Most common 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder problems
Share of the 81 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder complaints by model year
Best Eclipse Spyder years: 2005, 1996, 2004. Years to avoid: 2001, 2002, 2007, 2003. Compare all years →
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder recalls (8)
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…
Remedy: MMNA will notify their owners, and Chrysler will notify the Chrysler and Dodge owners. Dealers will install a tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015.
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.
Remedy: Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A bulge in the fuel tank caused by the manufacturing process resulted in thinning of the material during a welding operation, increasing the risk of fuel leakage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank assembly. Owner notification began March 26, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Power train › Automatic transmission › Cooling unit and lines
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. A hose was mis-manufactured and could weaken over time, which could result in leakage of the automatic transmission fluid.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the hose assembly for the automatic transmission oil cooler. Owner notification mailing will be phased over a five-month period starting March 26, through July 23, 2001.
Seats
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A number of incorrect driver side seat mounting bolts were installed into vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the seat mounting bolts and then replace the bolts if necessary. Owner notification began February 15, 2001.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The outer layer only of this 3-layer fuel return hose does not contain the desired ozone protection due to a processing error.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel return hose.
Show 2 more recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The harness for the crankshaft position sensor could come in contact with a new protective shield causing a grounded circuit.
Remedy: Dealers will re-route the crankshaft position sensor harness.
Steering › Gear box (other than rack and pinion)
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A nut in the steering gear assembly was not properly tightened, resulting in symptoms ranging from steering wheel vibration to stiff steering, and in the worst case, no ability to turn left.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the steering gear assembly if a loose nut connection is found.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder:
Alloy wheel denting and fracturing
Aluminum alloy wheel denting
See attached report.
What 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder owners say
Wheels & tires all 37 →
Damaged alloy wheels on Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder (17 inch, 6 spoke). I read the postings from last year tonight on your site after I had my second experience with this problem. Last winter I hit a pothole and it completely split my rim. The vehicle maintained stability and I was able to limp back home (about a half mile) but the rim was cracked all the way to the spokes from the lip. Tonight (snowstorm in va/dc area) my wife dropped me off at the office and went shopping. On her way to pick me up the tire suddenly went flat. She was able to limp into a service station where she noticed the tire would not hold air so she had to change the tire in snow/ice/freezing temperatures. Upon further investigation, there were three large dents in the rim at the lip. This is the second rim I am going to have to replace and they are not cheap (about $350 each). …
Car has about 30000 miles, owner went out to look at car this morning and found that front passenger's side tire is completely flat and rim is severely dented. Owner does not recall hitting anything that would have dented rim. Front driver's side rim was minorly dented on pothole about six weeks ago, suspected to have caused slow leak in tire, but owner was not going to report until second rim dented without apparent cause. Two rims now need replaced; neither front tire holds air securely. Both rims visibly damaged, incurring financial expense and causing distress to owner because incident happened out of town on christmas morning the day before she was scheduled to make eight-hour return trip to columbus from philadelphia, rendering the car undrivable. Tires might also need replaced if damage to them has occured. …
Transmission & drivetrain
Left rear wheel hardware attaching the wheel, backing plate, brake calipers to rear axle failed. There were four attaching bolts that sheared off under stress of crash avoidance that caused the rear wheel to fall off and lose contro of the vehicle.
Since I purchased my car back in November of 2001, a 2001 Mitsubishi Spyder gt, I have had problems with my clutch slipping when starting in 1st gear, with extreme stuttering and shuttering of my vehicle and have informed my dealerships (woburn Mitsubishi woburn, ma and peter fuller-watertown ma) of the problems in writing. They all blow me off telling me that nothing could be wrong this early on, with so few miles on the car. Well the car is still stuttering, even has stalled out, even when giving plenty of gas. If this were to happen over train tracks, in the middle of an intersection, etc. I would be involved in a major accident threatening myself and my passenger(s). Because I have brought this up to the attention of my dealer before I even hit 10K, and have brought this up at each subsequent major vehicle service time, and I now have 38K on my warranty has expired with no help. …
Body & structure
I. The events leading up to the failure are: 1. I washed and waxed my car on a regular basis. 2. I drove my car on the highway at a speed of approximately 70 miles per hour. Ii. Failure and its consequences: 1. The passenger side molding on the front windshield officially called the a pillar separated form the bolts which held it to the frame of the car and flew off striking and denting the passenger door. 2. The bolds that held this molding to the frame are still attached to the car showing that there was a breakdown of the adhesive material that originally held this part to the bolts. III. What was done to correct the failure? Nothing 1. After going to the dealer, they contacted the factory representative, nothing was done. 2. After speaking to a customer service representative from Mitsubishi motors of north America, nothing was done. 3. …
Seals around the convertible top leak when driving in heavy rain. Water runs down into the dashboard and causes intermittent electrical problems such as dash lights turning on and off and radio/stereo/cd malfunction. The problem was repaired once by the dealer and the radio/cd unit replaced another time because of leak problems. Now the problem has returned with water on the dash and floorboards and the radio has again malfunctioned.
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 25 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 17 / 25 / 20 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder a good car?
Based on 81 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Eclipse Spyder rates avoid: 5.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the Eclipse Spyder at the same age. It is one of the Eclipse Spyder years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?
The wheels & tires — 37 complaints, 46% of all complaints for this model year, most often about rim. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (11) and body & structure (9).
How many recalls does the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder have?
There are 8 recalls for the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, the most recent from June 2, 2015 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2005, 1996 and 2004. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2003. See the full Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 42,000 miles; 53% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.