1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1996 Eclipse most often describe front lower ball joint failures on the suspension, along with repeated brake pulsation and rotor wear at low mileage. A long-running theme is head gasket leaks, and several complaints describe transfer case problems on all-wheel-drive cars. Many complaints reference recall campaigns that owners say were inspected but did not resolve the symptom.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front lower ball joint failure (wheel collapse)

   • 27 complaints (17%)
   • median 110,000 mi at 9.8 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2017

   Owners describe a pop or clunk from the front end followed by the vehicle dropping onto the tire, with the wheel well resting on the rubber and the car needing a tow. Several say the car pulled or felt unstable before the joint let go, and some report handling and alignment problems afterward. Complaints state that dealers inspected the car under a ball joint recall and said the joints were fine, or that a second repair was not covered; other owners say a repair was refused because the part was worn rather than cracked. Reported from roughly 40,000 to 140,000 miles, often at low speeds and occasionally after a prior recall inspection found no problem.

   Recall 00V421001Recall 99V066001

   What to check: Ask whether the lower ball joint recall work was done and whether the joints were replaced or only inspected; have a shop check the boots and joint play on a lift before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “10/26/01 l front lwr control arm broke, the car bounced down the road when susp came apart. Gville mitz replaced the parts at the cost of the manf. The vehicle had 104000 mi at that time. Items listed on repair invoice: arm assy (fr susp), shaft assy (fr axl), shield kit splash, air dam side fr lh, end assy, tie rod, fender fr lh 12/8/07 susp broke again. While driving I thought the drv side front tire had popped. I let off the gas/ tried to pull the vehicle over. I was in the l lane near an interstate entrance. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10220327, filed 2008-03, 261,362 miles

   “While traveling down our street, my lower ball joint on my 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse gs failed. I was traveling approximately 30-35 MPH at the time of the failure. My vehicle pulled hard to the right before the failure. I did not realize what was happening at the time, so I corrected the pull by turning the wheel back to the left. Within seconds of correcting, the ball joint failed. My passenger side front tire was forced into the wheel well and very nearly torn off. The vehicle had to be towed to a local dealer to be repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10053105, filed 2004-01, 104,020 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Head gasket oil leaks and exhaust smoke

   • 12 complaints (8%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 4.1 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2001–2005

   Complaints describe oil leaking from the head gasket area, sometimes noticed during an oil change, and a check engine light tied to the gasket. Some owners report that after the head gasket was replaced the car began smoking from the exhaust at idle and were then told valve guides or seals needed work. Others describe stalling, low or erratic idle, and loss of power. Reported from about 16,000 to 105,000 miles, often noticed during routine servicing.

   What to check: Check for oil residue around the head gasket seam and under the car, look for blue or white smoke at idle in traffic, and ask whether the head gasket has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Maintained regular oil changes and was notified that I had an oil leak in my engine. I saved enough money to have the head gasket replaced to fix the oil leak. The head gasket was replaced (new) in march of 2000. 4 months later my car started to smoke from the exhaust when standing still in traffic. I contacted the dealership about the problem because I thought that this was due to the work that they did. I was then informed that I need my value guides replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10082626, filed 2004-07, 80,000 miles

   “Oil leaking from head gasket. Oil guy told me it could be a factory defect because he has seen this problem in the same models. However, the dealer refused to fix it with no-charge claiming warranty was expired in aug 2001. We have realized the leak in october 2001. Dealer asks $600 to fix it.”

   NHTSA complaint #755102, filed 2001-11
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake pulsation and repeated rotor replacement

   • 22 complaints (14%)
   • median 19,000 mi at 2.5 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2004

   Owners describe the brake pedal and steering wheel pulsing or the car shaking when the brakes are applied, sometimes returning within weeks of new rotors. Several report replacing or turning rotors multiple times and that dealers could not explain the recurrence; a few describe grinding, longer stopping distance or the brakes grabbing. Some report it under 20,000 miles, and others after several rounds of brake work over years of ownership.

