"How reliable is the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse?"

"Based on 173 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse has a median complaint mileage of 81000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, accounting for a significant portion of the 173 total complaints filed."

1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 173 complaints

173

Total Complaints

81,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

50,000 25th Percentile

81,000 Median Mileage

100,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

TIRES

POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)

AIR BAGS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND IDLING FOR THREE TO FOUR MINUTES, THE ENGINE SURGES UP TO 6000 RPMS."

"CONSUMER DISPLEASED WITH VEHICLE TELEVISION ADVERTISING."

"SMOKE FROM MAIN WIRE UNDER DASH SHORTED OUT, CAUSE OF SHORTAGE WAS MAIN WIRE RUBBING AGAINST CLUTCH PEDAL. *AK"

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

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