A PLACE THAT REBUILT COMPUTERS. I SENT MY ORIGINAL COMPUTER AWAY. I LATER GOT A PHONE CALL WITH THE PLACE TELLING ME THAT MY COMPUTER HAD BEEN RECALLED SO I CALLED MITSUBISHI. THEY TOLD ME THERE HAD NOT BEEN A RECALL SO I CALLED THE PLACE BACK. THE GUY EXPLAINED THAT MY COMPUTER HAD THE SAME ISSUE AS MANY OTHERS LIKE MINE HAD AND THAT MITSUIBISHI DID NOT RECALL THEM BUT STOP MAKING THAT TYPE OF COMPUTER. HE DID TELL ME THEY MADE A NEW ONE AND IF I COULD FIND OUT WHAT THEY WENT OVER TO HE COULD FIND ME ONE. WHEN I CALLED MITS BACK AND EXPLAINED THEY TOLD ME THAT THE DEALERSHIP COULD HAVE OVER RIDDEN THE 81,00 MILES SINCE IT WAS SO CLOSE TO THE 80,000 AND IF I WENT BACK THERE I COULD SEE IF THEY WOULD DO IT. WELL I CALLED BACK AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. HE WANTED ME TO DO ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH I AM TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WOULD NOT BENEFIT ME. I WOULD BE PAYING ANOTHER $200 PLUS DOLLARS TO BE TOLD THE SAME THING THAT THEY HAD ALREADY TOLD ME OR TOLD SOMETHING DIFFERENT WHICH MEANS I HAVE WASTED MY FIRST $200 PLUS DOLLARS. I GAVE UP AND HAVE BEEN REPLACING EVERYTHING ON THE CAR TO GET IT FIXED. I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO USE THE JUNKYARD COMPUTER CAUSE MY ORIGINAL ONE HAD BLOWN UP AND IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE EVERY SINCE. MY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT STAYS ON NOW AND IT IS MISSING BADLY. I HAVE CHANGED THE OXYGEN SENSORS 3 TIMES. *TR
I BOUGHT MY 98 ECLIPSE, STANDARD, IN 2003, NOT EVEN A YEAR AFTER I HAD IT IT DIED ON ME ON THE FREEWAY ONE DAY. TURNED OUT IT WAS THE SPEED SENSOR THAT GOT ME STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE. ABOUT ANOTHER 6 MONTHS LATER THE FOUND AN OIL LEAK ON THE HEAD GASKET THAT WAS MAKING ME MISFIRE, THAT WAS FIXED. THE CAR WAS FINE UNTIL ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO WHEN THE ENGINE WENT OUT ON ME BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE ENGINE OIL AND COOLANT WERE SOMEHOW MIXING, MY HOSES WERE OUT, SO WAS MY WATER PUMP, O2 SENSOR AND FUEL PUMP SENSOR, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. WELL I HAD MAJOR WORK DONE EVERYTHING WAS PUT IN NEW, ABOUT A MONTH LATER MY DRIVER DOOR HANDLE FALLS OFF, THAT COST ME 150 DOLLARS! ONE MONTH AFTER THAT, NOW, MY SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING ALL OF A SUDDEN AND 2 WEEKS LATER MY TRANSMISSION GOES OUT. ALSO MY CLUTCH IS GOING OUT. SO NOW I CANT DRIVE THE CAR ANY HIGHER THAN 5TH GEAR BECAUSE IT THROWS MY GEAR OUT!!! SINCE I STILL OWE 6K ON THE CAR I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FIX IT. WHICH IS GOING TO END UP COSTING ME, IN ALL I'VE SPENT AND AM ABOUT TO SPEND, AS MUCH AS I STILL OWE ON THE CAR! *NM
40000 OR MORE NEED A NEW HEAD GASTIC AND THATS TAKING THE ENGINE APART, HAD A LEAK WASN'T VALUE GASITIC AND TURNED OUT TO BE HEAD GASITIC, WHEN YOU DRIVE CAR A 100 MILES OR SO IT LOSES OIL, AND LOOSE ABOUT HALF A COURT OF OIL AND BURNING SMELL, IF YOU DON'T REPLACE WILL LOOSE MORE OIL
MY CAR HAS BEEN OVERHEATING, AND BURNING COOLANT. MY MECHANIC INSPECTED THE CAR AND FOUND A FAULTY HEAD GASKET. MECHANIC CLAIMS HE SEES THIS A LOT IN THE ECLIPSE. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT JOB, AND MANUFACTURER WILL NOT WARRANTY IT. *JB
LIFTER TICKING AT 85000 MILES. OVER $1000 TO REPLACE LIFTERS. HAVE NOT YET REPLACED THE OLD ONES. MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID HAVE SAME PROBLEM AND THE NEW LIFTERS ARE REVISED. SO WHY NOT CHANGE FAULTY OLD STYLE ONES?*AK
