Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Year 2000 - Mitsubishi Eclipse gt with 17" wheel option - factory equipped 17" wheel/tire option. Dents repeatedly when contact is made with a moderate or larger size road defect. Dented wheels leak air and cause considerable vibration at highway speeds due to out of balance situation dents cause. A wheel suddenly lost all pressure and the tire became unseated from the rim. Fortunately I was able to maintain control of the car because the incident happened at a relatively low speed. The rim struck the ground directly and was damaged where tire contacts wheel. I have seen a number of cars identical to mine and all of them have had at least one dented wheel (17" wheel option). All dents occur where the wheel meets the rim on the outer facing side of the rim. The inner rim does not bend, leading me to believe there is a design flaw. Rims dent at recommended tire pressures. …
I have 2 complaints. My wheels were also dented and fractured upon inspection and had visible wear to my tires. Two different garages had stated to go to the dealer and check on it. They of course said there was no problem and just to buy new rims at $385.00 each or tires. Of course, after buying tires a few times, I just bought after market rims. The second complaint, is I have had visible corrosion on the battery cables on my car for years and asked the dealer if there was a reason so much is gathering, they advised no. Well, I have replaced the battery and still am having the same problems such as: air conditioner goes out with the light blinking, car does not start, or while driving it will stall as well as run very sluggish. I have asked repeatedly if there is a problem and they stated not for my car, due to the date made. …
Shortly after leaving home on the morning of 8/1/04 I became aware that my front left tire was flat. After replacing the wheel with its spare I went to the tire dealership where I purchased the tires so that they could repair the leak. They informed me that the leak was caused by a bent wheel rim. Two of my wheel rims were bent. I was aware of this problem but until that day neither rim was bad enough to cause an air leak. One of the rims had become bent since soon after I purchased the car in March of 2000. These are the '10 spoke' 17" aluminum alloy rims that come with the 2000 Eclipse gt. As far as I know, no single event caused the various bends to occur. Over a period of many months I believe the bends became progressively worse until this failure occured. As a result of the incident that occured on 8/1/04, I purchased two rims to replace the two bent rims. …
I own a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse with stock 17" rims. In the last 4 years, I've experienced 4 flat tires and numerous bent rims from regular freeway and street driving. It appears that the stock 17" rims are too soft and have a tendency to bend easily. Each occurence forced me to repair the wheel and replace the flat tire. It has cost me over $2000 in repairs as well as an undetermined amount of lost wages from missing work due to lack of transportation. I feel that this is a factory defect and requires attention by the manufacturer.
Dt*: the vehicle had a 2 inch hole in the center of the rim which caused the tire to deflate. The manufacturer determined that the tire would have had to deflate first but the contact expressed the rim went out first due to the size of the hole in the rim in comparison to the small mark on the tire. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who was unable to determine the problem. The rim had blown outward toward the center of the rim. The consumer believed the rim was defective. Updated 08/29/06.
Tl*- the contact stated that while the contact was driving the 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt with 52000 failure mileage at 45 MPH the vehicle hit a pot hole and both passenger front and rear rims cracked , and the front and rear passenger tires instantly lost air pressure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the rims were replaced. The driver hit a pot hole on 2-27-07, and the front driver side tire lost air pressure. The contact will not take the vehicle to the dealer this time.
Multiple bent wheels on my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt. I replaced one wheel in 2002. Three others bent in April 2004 and one immediately lost all tire pressure requiring me to change to the spare on a dangerous interstate roadside. Manufacturer wanted $500 per wheel to replace. I replaced all 4 wheels with aftermarket wheels of the same size and weight for half the price and have had no more bent wheels!
Bent wheel rims on a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse which were caused by typical driving over normal roads. One wheel now fails to hold air pressure and needs to be replaced at a cost of approximately. $250 for a reconditioned unit. I am filing this claim because the damage was not caused by large potholes or serious impacts, and no tire damage occurred.
Driving my 2000 mitsubushi Eclipse gt with stock 17" rims and tires, I hit a relatively mild pothole which bent the rim. The rim was so badly damaged that it required replacement at my expense. The pothole was located in san juan capistrano, ca on the northbound i5 onramp from camino las ramblas. I have a picture of the rim in electronic format.
The 17 inch rims of my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse were consistantly and severly bent. Because of this my tires wore in an abnormal way. Before I knew this was a common issue with these rims, I replaced two rims and tires. After I found out this was a widespread problem I replaced all four rims with after market product with no further instances.
NHTSA investigations
Alloy wheel denting and fracturing
Aluminum alloy wheel denting
See attached report.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Eclipse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
NHTSA has 134 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse, 44% of the model year's 308 complaints. The component named most often is rim (93 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse, though it has 7 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 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.