2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Mitsubishi › Eclipse Spyder › 2001
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
8 recalls name the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. Newest first.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus…
If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
MMNA will notify their owners, and Chrysler will notify the Chrysler and Dodge owners. Dealers will install a tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-15-005. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R30.
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the bilingual english/spanish removable air bag warning labels affixed to the dash and to the sunvisor do not meet the size requirements of the standard.
This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Mitsubishi caribbean will mail a customer notification letter containing a written description and a graphic of the bi-lingual dashboard air bag warning label. in addition, all current 2000-2004 nativa owners will also receive replacement air bag alert labels for the sun visors. this recall IS expected to begin during march or april 2005. the notification to the nativa owners IS expected to begin during april or may 2005. owners should contact mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. a bulge in the fuel tank caused by the manufacturing process resulted in thinning of the material during a welding operation, increasing the risk of fuel leakage.
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Dealers will replace the fuel tank assembly. owner notification began march 26, 2001. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. a hose was mis-manufactured and could weaken over time, which could result in leakage of the automatic transmission fluid.
Fluid leakage from the cooler hoses can cause transaxle driveability problems and smoke if the oil contacts the front exhaust pipe.
Dealers will replace the hose assembly for the automatic transmission oil cooler. owner notification mailing will be phased over a five-month period starting march 26, through july 23, 2001. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. a number of incorrect driver side seat mounting bolts were installed into vehicles.
The rear anchor bolts securing the driver's seat may not properly secure the seat and could increase the risk of driver injury in an accident.
Dealers will inspect the seat mounting bolts and then replace the bolts if necessary. owner notification began february 15, 2001. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mitsubishi at 1-800-222-0037.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the outer layer only of this 3-layer fuel return hose does not contain the desired ozone protection due to a processing error.
This hose IS considered to be inadequate.
Dealers will replace the fuel return hose.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the harness for the crankshaft position sensor could come in contact with a new protective shield causing a grounded circuit.
Prolonged wiring harness contact with the heat shield will cause the wiring insulation to wear and eventually to ground out. this could cause the engine to die-out, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will re-route the crankshaft position sensor harness.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. a nut in the steering gear assembly was not properly tightened, resulting in symptoms ranging from steering wheel vibration to stiff steering, and in the worst case, no ability to turn left.
A loss of steering control could increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the steering gear assembly if a loose nut connection IS found.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact stated that the transmission failed due to an internal spring fracturing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who rebuilt the transmission. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 01v011001 (power train). The dealer and manufacturer had been notified of the failure and indicated that there was no service campaign and recall to provide a solution. The failure mileage was not available.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a tune up and the failure codes for p0301, p0401, and the egr appeared. The codes were cleared, but the p0301 failure code reappeared. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle was later taken in for smog inspection and failed. The vehicle was diagnosed for egr failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician repaired the problem, however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to a dealer but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 315,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. While driving approximately 30 mph, the drivers side sun visor opened independently and struck the contact on the bridge of her nose, breaking her glasses. The contact pulled over and repositioned the sun visor back on the clips. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. The failure recurred on several occasions on the driver and passenger side sun visors. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that nhtsa campaign number: 15v338000 (air bags) did not include the driver side sun visor. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Was driving and as I was turning the steering wheel locked up. *tr
While driving from the highway on an off ramp at 50 mph, engine (rpm) started bogging down, then both front tires locked up to a screeching halt. I almost slide off the ramp and almost got rear ended by a semi truck behind me. Front tires were locked up, would not move out of the road and would not come out of gear. Had it towed to repair shop and was quoted $3,000 just to pull the transmission for diagnostics. Was told transmission failed and vehicle would not be worth the money to fix because front strut towers both were rusted. Had vehicle towed home and I will try to perform the repair myself. *tr
The fuel filler neck rusts severely around the passenger rear tire causing large amounts of fuel to leak on the ground and gasoline vapors to escape. The filler neck assembly IS constructed out of metal and includes a large tube/pipe for the fuel to enter the gas tank, as well as several other smaller metal pipes. The filler neck assembly extends from the filler door, which IS situated in the rear passenger quarter panel, down and across to the fuel tank which IS situated in the undercarriage. There IS a particular point where the pipes in the assembly make an approximately 45 degree bend, moving from a downward angle to an angle that IS more parallel with the ground. At this bend or elbow, the manufacturer placed a thick metal shield, presumably to protect a weak point. The shield bolts to the body of the car in four places and cups the fuel pipes in a semi-circle around the bend leaving an approximately one-half inch gap between the pipes and the shield. This shield and pipe assembly IS situated directly behind and slightly inboard of the rear passenger tire, however, it remains exposed. Because of the gap between the pipes and the shield, and because of the way the shield IS angled upwards, and because there IS no cover or other protective device to seal this gap, the shield collects dirt, debris, grease, and moisture. Presumably, the rear tire throws this foreign material around which then collects in the shield, builds up, and contacts the pipes, causing them to rust. Eventually the pipes rust completely through causing fuel to leak on the ground whenever the vehicle IS refueled. The holes in the pipes also allow gasoline vapors to escape and impairs the evap system. Despite the buildup and continual contact of foreign material in the shield, the shield itself did not rust at all creating a perfect collector to gather foreign material and cause the rust to form. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact stated that the vehicle was hesitant to start and exhibited an overpowering gasoline odor. When the vehicle was able to be started, it would sputter and stall sporadically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not determine what caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 127,000.
