The 1999 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 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. 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
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
1
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
1
WHEELS
1
Total complaints11
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Transmission sticking between 40-60 miles per hour at 3000 rpms and has a problem shifting down causing the "service engine soon" light to come on. The problem happens on the same 2 roads in the same exact spot. I had the pulse generators in the transmission replaced and one week later it was…”
“I purchased a 1999 mitsubishi eclipse spyder convertible 6-15-06. After driving the car 3 months the "service engine soon" light came on. I was out of town so took to nearest car repair station. They reset light & rcvd code p1750. When I rtnd home I took it in for service & to reset the check…”
“I purchased a used 1999 mitsubishi eclipse spyder in aug 2006. The first time I drove it the service engine soon light came on. I took to a shop, they found nothing wrong & reset the button. When I returned home the ses light was on again & I took to transmission shop to see why?they found…”
“Normal driving conditions on 1999 eclipse gs spyder have lead to the bending of rims on 2 our of 4 wheels. Excessive vibration and unable to pass pa state inspection. Wheels will need to be replaced in order to maintain "legal" registration in pa state.”
“Lower ball joints. *jb”
“I went out to start my 1999 eclipse spyder and the drive belt came off. Took the car to a dealer was informed that the harmonic balancer had broken off. *jb”
“Main bearing failure @ 65,000 miles. Dealership would not replace, or repair. This is a common problem with this model. I am on my 2nd motor with the same problem.*ak”
“Convertible top links bent, rear window stitching failure. Top will not go down due to previous. Just happened overnight. One day it wasn't there, the next the links were bent. Dealer states this is just normal wear & tear and the links bent are the most common problem with this 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 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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