Mitsubishi Eclipse: which years to buy, and what breaks on them
Best and worst years of the Mitsubishi Eclipse
Of the 13 model years of the Mitsubishi Eclipse that carry enough owner reports to score, 1996 comes out best at 64 out of 100 and 2003 worst at 73. The scores rank each year against other cars of the same model year, so an older one is not penalised for having had longer to break.
2,046 owner reports across 17 model years, 819 of them carrying an odometer reading. 13 years carry enough reports to score.
The year to buy, and the year to avoid
Both figures are ranks against other vehicles of the same model year, so the two are comparable even when the years are a decade apart. Each links to that year's full report.
1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Best of 17 years on 220 owner reports, its own worst problem being control arm, ball joint or bushing failure. Evidence behind the score: high confidence.
2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Risk 73 of 100 from 158 reports, worst problem other powertrain problem.
High High confidence confidence
How much the year actually matters
The gap between the best and worst year is 9 points on a 100-point scale, which is small enough that the year is a weak reason to choose one of these over another. Service history will tell you more.
Across every year of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, owners have filed 2,046 reports with NHTSA. The 2000 accounts for the largest share at 380, which can mean a genuinely troublesome year or simply the year that sold best and has been on the road longest.
What tends to break across the Mitsubishi Eclipse
Taking the most-reported failure from each model year, the recurring problems on the Mitsubishi Eclipse are other brake problem (worst mode in 5 years), other wheel or tire problem (worst mode in 3 years) and other powertrain problem (worst mode in 2 years). A fault that heads the list in most years is characteristic of the design; one that heads a single year is usually a batch or a supplier.
Every model year, scored
Shorter is better, and the outlined row is the best year of the line. A year with too few reports to score is shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not the same as no problems.
| Year | Reports | Per 1,000 | Median report | Most reported problem | Recalls | Risk | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 220 | 2.2 | 85k | Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | 11 | 64 | High confidence |
| 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 185 | 3.6 | 103k | Other engine problem | 12 | 69 | High confidence |
| 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 174 | 3.4 | 81k | Other powertrain problem | 13 | 68 | High confidence |
| 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 150 | 2.9 | 72k | Other body or interior problem | 11 | 64 | High confidence |
| 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 380 | 6.7 | 76k | Other wheel or tire problem | 10 | 66 | High confidence |
| 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 287 | 6.2 | 44k | Other wheel or tire problem | 10 | 72 | High confidence |
| 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 84 | 4.0 | 51k | Other wheel or tire problem | 4 | 65 | High confidence |
| 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 158 | 7.5 | 39k | Other powertrain problem | 5 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 20 | 0.9 | 52k | Misfire or rough idle | 5 | 65 | Low confidence |
| 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 8 | 0.4 | 70k | Other electrical problem | 4 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 118 | 11.0 | 74k | Other brake problem | 4 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 122 | 11.4 | 80k | Other brake problem | 4 | 68 | High confidence |
| 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 83 | 7.8 | 72k | Other brake problem | 1 | 66 | High confidence |
| 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 44 | 4.1 | 67k | Other brake problem | 1 | 64 | Moderate confidence |
| 2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 1 | 0.0 | 79k | Other brake problem | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 1 | 0.0 | 15k | — | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 11 | 0.5 | 86k | Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
What each column means
Reports counts owner complaints filed with NHTSA against that model year. Filing is voluntary and unverified, so the count is a floor on how often something went wrong, never a census. It also rises with how many cars were sold, which is why the next column exists.
Per 1,000 divides those reports by an estimate of how many of that model year are on the road, so a common car and a rare one can be compared. The estimate comes from the vehicle counts in recall campaigns covering the same model year, which is the only per-model fleet figure published free of charge; where no recall covers a year, this column is blank rather than guessed.
Median report is the odometer reading at the midpoint of that year's reports: half of the readings owners gave were below it. It is a description of when problems get reported, not a prediction of when this car will break, and it needs at least eight readings before it is shown at all.
Risk is a 0–100 score combining how often reports arrive relative to fleet size, how serious they are, and how early they land, ranked against other vehicles of the same model year only. Confidence says how much evidence sits behind it: a low score on thin evidence is a shrug, not a clean bill of health. Both are defined in full on the methodology page.
Generations, and why the boundary matters
The Mitsubishi Eclipse splits into generations: 1996–1999 (best 1996, worst 1997), 2000–2005 (best 2002, worst 2003) and 2006–2012 (best 2009, worst 2006). Comparing years inside one generation is the fair comparison — same body, same engines, usually the same suppliers.
Generation boundaries here are inferred from the pattern of model years in the data rather than taken from manufacturer documentation, so they are occasionally a year out. Where a boundary matters to a purchase, check it against the build date on the car.
| Generation | Years | Best year | Worst year | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-1999 | 1996–1999 | 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse 64 | 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse 69 | 5 |
| 2000-2005 | 2000–2005 | 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse 65 | 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse 73 | 8 |
| 2006-2012 | 2006–2012 | 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse 64 | 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse 71 | 6 |
How to use this page
Use it to eliminate rather than to select. The years at the top of the risk column are the ones where enough owners reported enough serious failures to be worth avoiding when there is a choice; below that, the differences are smaller than the difference between a well-kept car and a neglected one.
Every figure comes from owner complaints filed with NHTSA and from recall records, both voluntary in the sense that nobody audits them for completeness. Counts are floors. The AtWhatMileage methodology page sets out each formula.
Questions this page answers
What is the best year for the Mitsubishi Eclipse?
Of the model years we can rate, 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse scores best at 64 out of 100, based on 220 owner reports. 2003 scores worst at 73.
Which years of the Mitsubishi Eclipse should you avoid?
2003 has the highest risk score in this model line at 73 out of 100. The scores compare each year against other vehicles of the same model year, so they are not affected by age alone.
How the generations are drawn. NHTSA does not publish generation boundaries, so ours are inferred from breaks in the recall and complaint record and from the model's own year range. They are close to the enthusiast consensus but not authoritative — if a boundary looks wrong for a car you know well, tell us and we will fix the table rather than argue with you.
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed