"How reliable is the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse?"

"Based on 220 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse has a median complaint mileage of 84600 miles. The most common issue is Frontal."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse is Frontal, accounting for a significant portion of the 220 total complaints filed."

1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 220 complaints

220

Total Complaints

84,600mi

Median Mileage

Frontal

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

75,082 25th Percentile

84,600 Median Mileage

120,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Frontal

Lower Ball Joint

Engine

Rotor

Gasoline

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Automatic Transmission

Vehicle Speed Control

Roof And Pillars

Foundation Components

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FAILURE OF THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL FREELY. TT"

"WHILE DRIVING THE POWER ASSIST BELT FELL OFF, RESULTING IN A POWER LOSS. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Lower Ball Joint 15 complaints

25th: 104,020 mi Median: 105,000 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 52 FL: 23 GA: 20 NC: 11 CT: 11 TX: 10 PA: 9 NJ: 7 VA: 7 KY: 7

Who Files Complaints?

45.5%

Original Owners

54.5%

Second+ Owners

Mitsubishi Eclipse — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	59	-	Column Shift	4
1991	65	140,000	Buckle Assembly	5
1992	65	70,500	Column Shift	8
1993	44	-	Automatic Transmission	2
1994	53	-	Automatic Transmission	8
1995	440	120,000	Gasoline	64
1997	185	103,000	Gasoline	30
1998	173	81,000	Frontal	23
1999	150	72,000	Automatic Transmission	10
2000	380	75,946	Rim	18
2001	287	44,470	Rim	33
2002	84	50,500	Rim	6
2003	158	38,973	Structure	18
2004	20	51,500	Air Bags	9
2006	118	73,750	Service Brakes	14
2007	122	79,540	Service Brakes	21
2008	82	73,823	Service Brakes	13
2009	44	67,035	Service Brakes	10

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28