Mitsubishi / Eclipse / 2001
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems
Owners have filed 287 complaints about the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse with NHTSA. Wheels account for 26.1% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of structure at 8.7%.
Complaints287
Crashes33
Fires10
Injuries17
Deaths3
What owners report breaking
Wheels 26.1% · 75
Structure 8.7% · 25
Air bags 8.4% · 24
Power train 7.3% · 21
Exterior lighting 7.0% · 20
Electrical system 7.0% · 20
Visibility 5.6% · 16
Engine and engine cooling 4.9% · 14
Severity
Of those complaints, 33 describe a crash, 10 describe a fire, 17 report an injury and 3 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 10 model years of the Mitsubishi Eclipse in this data, 2001 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 1995 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 12 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 44,470 miles.
In owners' own words
I have 17 inch alluminum wheels on a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt. Under normal driving rims bend and tires loose air resulting in weaken tires and bloww out under norma driving conditions. Not safe. Must check tire pressure daily. Metal used is soft and allows space between ties and rims. Tires fail. One tire blew on highway due to sidewall failure potential safety problem to me and public. Rims are too soft. Wheels · reported at 20,000 miles
I read the news story on the website for 7 on your side about the defectiveness of the metal alloy rims for the '1997 through 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse rims and wanted to go on record with you as having problems with the same rims on my Eclipse. Not only are they a cause of much headache and financial drain ion thier owners but also they are a safety hazard and this should be rectified. Wheels
Normal road conditions lead to my wheel rim cracking and requiring a new rim. This failure may have caused a severe accident if I was traveling at high speed, luckily I was only traveling at 25 mph when the failure occurred, leaving the car disabled. New rims are very costly with added repair costs ($686). Further the spare tire does not fit the front of the car? How is this legal? Wheels
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…