2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems & reliability
73 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 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.
5 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse vehicles were involved in 5 fatal crashes with 8 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 → | 29 | 40% |
| Structure → | 15 | 21% |
| Tires | 6 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 7% |
| Power Train | 4 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 3% |
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 47,797 miles (middle 50% between 32,860 and 84,218 miles), based on 38 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi eclipse. The contact stated that upon refueling the vehicle, fuel leaked out through the fuel neck due to rust. The contact also stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 1, 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi eclipse. While in park, the contact noticed that there were multiple fractures across the dashboard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.”
Structure · filed Jul 29, 2015
“Caught fire over night while parked in my drive way. Woke up the following morning to find the dash board melted, windows smoked out, front windshield cracked and driver side door burnt. *tr”
Electrical System · filed Dec 10, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEEL DENTING
Engineering Analysis EA02007 · opened May 31, 2002 · closed May 1, 2003
Technical service bulletins
123 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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 47,797 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.