1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse, 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.
12 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 28 | 22% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 21 | 16% |
| Air Bags | 18 | 14% |
| Suspension | 12 | 9% |
| Structure | 11 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 7% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 8 | 6% |
| 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%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 71,000 miles (middle 50% between 50,000 and 100,000 miles), based on 35 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“"takata recall" I have replaced my control arms about 4 times now in the past 2 years. I have it fixed and then the squeaking always comes back, last about 6 months and then lower ball joint breaks. Last time it broke I was going about 40mph, it was very scary. The picture I sent was taken on 7/28/14. The last time it…”
Suspension · filed Feb 26, 2016
“"takata recall" I have replaced my control arms about 4 times now in the past 2 years. I have it fixed and then the squeaking always comes back lasts about 6 months then the lower ball joint breaks. Last time it broke I was going about 40 mph, it was very scary. The picture I sent was taken on 7/28/2014. Though the…”
Suspension · filed Feb 26, 2016
“Battery discharges overnight and electroautos cannot find any electrical leakage but they suspect the starter system device (an oblong device that needs to be presented to a red light to get the starter to function). The battery has been changed several times but leakage continues. Due to age, no sensors are currently…”
Electrical System · filed Dec 9, 2015
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
68 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 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 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse 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 1998 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 71,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.