The 1998 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 21 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
5
EQUIPMENT
2
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
2
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
1
POWER TRAIN
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
1
Total complaints21
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Flex plate broke”
“Flex plate broke”
“The spyder gs has always leaked from the soft top seals specially from the top right passenger side. It is a very common issue in the 2nd generation spyder gs which im suprised it has never been a recall for the weather stripping. Dealership charges 300 for the weatherstripping and they still leak…”
“I purchased my car new in february 1998. After 9 years I only have 43,000 miles on the car. I live in southern california so there is no extreme temperature changes which might have caused the door handle to be compromised, nor abuse as I see others are being told by service shops. I did not…”
“Both my handles broke off, the drivers side arm rest,( where the buttons for the windows are), fell off and into the cavity below. The convertible top leaks badly along the point where the top meets the car windshield,windows,and back window. Very upset that there are many people with same problem…”
“Both my handles broke off, the drivers side arm rest,( where the buttons for the windows are), fell off and into the cavity below. The convertible top leaks badly along the point where the top meets the car windshield,windows,and back window. Very upset that there are many people with same problem…”
“Both my handles broke off, the drivers side arm rest,( where the buttons for the windows are), fell off and into the cavity below. The convertible top leaks badly along the point where the top meets the car windshield,windows,and back window. Very upset that there are many people with same problem…”
“The convertible top motors have gone out again. I have had the motors serviced several time over 4 times in two years. Apparnetly the gear pins break within the motors and cause them to fail. I cannot open nor close my convertible top.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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