1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
159 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
8 complaints report injuries (10 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 27 | 17% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 26 | 16% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 24 | 15% |
| Air Bags | 17 | 11% |
| Power Train | 16 | 10% |
| Structure | 11 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 6% |
| Steering | 9 | 6% |
| Tires | 6 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 89,200 miles (middle 50% between 71,250 and 120,000 miles), based on 21 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled and the rear wheels seized. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transfer case was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated…”
Power Train · filed May 4, 2017
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the transfer case suddenly stalled and locked all four wheels; he was unable to get the vehicle to move. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who informed the contact that he needed to replace transfer case and that…”
Power Train · filed Dec 27, 2010
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle began to exhibit an abnormal vibration and it made an unusual noise. The contact drove onto the emergency lane and upon further inspection, found that the front drive shaft had fractured from the transfer case. The vehicle…”
Power Train · filed Jun 1, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- LOWER CONTRTOL ARM BALL JOINT
Recall Query RQ00015 · opened Aug 2, 2000 · closed Apr 20, 2001 · led to recall 99V066004
- TRANSFER CASE LEAKAGE
Recall Query RQ98007 · opened May 11, 1998 · closed Aug 28, 1998 · led to recall 98V168002
- TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP
Engineering Analysis EA98002 · opened Jan 30, 1998 · closed Apr 30, 1998 · led to recall 98V069002
- TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP
Preliminary Evaluation PE97040 · opened Sep 4, 1997 · closed Jan 30, 1998
Technical service bulletins
82 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The 10 most recent:
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 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
This TSB contains troubleshooting steps for diagnosis of various customer complaints relating to the audio system speakers in Mitsubishi vehicles equipped with original equipment audio components.
TSB-15-54-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2015
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 22, 2015
This is an index of Tech Talk newsletter articles released in 2012.
TTIndex12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2013
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT195 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2013
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT194 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 6, 2013
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 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 89,200 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.