MYRModel Year Report

1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse

◆ Worse than typical
1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse
RENDERED 2026-11-01T14:46:03.751Z

This year had 30% to 100% more complaints than this model's typical year.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

How is this computed?

Complaints
159
Recalls
11

Campaigns on file for 1996

Investigations
4

Opened by NHTSA

Top problem
Service brakes

21% of complaints

Complaints per year

1989: 2 complaints 1989 1990: 47 complaints 1991: 55 complaints 1992: 49 complaints 1992 1993: 37 complaints 1994: 35 complaints 1995: 307 complaints 1996: 159 complaints 1996 159 1997: 136 complaints 1998: 129 complaints 1999: 120 complaints 2000: 308 complaints 2001: 209 complaints 2001 2002: 73 complaints 2003: 124 complaints 2004: 14 complaints 2004 2005: 6 complaints 2006: 99 complaints 2007: 107 complaints 2007 2008: 71 complaints 2009: 42 complaints 2010: 1 complaint 2010 2011: 1 complaint 2012: 8 complaints
1989: 2 complaints 1989 1990: 47 complaints 1991: 55 complaints 1991 1992: 49 complaints 1993: 37 complaints 1993 1994: 35 complaints 1995: 307 complaints 1996: 159 complaints 1996 159 1997: 136 complaints 1998: 129 complaints 1999: 120 complaints 1999 2000: 308 complaints 2001: 209 complaints 2001 2002: 73 complaints 2003: 124 complaints 2003 2004: 14 complaints 2005: 6 complaints 2005 2006: 99 complaints 2007: 107 complaints 2007 2008: 71 complaints 2009: 42 complaints 2009 2010: 1 complaint 2011: 1 complaint 2011 2012: 8 complaints
1989: 2 complaints 1989 1990: 47 complaints 1990 1991: 55 complaints 1991 1992: 49 complaints 1992 1993: 37 complaints 1993 1994: 35 complaints 1994 1995: 307 complaints 1995 1996: 159 complaints 1996 159 1997: 136 complaints 1997 1998: 129 complaints 1998 1999: 120 complaints 1999 2000: 308 complaints 2000 2001: 209 complaints 2001 2002: 73 complaints 2002 2003: 124 complaints 2003 2004: 14 complaints 2004 2005: 6 complaints 2005 2006: 99 complaints 2006 2007: 107 complaints 2007 2008: 71 complaints 2008 2009: 42 complaints 2009 2010: 1 complaint 2010 2011: 1 complaint 2011 2012: 8 complaints 2012

1996: 159 complaints

View as data table
YearComplaints
19860
19870
19880
19892
199047
199155
199249
199337
199435
1995307
1996159
1997136
1998129
1999120
2000308
2001209
200273
2003124
200414
20056
200699
2007107
200871
200942
20101
20111
20128

Known problem areas

Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.

Service brakes

21% · 34 reports

Most commonly citing hydraulic and air.

CRASHINJURY

Engine and engine cooling

19% · 30 reports

Most commonly citing engine and gasoline.

FIRE

Suspension

18% · 29 reports

Most commonly citing lower ball joint and upper ball joint.

CRASHINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

While traveling down our street, my lower ball joint on my 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse gs failed. I was traveling approximately 30-35 MPH at the time of the failure. My vehicle pulled hard to the right before the failure.

NHTSA ODI report, 2004-01-13

I was driving about 70 on the interstate, I pulled off onto the access road. My car felt very unstable. I was coming down a hill into a very busy intersection, and I was easing through the intersection and my car fell upon its tire.

NHTSA ODI report, 2003-03-12

Power train

11% · 18 reports

Most commonly citing automatic transmission and manual transmission.

CRASH
Show complaint excerpts

My daughter and I were traveling between 60 &65 at 6:30AM May 21, 2002 when I noticed a loud noise coming from the bottom of the car, instantaneously the front wheels locked up and the car went into a spin.

NHTSA ODI report, 2002-09-17

Failure of the emergency parking brake caused the vehicle to roll freely. Tt

NHTSA ODI report, 1996-01-23

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the rear wheels seized. The failure occurred without warning.

NHTSA ODI report, 2017-05-04

Air bags

11% · 17 reports

Most commonly citing frontal.

