1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
120 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 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.
4 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 3 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 | 25 | 21% |
| Structure | 24 | 20% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 18 | 15% |
| Steering | 13 | 11% |
| Suspension | 12 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 7% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 7 | 6% |
| Equipment | 6 | 5% |
| Wheels | 6 | 5% |
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 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 47,750 and 95,500 miles), based on 35 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving 45 mph, the steering wheel detached from the steering column. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over and had it towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the passenger side control…”
Steering · filed Mar 12, 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mitsubishi eclipse. While driving 45 mph, the steering wheel detached from the steering column. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over and towed to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the passenger side control arm, axle, and…”
Suspension · filed Mar 7, 2019
“April 2010 while driving my vehicle a 1999 mitsubishi eclipse rs hatchback at approximately 20 miles per hour, the 1999 mitsubishi eclipse rs hatchback suddenly loss control and crashed onto the roadway. I heard a loud noise and the car instantly loss use of control in steering and the car proceeded to leave the road…”
Structure · filed Sep 2, 2012
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
46 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 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 1999 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 1999 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 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.