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 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Since I bought the car in 9/01 I have had over 20 flat tires, causing me to miss work getting stuck over the bridge. I have had to pay for 4 new rims and several tires because the rims seperate from the tire. I have had scratches appear around the drivers left side of the car which now move all the way to the license plate I was putting on the donut in 2002 and saw my strut was blown after several attempts with the dealership as to why my car shakes after hitting a bump they kept telling me I was hitting curbs when I said to them my strut is blown they tried blaming me and after several attempts they investigated and realized I had a manufactuers defect in my left drivers front tire. I said they should replace the front side of my bumper bacause of the scratches they refused. …
I was driving my 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse equipped with 17 inch alloy wheels, going about 30 miles per hour, when I heard a loud bang from the right front area. It was after dark and the car seemed to handle okay so I proceeded on but after a short distance I heard a similar bang. I pulled over and found that the right front wheel rim was greatly deformed and the tire knocked off the bead. I changed the tire and proceeded home without further incident. I inspected the road the following day in another vehicle and drove over the same rough spots and barely noticed them. There were no signifigant pot holes in the road. I believe that a wheel that will fail so easily is a hazard. If I had been traveling at highway speeds and struck a hole in the road I believe the tire would have gone flat immediately and control of the vehicle would have been lost.
While trying to avoid a spin out in heavy snow. I turned to into the curb to help stop my car. My wheel is aluminum spoke design. All the spokes fractured completely out of the wheel. The tire still had air. My wheel came off. My rotor hit the ground and busted. My dad who is a mechanic came out before the tow truck took my car off and he said he never seen anything like it. The same comment came from the tow truck driver and the service manager at Mitsubishi. My car is low and the only body damage was from when the wheel dropped off added to when the tow truck lifted my front end. I was already in antilock mode and not going very fast in heavy snow conditions. At the most I should only have gotten a flat or bent rim.
Not only do I have the aggrevation of bent rims and flat tires, and financial hardship on this, my left side of the car doesn't align to the right. Water leeks in on the left side. Sometimes the heater blows out cool air. The sunroof shakes when opening. I already had a manufacuters defect in my strut on the left side. I have sctraches on the left side fom the car scrapping the ground when I make a right hand turn. I had to have the cooling system replaced the first week I financed it.my hood won't open and my headlights fail causing me to dirve only with the fog lights. All these issues are the same and constant since I purchased this lemon.
While accelerating on an on ramp to get onto interstate 84 in connecticut, I hit a small pothole in the road and it majorly bent the wheel and caused the tire to come off of the wheel. This happened in the night and on a stretch of the highway that had no shoulder. I had to drive approximately a mile on this blown out tire and wheel to the next exit. The failure of this wheel cost me $350 (for the wheel) and another $150 (for the tire) plus labor charges. No mention of the problems with these wheels was mentioned when I took it to the dealer.
I own a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I have 54000 miles on this car. On April 16, 2003, I had my third flat tire (2 of them have been blow outs). All three (as told by Goodyear) were caused by bent rims. Two of the bends were very noticeable and each occurred with regular driving. I feel like I am driving on a time bomb. Even with minor bends, air releases from the tire. I check my pressure every week, but still to no avail. From other complaints I have read, this is a major problem that Mitsubishi appears to be ignoring.
Bent rims. Each rim on the vehicle has/was bent, possibly due to defect in the rim material. I avoid most potholes, so the bending was not caused by hitting large holes or large objects. The bend on the rim causes the air pressure to go down or a flat tire, which caused the vehicle to vear to the right or left. Also the tires are wearing very fast do to loss of pressure. Four new rims were purchased at the price of $1100, but the handling of the car has already been affected from the suspension to the brakes.
Tl*- the contact has a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt. The contact has a complaint about the alloy wheels on the vehicle. The contact's vehicles tires were balanced on 1/15/07 at that point the contact was notified that one of the allow wheels was slightly bent and May cause air to leak and the tire to be damaged. The contact wants to make a formal complaint to Mitsubishi in regards to this issue. There has been no tire failure to date. The consumer stated the rims are soft and they bend easily. Updated
I have 17 inch alluminum wheels on a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse gt. Under normal driving rims bend and tires loose air resulting in weaken tires and bloww out under norma driving conditions. Not safe. Must check tire pressure daily. Metal used is soft and allows space between ties and rims. Tires fail. One tire blew on highway due to sidewall failure potential safety problem to me and public. Rims are too soft.
Consumer took the vehicle into the dealership for inspection and was informed by the mechanic that all four rims were bent on the vehicle. The consumer stated that the vehicle had neither been driven off road nor hit any potholes. The rims bent during normal driving. The bends also affected the tires ( two tire failures) and the steering.
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 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
NHTSA has 77 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse, 37% of the model year's 209 complaints. The component named most often is rim (62 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2001 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 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 53% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 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.