CRASHINJURY

Safety timeline

11 recalls · 4 investigations · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

  1. ▮
    1996Complaint volume 159 complaints filed for this model year.
  2. R
    1996-08-21Fuel system, gasoline96V158001 The fuel tank gaskets for the fuel pump and/or gauge unit gasket could have been incorrectly installed allowing fuel or fumes to escape.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and if the gaskets are found to be leaking, replace the fuel tank, caps and gaskets.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  3. I
    1997-09-04Preliminary evaluationClosed 1998-01-30 Transfer case lockup
  4. I
    1998-01-30Engineering analysisClosed 1998-04-30 Transfer case lockup
  5. R
    1998-04-20Power train98V069001 Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Lockup of the transfer case can occur due to insufficient lubrication.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles for adequacy of the transfer case oil volume, transfer case oil leakage, and operational degradation of the transfer case mechanism. If oil volume is insufficient…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  6. I
    1998-05-11Recall queryClosed 1998-08-28 Transfer case leakage
  7. R
    1999-06-15Suspension99V066001 Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the rubber boots on the lower lateral arm ball joints of the front suspension were damaged during assembly, dirt and water can intrude.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rubber boots, and if the boot is damaged, they will replace the lower lateral arm and ball joint on the affected vehicles.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  8. I
    2000-08-02Recall queryClosed 2001-04-20 Lower contrtol arm ball joint
  9. R
    2001-04-02Suspension00V421001 Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the rubber boots on the lower lateral arm ball joints of the front suspension were damaged during assembly, dirt and water can intrude. Also, mmc has…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the lower lateral arm ball joint for wear. Ball joints that exhibit wear beyond the established tolerance will be replaced with newly designed lateral arm ball joints. Ball…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  10. R
    2006-04-03Exterior lighting06E026000 Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber…

    Remedy: Pro-a motors will notify owners and offer to repurchase the lamps. The recall began on April 3, 2006. Owners may contact pro-a motors at 323-838-2988.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  11. R
    2006-05-09Exterior lighting06E023000 Certain anzo combination headlamp assemblies sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles. Some combination lamps are not equipped with amber side reflectors which fail to…

    Remedy: Anzo will notify owners and replace the headlamps free of charge. The recall began May 9, 2006. Owners may contact anzo USA at 909-468-3688.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  12. R
    2006-07-01Exterior lighting06E049000 Certain ck motorsports combination headlights, clear corner, bumper, and side marker lights sold as replacement lamps for use on the passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are…

    Remedy: Ck motorsport will notify owners and replace the noncompliant lamps free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2006. Owners may contact ck motorsport at 1-909-610-7211.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  13. R
    2006-08-01Exterior lighting06E060000 Certain aai motorsports combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above list passenger vehicles. Combination lamps not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform with the…

    Remedy: Aai motorsports will notify owners and replace the lamps free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2006. Owners may contact aai motorsports at 909-923-9188.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  14. R
    2007-11-19Fuel system, gasoline07E055000 Certain airtex fuel pump module assemblies, p/n E7081H, sold for use as replacement equipment for the vehicles listed above. The wall of the flared fitting of the fuel pump is not thick enough to…

    Remedy: Airtex will notify owners and replace the fuel pumps free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during July 2007. Owners can contact airtex automotive at 800-880-3056.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  15. R
    2009-05-11Exterior lighting09E012000 Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

    Remedy: Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on May 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  16. R
    2009-07-28Exterior lighting09E025000 Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

    Remedy: Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on July 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.

    Check if this car was fixed →

Buy-smart checklist

1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

  • Service brakes: 34 reports on file for this year.
  • Engine and engine cooling: 30 reports on file for this year.
  • Suspension: 29 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

  • Recall 96V158001 · Fuel system, gasoline
  • Recall 98V069001 · Power train
  • Recall 99V066001 · Suspension
  • Recall 00V421001 · Suspension
  • Recall 06E026000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 06E023000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 06E049000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 06E060000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 07E055000 · Fuel system, gasoline
  • Recall 09E012000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 09E025000 · Exterior lighting
Inspected by ______________ Date ______________

Other years of this model

See all years ranked →

Best years3 years

Worst years3 years

FAQ

Is the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse is rated "worse than typical".
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
The most-reported component is service brakes, accounting for 21% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse have?
11 recalls on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-10-31 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.