1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: December 14, 2016 · Filed: March 3, 2017

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 IN SEARCH OF A RECORD FOR WHO FILED THE SERVICE FOR THIS RECALL OR A CONFIRMATION THAT THIS ISSUE CAN BE "FIXED" ONCE AGAIN UNDER THE SAME RECALL.

Incident: November 26, 2016 · Filed: November 28, 2016

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 THE DEALER AND THE BANK. A LONG TIME AGO I HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE ARM BALL JOINTS BUT I PAID FOR THE REPAIR IN A MECHANIC WORKSHOP. *TR

Incident: January 20, 2016 · Filed: January 26, 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.

Incident: May 28, 2009 · Filed: January 21, 2010

SON DRIVING A ECLIPSE RAN OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A TREE GOING 55 MPH AND THE AIR BAGS NEVER CAME OUT RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF ONLY CHILD. *TR

Incident: June 1, 1997 · Filed: December 24, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IN 1997, THE VEHICLE'S SPEED HAS NOT EXCEEDED 35MPH. ON THREE OCCASIONS, A MECHANIC ADJUSTED THE TRANSMISSION TIMING; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATED THAT IT WAS BEST TO CRASH THE VEHICLE SINCE THE COST FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS EQUIVALENT TO A NEW VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

Incident: August 18, 2008 · Filed: August 20, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT 30 MPH, THE TURN SIGNAL BECAME STUCK. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, BUT THE TURN SIGNAL WAS STILL STUCK. THE DEALER STATED THAT A NEW TURN SIGNAL SWITCH NEEDED TO BE PURCHASED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 151,475.

Incident: October 25, 2007 · Filed: October 25, 2007

UNABLE TO FIND A SUITABLE BOOSTER SEAT FOR MY 5Y/O SON WEIGHING 45LBS THAT WILL REST IN THE DEEP SEATED CONTOURS OF THE REAR BUCKET SEATS FOR 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE . *JB

Incident: December 31, 2001 · Filed: June 20, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO THE CURB. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE FOGGY AND DAMP. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS LATER, THE VEHICLE JERKED TO THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM AND ROD ENDS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE LOWER BALL JOINT (RECALL # 00V421001). THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 130,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

Incident: April 6, 2006 · Filed: March 22, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GSX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE DETACHING FROM THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN RECALL # 00V421001 FOR SUSPENSION: LOWER BALL JOINTS. THE VEHICLE CONTAINED THE SAME BALL JOINTS FROM THE LAST RECALL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERABLE, BUT AT A HIGH RISK, AND FELT ANOTHER RECALL WAS NEEDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115000.*AK

Incident: June 23, 2006 · Filed: June 23, 2006

SQUEALING BELTS AT STARTUP, INCONSISTENT SMALL LEAKS OF COOLANT, HESITATION AT 2K RPM WERE ONLY PRE-CURSORS. OUT OF NOWHERE, WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, I LOOKED AT GAUGES FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON....NOTICED THE TEMPERATURE WAS RISING, EVENTUALLY GOING AS FAR AS IT COULD ABOVE H. SO I LOOK FOR SMOKE IN REAR VIEW....NOTHING. I TURN DOWN THE RADIO TO LISTEN FOR NOISES......NOTHING. EVERYTHING SEEMS FINE. HOPING THAT AIR THROUGH THE RADIATOR WOULD COOL THE ENGINE......NOT WORKING. I DECIDED I BETTER PULL OVER.....THE SECOND I SAFELY STOPPED, HUGE PUFFS OF WHITE SMOKE BILLOWED OUT THE HOOD EDGES. I JUMPED OUT, OPENED THE HOOD......HUGE CLOUDS OF SMOKE AND SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER, I THOUGHT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. ONCE THE SMOKE SETTLED, OIL COULD BE SEEN SPLATTERED ALL OVER THE ENGINE. TOW TRUCK COMES AND WHILE PUTTING ON FLATBED.....OIL DRAINED OUT LIKE A WATER FAUCET. FOUND OUT LATER FROM THE DEALER THAT OIL LINE BURST, CAUSING THE HEAD GASKETS TO BLOW AND MOST LIKELY DAMAGED TOTALED THE ENGINE. NEW ENGINE QUOTED AT $5000, USED 71,000 MILE ENGINE IN SOME SALVAGE YARD IN ALABAMA QUOTED AT $2-3000. NICE CHUNK OF MONEY AND THE ENGINE STILL NEEDS TO BE SHIPPED AND INSTALLED. WHAT A DEAL? I ACTUALLY SPOKE HIGHLY ABOUT MITSUBISHI'S IN THE PAST, BUT NOW I'M HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS. TOO BAD MITSUBISHI COMPANY HAS SUCH A BAD HISTORY OF FAILURES, RECALLS, AND POOR REPAIR SERVICE. I WAS ACTUALLY THINKING OF BUYING A 2006 ECLIPSE........NOT ANY MORE. I'LL MISS MY 97 ECLIPSE......IT WAS PRETTY GOOD TO ME, BUT THIS RECENT EVENT WITH NO WARNING, DID ME IN AND IT IS JUST WRONG THAT I HAVE READ SIMILAR INCIDENTS ON THE INTERNET AND MITSUBISHI DOES NOTHING. TIME FOR AN AMERICAN CAR...............TOO BAD WE DON'T HAVE THE SENSE TO MAKE OIL AND GAS-FREE VEHICLES THOUGH.......THE TECHNOLOGY IS THERE. OH WELL......I GUESS I BETTER START FIGURING OUT HOW I AM GOING TO GET TO WORK ON MONDAY. *JB