The 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 567,432 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 23 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION00V4210012000-12-18567,432 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. THIS CAMPAIGN SUPERCEDES MMC'S PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN, SEE 99V-066.
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. BALL JOINTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE CLEANED AND A SPECIAL SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED TO PREVENT…
Complaints by component
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
POWER TRAIN
2
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY
2
AIR BAGS
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
1
EQUIPMENT
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
Total complaints23
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My car is a 1997 eclipse spyder automatic tranny 2.4l . There was issues with the transmission it was on lean mode, locked on 2nd gear and it could only go up to 40 miles per hr other wise the rpm were very high... *tr”
“Tire tread separation on passenger car tires. Brand = kumho line = ecsta asx size = 225/40/r18 dot # = yomx yc2f while driving down the road, my son noticed rubber chunks flying from the front end of his car. When he stopped to check things over, he found that the tread of one of the front tires…”
“The airbag cover on the passenger side is peeling off. I feel that if I tried to glue it or modify it in any way, this action could result in the airbag not deploying like it should and cause serious injury incase of an accident.”
“Coolant tank cracked leading to loss of overflow coolant and potential engine failure from overheating. Mitsubishi no longer makes a replacement part. *jb”
“Speed control issue, gas pedal sticking, car consistently idles between 1500 to 3000 rpms engine revving up and down while at a stop and while in park. Manual shift very stiff. *jb”
“1997 mitsubishi eclipse spyder catastrophic failure of clutch. The line that runs from the slave cylinder to the master cylinder has what appears to be a cut in the line 1mm from the connection to the master cylinder. I have now replaced this line six (6) times in two years. Failure usually occurs…”
“1997 mitsubishi eclipse spyder catastrophic failure of clutch. The line that runs from the slave cylinder to the master cylinder has what appears to be a cut in the line 1mm from the connection to the master cylinder. I have now replaced this line six (6) times in two years. Failure usually occurs…”
“Paint job defects. I have owned several mitsubishis vehicles in my family. All resulting in paint defects on the car. Only one has not, dealership said because there is a defect and that one vehicle not affected was made and painted in japan. Cost of repaint of vehicle is $1500 to $2500 depending…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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