   What to check: Drive it and brake firmly from highway speed to feel for pulsation, and ask for service records showing how often rotors and pads were replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Constant pulsating of brakes when applying them. Took car to the dealership the 1st time and had the rotors replaced. Mitsubishi paid for 1/2 of the cost and I paid the rest. This was in 1998. The first time that I have the rotors replaced, the vibrating of the brake pedal came back within 2 weeks. Since then, I have replaced and/or turned down my rotors on my front wheels over 7 times. I do not ride my brakes either. I've had my rotors replaced by numerous garages. The rotors improved twice due to the recall of ball joints. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10082624, filed 2004-07, 19,000 miles

   “I purchased my Mitsubishi Eclipse 2 years ago. I have replaced the pads and rotors on my car a total of 3 times. I returned to the dealership again this month only to find out that I again need to replace my rotors. I have complained to the service manager at my local dealership. They more or less told me that the brakes were an engineering flaw. I have contacted the Mitsubishi corporate office in california. At this time they are unwilling to assist me with this problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #713245, filed 1999-10
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in a collision

   • 17 complaints (11%)
   • typically at 3.6 yrs old
   • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2004

   Complaints describe frontal and rear-end impacts at moderate to highway speeds where the front airbags did not deploy. A few owners mention the airbag warning or horn circuit being diagnosed as faulty, or a rattle from the passenger airbag module that the dealer could not identify. Reported across a range of mileages, mostly in the car's earlier years of service.

   What to check: Confirm the airbag warning light comes on with the key and then goes out, and check that the horn works, since some complaints tie the two circuits together.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving 40 MPH in a misty light rain vehicle hit an embankment head-on which caused vehicle to roll over three times. Consumer received no injuries, but was examined for trauma. Both frontal air bags failed to deploy during this incident. Vehicle was available for examination, and has not been examined by anyone.”

   NHTSA complaint #894564, filed 2001-08

   “The passenger's side airbag has a rattle from within the module. The dealer was unable to identify what the cause of the rattle is. I'm afraid that either the airbag won't properly deploy (like many other complaints) or that a projectile will accompany the deployment of the airbag and injure, or possibly kill, the passenger. Dealer doesn't want to replace the module at no charge.”

   NHTSA complaint #717473, filed 2000-01
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transfer case lockup, leaks and driveshaft failure

   • 10 complaints (6%)
   • median 89,200 mi at 14.5 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2017

   Owners of all-wheel-drive cars describe fluid leaking from the transfer case, loud revving or unusual noise at highway speed, and in some cases the case locking and the wheels seizing. Complaints state the dealer said the car was not covered by the transfer case recall, or that a recall inspection had already been done so no further work would be provided, leaving the repair to the owner. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 130,000 miles, generally at highway speeds or during normal driving.

   Recall 98V0690012 related service bulletins

   What to check: On all-wheel-drive cars, look for leaks or residue around the transfer case, listen for whine or vibration on a test drive, and ask whether any transfer case recall work was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was going about 65 miles per hour on the freeway, when the transmission started to make a loud revving noise and began to down shift at an accelerated rate. The Eclipse now has a shifting problem to where the car does not have the drive to move forwards nor backwards. I was told by a transmission specialist and close friend, that all my gears were all wiped out all at the same time and that the throttle cable was either loose or broken. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10212547, filed 2007-12, 71,250 miles

   “Vehicle experienced a leak within the transfer case. Owner contacted the dealer and the manufacturer, and was told that because the vehicle was inspected for the recall once already dealership and manufacturer will not inspect again the vehicle for this defect. Owner was told that this problem was the owner's responsibility.”

   NHTSA complaint #10109035, filed 2005-01, 80,000 miles

Buying note. On this model year, the front lower ball joints and the transfer case on all-wheel-drive cars are worth checking first, and it is worth asking for paperwork on any recall work rather than taking a verbal assurance. A pre-purchase inspection that includes the front suspension, brake condition and a highway test drive will tell you most of what the complaints describe.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.