2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
308 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse, alongside 5 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 (14 injured, 4 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 128 | 42% |
| Structure | 41 | 13% |
| Exterior Lighting | 25 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 21 | 7% |
| Visibility | 21 | 7% |
| Tires | 19 | 6% |
| Power Train | 17 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 13 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 11 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 11 | 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 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 45,120 and 99,000 miles), based on 105 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the turn signal and headlights failed. The contact stated that the high beam failed to operate correctly whether the vehicle was turned or not. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…”
Visibility · filed Aug 8, 2022
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that the upper strut tower was severely corroded. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or and independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…”
Suspension · filed Feb 10, 2021
“Also the person that did the sunvisor recall repair gave me a dirty and/ or used passenger side sun visor tether strap assembly. I was also charged 130 dollars for a miscellaneous diagnostic which states could not duplicate customers concern at this time and I would like to have that same 130 dollars refunded back to…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 29, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- HEADLIGHTS FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE05007 · opened Feb 10, 2005 · closed Jun 8, 2005
- ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEEL DENTING
Engineering Analysis EA02007 · opened May 31, 2002 · closed May 1, 2003
- ALLOY WHEEL DENTING AND FRACTURING
Preliminary Evaluation PE01044 · opened Dec 18, 2001 · closed May 31, 2002
Technical service bulletins
140 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse. 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 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse has 5 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 2000 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.