HAD RECALL DONE FOR LATERAL ARM, DEALER INFORMED ME HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN, TWO WEEKS LATER BOTH DOOR HANDLES BROKE OFF, MAYBE THE DOOR HANDLES SHOULDN'T BE MADE OF PLASTIC. THE CAR HAS BEEN THROUGH TWO ALTERNATOR BELTS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. THE CAR OVERHEATS AND IT MELTS THEM RIGHT OFF. YOU BUY A PRODUCT FROM MITSUBISHI SO YOU DONT EXPECT IT TO BE MADE BY CHRYSLER. MY SISTER DRIVES A DODGE AVENGER AND WE HAVE THE SAME EXACT ENGINE, AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO IT ---A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. MAYBE YOU PEOPLE SHOULD STAND BEHIND YOUR PRODUCT AND FIX THE EVER SO COMMON PROBLEM. EVERYONE I KNOW WHO DRIVES AN ECLIPSE HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. I AM VERY UNHAPPY AND WILL NEVER BUY A CAR FROM MITSUBISHI AGAIN. *LA
VEHICLE HAS 90,000 MILES AND IS 1998 MANUFACTURING DATE. ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION ARE BOTH COMPLETELY IRREPARABLE. NO EVIDIENCE OF LOW OIL LEVEL OR OTHER MAINTENANCE NEGLECT WHICH LED TO THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND IS NOW SCRAP. ALTHOUGH FAILURE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, A COMPLETE VEHICLE FAILURE AT 90,000 MILES IS NOT NORMAL OR ACCEPTABLE.*AK
WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INDICATED THE ENGINE HEAD GASKET HAD A OIL LEAK AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. COMMON PROBLEM.*AK IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE WRONG OIL FILTER WAS PLACED ON THE VEHICLE
ENGINE BURNS OIL AT APPROX. 1 QT PER WEEK, ALSO HAS POSSIBLE LEAKS IN ENGINE WITH ONLY 69,000 MILES ON ENGINE. HAS HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES FOR LIFE OF ENGINE. BRAKE ROTORS WARPED AND NEED REPLACEMENT, UNSURE OF WHEN LAST CHANGED. TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND SHIFTS HARD WITH SLOW OR FAST ACCELERATION.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. TS THERE WAS AN ODOR IN THE VEHICLE, THE CLUTCH HAD GONE OUT, THE REAR BRAKES SQUEAKED, AND WATER LEAKED INTO THE INTERIOR ON THE VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT THE DEALER SOLD HER AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. SCC
AIR CONDITIONER FROZE UP, SNAPPING THE BELT, PART OF THE BELT WENT UP INTO INSIDE OF TIMING COVER AND VALVE TRAIN AND LOCKED UP OTHER PARTS. CONSUMER FEELS THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS, COULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
I WAS SOLD THIS CAR AS A MITSUBISHI, IT HAS A CHRYSLER ENGINE ONE STEP UP FROM A NEON. IF I WOULD HAVE WANTED A NEON BY CHRYSLER I WOULD HAVE PURCHASED 2 FOR THE PRICE I PAID FOR MY ECLIPSE. THE LOWER BEARINGS WENT OUT. I HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY. AT 68,000 MILES THE RADIATOR CRACKED, COMPUTER AND ALTERNATER WENT OUT CAUSING MY CAR TO OVERHEAT IMMEDIATELY AND THE ENGINE WOULDN'T RESTART UNTIL IT HAD COOLED. WAS HARD TO RESTART. IT HAD SLICK 50 TREATMENTS 4 TIMES DURING ITS LIFE. IT ALSO HAS HAD 3 FAULTY CLUTCHES. *AK
DEALER REPLACED LIFTERS AT 34000 MILES DUE TO TICKING, OTHER CONSUMERS ALSO COMPLAIN ABOUT LIFTER TICK. I HAVE ADDED MYSTERY OIL AND PROLONG TO OIL AND NOTHING SEEMS TO HELP.*AK
HEARD A LOUD SOUND FROM UNDER THE HOOD, BAD BELT THAT RESULTED IN SNAPPING WHILE DRIVING TWICE.
FOUR OF EIGHT RADIO SPEAKERS ARE INOPERATIVE.*JB
TENSIONER BOLT SNAPPED IN TWO IMMEDIATELY TIMING BELT SHREDDED, CAR DIED, AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE REQUIRING TOTAL ENGINE REBUILD. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
WHEN CONSUMER STARTED UP VEHICLE WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM UDERNEATH VEHICLE, FROM EXHAUST PIPE. ENGINE WAS REPLACED. BUT CONSUMER HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO DEALER BECAUSE THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE. NOISE CAME FROM EXHAUST PIPE THAT WAS LOOSE. ALSO, BRAKES ROTORS WERE WARPED. EVERY THREE MONTHS BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO SHAKING. *AK
VEHICLE ENGINE COOLANT LEAKS, DEALER CAN'T FIND PROBLEM,THIS IS 7TH REPAIR IN UNDER 1 YR
AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND IDLING FOR THREE TO FOUR MINUTES, THE ENGINE SURGES UP TO 6000 RPMS.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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