Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I purchased car in 2003 and within 6 months certain areas on the car the paint began to diminish. Taken to Mitsubishi for effected areas and they painted car on two different occasions, (the effected areas at that time) but when the rest of the car continued to diminish Mitsubishi refused to paint affected areas because car was out of warranty. I have seen several Mitsubishi's with the same problem, and I can't figure out why Mitsubishi doesn't paint the entire car at the first sign of this problem. The entire car is painted with this clear coat, so the entire car will eventually have this problem. However, Mitsubishi doesn't paint the entire vehicle all at once so that their customers will only go to the dealer the first time it happens, and will just pay out of their pockets when it happens again! This saves the greedy company money!
Both door handles fell off during normal operation. I can not get in my car. The dealership informed me the parts are 73.55 each and the labor would be 250 dollars. The cheap plastic fell off and they want me to buy more of it! This is not covered under warranty. I feel ripped off by Mitsubishi and will never buy another one. Oh and by the way my car doors dripped the same black tar substance other consumers have complained about. The dealership in charlotte nc did correct this problem w/ no charge.
Both door handles of my mistsubishi eclips 1999 have broken off and the passenger side was the first to go and I did not use that door 1/20 as much as the driver's side. Ihave replaced one... The driver's side, but I am very warey as it May break at any time and hence I will be locked out of my car. Hopefully not far from home.
Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to open the left front driver's side door, the door handle fractured without warning. Weeks later, while attempting to open the passenger side door, the door handle fractured as well. The dealer was alerted, but the vehicle was not inspected.
My car is leaking black sealing on both doors. The black sealant melts from somewhere inside the door plastic cover and comes out on the bottom. It hardens and looks like sticky tar. Tried to clean it, but it will not scrub off or scrape off cleanly. First time I saw little black spots, I brought it up to the dealership to ask if this would be a part of my warrenty coverage. I read my warrenty book many times and I couldn't find that type of defect any where listed. The guy told me that it's not covered under warrenty, and since the spots were so little, he told me to go home and clean it off and the spots won't come back. Next summer came around and it got worse. Now it looks like a bunch of glumped tar all over the bottom panel of the doors. I brought it back to the dealership and the service tech told me if I had brought it under warrenty, they could have repaired it at no charge. …
April 2010 while driving my vehicle a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse rs hatchback at approximately 20 miles per hour, the 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse rs hatchback suddenly loss control and crashed onto the roadway. I heard a loud noise and the car instantly loss use of control in steering and the car proceeded to leave the road onto a grassy median to my left side. I discovered the front control arm was lying on the roadway detached from the axel and tire. The front driver's side wheel was wedged at an angle between the frame and the disassembled parts of the car. I had the 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse towed home and replaced the faulty parts with another front control arm & lower ball joint purchased from auto zone. In 2011, the same vehicle a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse rs hatchback loses control while in motion at approximately 15 miles per hour, as I was turning left onto a two lane street. …
Mitsubishi said both doors need to be torn down and all the glue/insulation removed and recoated and it would take at least a week and expensive. My car can't be the only one this is happening to. I have to keep duct tape on the bottom of both doors to keep it from running into the car and outside of the car. I'm extemely upset. Dt
Both doors are leaking a glue like substance, and it is causing doors to stick. Consumer feels that in an accident consumer May not be able to exit vehicle. Consumer has contacted dealer 5 times, and each time dealer cleans off glue substance, then, within a week sticking starts again. Please provide any further information.
The car leaks water through the back of the vehicle. Trunk filled with water, spilled over divider between passenger compartment and hatch, travels up to drivers seat. Water present molded seats and floor. Rusted wiring. Ice formed and seperated components.
While consumers daughter was getting into automobile, she attempted to open door and both handles fell off. Consumer stated the temperature was very hot and the door handles just fell off, also the windows will not roll up.
Body complaints in other Eclipse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the body & structure of the 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, 20% of the model year's 120 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 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.