Most common 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems
Share of the 159 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mitsubishi Eclipse complaints by model year
Best Eclipse years: 2005, 2012, 2004. Years to avoid: 2000, 2001, 1997, 1995, 1996. Compare all years →
1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse recalls (4)
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the rubber boots on the lower lateral arm ball joints of the front suspension were damaged during assembly, dirt and water can intrude. Also, mmc has added the potential of leaking moisture, which can cause the ball stud to corrode.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the lower lateral arm ball joint for wear. Ball joints that exhibit wear beyond the established tolerance will be replaced with newly designed lateral arm ball joints.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the rubber boots on the lower lateral arm ball joints of the front suspension were damaged during assembly, dirt and water can intrude.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rubber boots, and if the boot is damaged, they will replace the lower lateral arm and ball joint on the affected vehicles.
Power train › Automatic transmission
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Lockup of the transfer case can occur due to insufficient lubrication.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles for adequacy of the transfer case oil volume, transfer case oil leakage, and operational degradation of the transfer case mechanism.
Fuel system, gasoline
The fuel tank gaskets for the fuel pump and/or gauge unit gasket could have been incorrectly installed allowing fuel or fumes to escape.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and if the gaskets are found to be leaking, replace the fuel tank, caps and gaskets.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse:
Transfer case leakage
The transfer case of the all wheel drive (AWD), Mitsubishi galant, allegedly leaks oil causing one or more wheels to lockup; or the inability to transmit engine power to the drive wheels.the vehicles have the same transfer case design as the eclipse vehicles which have been recalled for the same alleged defect.
Lower contrtol arm ball joint
There is no summary currently available
Transfer case lockup
Alleged drivetrain failure that can lead to lock-up of the rear or all wheels.
Transfer case lockup
What 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse owners say
Suspension all 27 →
While traveling down our street, my lower ball joint on my 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse gs failed. I was traveling approximately 30-35 MPH at the time of the failure. My vehicle pulled hard to the right before the failure. I did not realize what was happening at the time, so I corrected the pull by turning the wheel back to the left. Within seconds of correcting, the ball joint failed. My passenger side front tire was forced into the wheel well and very nearly torn off. The vehicle had to be towed to a local dealer to be repaired. My vehicle has been to the same dealer twice prior regarding the lbj recall. It upsets me to know that the dealer refused to replace them when the vehicle was inspected for the second time. However, I feel that the dealership in question was negligent in its inspection and did not perform the required inspection fully. …
Recall in November on ball joint, had auto co. Check, said it was no problem. Sunday when pulling away from curb, heard loud popping sound, got out and looked, didn't see anything wrong, went to back up, and ball joint broke, car crashed on to pavement. Left tire went into fender. This vehicle was used on normal paved roads only. Veh. Is 4 years old, 71,000 miles. Company is denying fault. Why recall in nov. On ball joints if there isn't a problem. This situation, with collapsing ball joint, could injury or kill someone. I am very lucky. Mitsubishi, who designed these ball joints for the Eclipse, are responsible for their design. This is very dangerous. I am extremely lucky that I wasn't killed or injured. The damage to my vehicle is severe. I called Mitsubishi, and explained that there was a recall, and they said since it was checked then it was alright. …
Brakes all 26 →
Constant pulsating of brakes when applying them. Took car to the dealership the 1st time and had the rotors replaced. Mitsubishi paid for 1/2 of the cost and I paid the rest. This was in 1998. The first time that I have the rotors replaced, the vibrating of the brake pedal came back within 2 weeks. Since then, I have replaced and/or turned down my rotors on my front wheels over 7 times. I do not ride my brakes either. I've had my rotors replaced by numerous garages. The rotors improved twice due to the recall of ball joints. When I had my car in the dealership for this recall and I drove the car home, the brake pedal did not pulsate for about 3 to 4 weeks after the recall was made good. I have spent so much money on having the rotors replaced. It's gotten to the point where I cannot keep spending hundreds of dollars on rotors. I just deal with the vibrating brakes at this times.
Consumer was sitting at a red light, foot depressed on the brake pedal vehicle jumped forward, hitting the leading car, foot was still on the brake pedal, vehicle continued to move forward, consumer, therefore, engaged the emergency parking brake to stop the vehicle. Consumer has contacted the dealer.
Engine & cooling all 26 →
Maintained regular oil changes and was notified that I had an oil leak in my engine. I saved enough money to have the head gasket replaced to fix the oil leak. The head gasket was replaced (new) in March of 2000. 4 months later my car started to smoke from the exhaust when standing still in traffic. I contacted the dealership about the problem because I thought that this was due to the work that they did. I was then informed that I need my value guides replaced. I was going to have this work done until I was informed that in order to replace the value guides in the engine, I must purchase another new head gasket. I asked why this was not inspected at the time that the head gasket was replaced. My answer was that I did not ask them to check the value guides. If this would of been corrected at this time, I would not be spending tons of money on oil for my vehicle. …
Car was idling at a very low RPM. I had the car serviced and was still idling very low. When coming to a stop, the car wanted to stall. Meaning the rpms dropped to zero and then the idle jumped extremely high for a few seconds. A few days later the car started to stall when stopping or going around turns at a very slow speed. I took the car to a dealership to have them hook the car up to a diagnostic machine. Nothing registered on the machine. Car did not stall for the dealer, but did stall for me every time after leaving the dealership or mechanics garage. I then paid more attention to when the car would stall. It would only stall or shut off during the very cold winters and every time it rained.... After two days or so after a rain, the car seemed to dry out and run fine. I later was told that the throttle bottle needs to be cleaned out. I had this done and the car improved. …
1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | FWD | 21 / 29 / 24 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 19 / 29 / 23 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 19 / 27 / 22 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 27 / 21 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 26 / 21 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 26 / 20 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse a good car?
Based on 159 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Eclipse rates use caution: 1.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Eclipse at the same age. It is one of the Eclipse 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 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
The suspension — 27 complaints, 17% of all complaints for this model year, most often about front › control arm › lower ball joint. Next are the brakes (26) and engine & cooling (26).
How many recalls does the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse have?
There are 4 recalls for the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse, the most recent from December 18, 2000 (lower ball joint). 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?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2005, 2012 and 2004. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2000, 2001, 1997, 1995 and 1996. See the full Mitsubishi Eclipse years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 89,000 miles; 14% 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.