2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder problems & reliability
24 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (4 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 8 | 33% |
| Structure | 4 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 8% |
| Power Train | 2 | 8% |
| Tires | 2 | 8% |
| Visibility | 2 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. The contact stated while driving 25-30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power inadvertently. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that while driving and depressing the…”
Steering · filed Jun 9, 2022
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact stated that he approached an intersection driving 15 mph when he was involved in a crash. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt did not restrain him. Both vehicles were inoperable and were towed from the scene. The vehicle was destroyed. The…”
Seat Belts · filed Sep 16, 2011
“Under normal driving conditions, tire began losing air. Took to the tire dealer and no tire problem was found. Two weeks later tire would hold no air, returned to the tire dealer and they found that the wheel was cracked and would not allow the tire to hold air. I had to purchase a new wheel and a new tire since…”
Wheels · filed Mar 28, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEEL DENTING
Engineering Analysis EA02007 · opened May 31, 2002 · closed May 1, 2003
Technical service bulletins
103 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. The 10 most recent:
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 3rd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin provides instructions and material safety data sheets for removal of rap-film adhesive residue.
TSB-23-00-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin reviews the regulations that require a label showing the reduction in load carrying capacity be affixed to vehicles when the total net weight of accessories is more than 1.5 percent of…
TSB-23-00-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
This is a Dealer Letter sent to dealers informing that Mitsubishi Technical Training has launched the 2nd quarterly technician quiz for 2023.
DEALER LETTER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2023
This Technical Service Bulletin was sent to dealers to explain the difference between normal dew condensation, which is a natural phenomenon, and water penetration caused by improper sealing or a defective/broken part.
TSB-22-54-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2022
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT253 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2019
This is a Technical Service Bulletin sent to dealers. This bulletin supersedes TSB-18-00-003, issued April, 2018, to add updated information for Carrying Capacity Reduced Label.
TSB-19-00-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 30, 2019
This is a message sent to dealers, to inform them that an update for MEDIC will be available.
MEDICUpdate517 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT237 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2018
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 28, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.