"How reliable is the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?"

"Based on 29 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder has a median complaint mileage of 56500 miles. The most common issue is WHEELS:RIM."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder is WHEELS:RIM, accounting for a significant portion of the 29 total complaints filed."

2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 29 complaints

Total Complaints

56,500mi

Median Mileage

WHEELS:RIM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

30,950 25th Percentile

56,500 Median Mileage

73,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

WHEELS:RIM

STRUCTURE

WHEELS

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

TIRES

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE BOOT COVER FOR THE CONVERTIBLE TOP BLEW OFF TWO TIMES ONTO THE HIGHWAY BEHIND ME ON A RECENT TRIP TO HOUSTON, TX. AFTER PASSING A U-HAUL AND NOTICING THAT THE BOOT COVER WAS ABOUT TO BLOW OFF AGAIN, I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY, REMOVED THE BOOT COVER AND PLACED IT IN THE TRUNK. THIS C..."

"REAR WINDOW BROKE AND FELL OUT WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY.*AK JB"

"MY "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON, THERE WAS A "MISS" IN THE ENGINE AND WHEN TESTED BY THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT I HAD A "BAD" SPARK PLUG SO DID A REPLACEMENT. I PICKED IT UP DROVE ABOUT 5 MILES AND THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP...."

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