2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse

No clear pattern

23.4% of complaints about the 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2003 vehicle, but with only 154 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is structure (32 complaints), typically at 4.7 yr or about 49,500 miles.

Complaints: 154
Median age at failure: 3.2 yr
Median mileage: 40,000 n=96
Crash / fire / tow: 15.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 5

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

15V338000 2015-06-02

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 22, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach.

If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.

06E060000 2006-06-29

Exterior lighting

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 REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."

LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH

06E026000 2006-03-23

Exterior lighting

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 SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

04V428000 2004-09-01

Equipment:other:labels

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE BILINGUAL ENGLISH/SPANISH REMOVABLE AIR BAG WARNING LABELS AFFIXED TO THE DASH AND TO THE SUNVISOR DO NOT MEET THE SIZE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

03V442000 2003-11-04

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL RETURN LINE HOSE FITTING ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP MAY BE RESTRICTED, CAUSING EXCESSIVE FUEL PRESSURE TO BUILD UP IN THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. EXCESSIVE FUEL PRESSURE MAY RESULT IN A LEAK IN THE FUEL RETURN HOSE.

FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Power train 20 mi 5 mo in service

MY 2003 ECLIPSE GT IS HARD TO DOWN SHIFT INTO 2ND AND 1ST. THE DEALER SAYS THIS IS NORMAL FOR THESE CARS. MY CAR ALSO GRINDS GOING INTO 3RD GEAR SOMETIMES.

Power train 6,800 mi 1.1 yr in service

SELECTING THE SECOND GEAR OF MY CAR OFTEN CAUSES UNDESIRABLE "GRINDING" AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN THAT GEAR BY USED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE POWER ON DEMAND AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF THE GEAR DOES NOT GO IN PROPERLY. *LA

Power train 12,000 mi 1.7 yr in service

THE CLUTCH FAILED AFTER ONLY 12,000 MILES. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE VEHICLE WAS HOT RODDED BUT THE DRIVER STATED THAT SHE WAS AN EXPERIENCED MANUAL TRANSMISSION DRIVER. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *NM

Structure mileage not reported 1.0 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 3 MPH AND MAKING A TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET, THE VEHICLE HIT A CURB WHICH CAUSED A DENT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE SITTING IN AN ENCLOSED BODY SHOP, THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED. *AK. THE CONSUMER HAD TWO EXPERTS LOOK AT THE WINDOW AND IN THEIR OPINION STATED IT WAS A DEFECT, THAT A WINDOW SHOULD NOT EXPLODED FROM HITTING A CURB AT SUCH LOW SPEED, BUT THE MITSUBISHI EXPERT STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE HIT THE CURB, IT TWISTED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE AND WAS PART OF A FENDER BENDER. *JB *JB

Other Eclipse model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Eclipse model years

How to read this