1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
136 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 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.
11 complaints report injuries (16 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 41 | 30% |
| Power Train → | 22 | 16% |
| Suspension → | 16 | 12% |
| Air Bags → | 14 | 10% |
| Structure → | 10 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 7% |
| Wheels | 8 | 6% |
| Steering | 7 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 5% |
| Visibility | 7 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 19 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 22 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 98,500 miles (middle 50% between 80,000 and 124,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“This vehicle has a recall for the lower ball joint. After calling to set up an appointment to fix this issue the vehicle shows up as already serviced, which may have only been as little as an inspection that was done. The ball joint in this vehicle is currently failing and is extremely noticeable while driving. I am…”
Suspension · filed Mar 3, 2017
“I never received a recall alert from the dealer. Right now the dealer was sold to a new owner. I went to the dealer to buy a fender and my vin number does not appear in the mitsubishi computer system here in puerto rico either in usa. So I would like an advise. What I have to do. I have all the purchasing paper from…”
Suspension · filed Nov 28, 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving at any speed, the front end of the vehicle vibrated and veered to the right. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired under a recall in 2010, but was not repaired again. The vin was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.”
Suspension · filed Jan 26, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- TRANSFER CASE LEAKAGE
Recall Query RQ98007 · opened May 11, 1998 · closed Aug 28, 1998 · led to recall 98V168002
Technical service bulletins
81 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 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 1997 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 1997 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 98,500 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.