On the morning of march 3, 2011 I was involved in a wreck, slamming into a chevrolet cobalt which was later cited for failure to yield. I was driving a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse GT convertible at the posted speed of 45 mph. I slid approximately 8 feet before hitting the passenger side door of the cobalt. My airbags did not deploy at the time of the crash, or even afterward for that matter. The frame in the front IS bent significantly higher than its previous arrangement, and IS being found as a total loss. I plan on pursuing legal action because of the faulty making of this vehicle. *tr
The headlight plug burned the connection. This resulted in a substantial loss of light output/ no headlights. The plastic plug IS also melted, causing a concern for fire and appearing that a small fire may have happened. *Tr
On 2/21/10 early sunday morning I was driving on the freeway at approx. 55Mi/hr when my mitsubishi eclipse just stopped. it would not go forwards or backwards. there was no noise or sound of any kind to indicate something was wrong. I had to coast to the side of the freeway and sat there for 3 1/2 hrs for a tow truck. Car was taken to south park mitsubishi in bethel park. it was diagnosed as a total transmission failure and needed to be replaced. my car had only 57183 miles and I wanted the transmission rebuilt. they would not do that. I had the car towed to aamco. I read on line complaints about the transmission used in my car and also certain chrysler models with a defective "wave spring" that breaks suddenly and caused catastrophic failure in the transmission. I asked aamco to save all broken parts. The wave spring broke, went through the pump, and broke the gears just as described in the article "mitsubishi f4a51 automatic transmission hazard problem". this problem was well known by mitsubishi because the wave spring was redesigned but took no action to notify owners of the hazard that existed. By swapping out a rebuilt transmission, the mitsubishi dealer does not make the customer aware of the problem and just assumes the transmission went bad and needed replaced therefore not making the actual problem well known. I should have been notified of the problem and had the part replaced with the new designed wave spring. this action would have saved me a lot of money and not put myself and others in danger of harm or death. mitsubishi knew of the problem and did nothing, they need to take responsibility for their error and make other owners aware so that the problem can be resolved before someone gets killed. they can not stand behind their claim that the car IS out of warranty because this IS not a just wear and tear case. it IS a defect and I want other owners of cars with this defective part notified and my expenses reimbursed. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The contact stated that while driving at speeds of 50 mph, the transmission failed. He was able to move the vehicle off of the road and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the transmission was contaminated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure and current mileages were approximately 106,000.
Rims on 2001 mitsubishi eclipse weak, very carefully drove, had to replace one rim and others are all bent. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. After parking her vehicle, she was unable to restart it. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the harness for the crankshaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that the existing recall applied to 2.4 engines not 3.0. The contact stated that recall number 00v299001 does not stipulate the engine size. The failure mileage was 87,334. updated 5/26/09 *cn the consumer mentioned recall# 99v333001, but was told his/her vehicle was not included in the recall due to the manufactured date. Updated 05/28/09.*jb
The clutch IS wearing out fast, it seems every 1500 miles a new clutch IS needed, to me it the horsepower of the engine can only be brought to the road at the expense of excessive flywheel and clutch wear. *Tr
On my 2001 eclipse spyder, headlights began to go out, but moving wire connection on back of headlamps would correct the problem momentarily. The problem occurred more and more frequently, and one headlamp stopped functioning altogether, and now both went out on me while driving almost getting into a accident. When I checked the problem the headlight boxes that connect to the wires were melted and eventually burned off and broke. *tr
Vehicle stated clearly on window sticker that vehicle included a stainless steel exhaust system. The entire system IS now rusting. *tr
Body paint on hood and trunk are deteriorating to the point that there are huge white patches showing through the black paint. The vehicle has been washed and waxed at least once a month for the past 6 years. The paint was obviously defective when it was applied to the vehicle in the factory. I contacted mitsubishi and they declined to take action. *tr
I. The events leading up to the failure are: 1. I washed and waxed my car on a regular basis. 2. I drove my car on the highway at a speed of approximately 70 miles per hour. *tr II. Failure and its consequences: 1. The passenger side molding on the front windshield officially called the a pillar separated form the bolts which held it to the frame of the car and flew off striking and denting the passenger door. 2. The bolds that held this molding to the frame are still attached to the car showing that there was a breakdown of the adhesive material that originally held this part to the bolts. III. What was done to correct the failure? nothing 1. After going to the dealer, they contacted the factory representative, nothing was done. 2. After speaking to a customer service representative from mitsubishi motors of north america, nothing was done. 3. After writing to the president of mitsubishi motors of north america on september 24, 2007, I heard nothing. 4. On october 8, 2007, I sent a second letter to the president of mitsubishi motors of north america and members of the board of directors. I coincidentally received a call from the customer service representative from mitsubishi motors of north america the same day who said that my situation had been reviewed and the decision was the same. To do nothing. 5. I have written to the president again on october 10, 2007. As of today I have not heard from anyone. 6. To this day no one, including the factory representative, has inspected my vehicle to see what caused this failure.
I have a 2001 mits eclipse spyder convertible. I have had problems with leaks since I bought the car in 2005. Had it fixed once now the car leaks from all over into my floor boards front and back. My radio has malfunctioned. The car IS becoming undrivable due to the flooding. I have insurance which will not cover this and mitsubishi will not fix it without paying more than the car IS owed. *jb
One afternoon I got into my car and started it up, when suddenly I saw smoke arise from the front of my engine and smelled a sweet smell, but the smoke and smell soon dissipated, however I then noticed that my driver's side headlight was going dim and shortly thereafter I had no headlights! I am currently without headlights making it difficult to go to and from work. we have not tried to repair this ourselves because we did not know what the problem was. we checked the fuses and the bulbs which all seem to be normal. all the old parts are still on the car, however, the connector to the driver's side headlight had partially melted. *Tr
My wife and I were driving on the highway and the right molding on the front window flew off the car.(it IS called the a pillar.) it shot back, banging against the side of the car dented the door. When we got to our destination I looked and the bolts were still in the frame, but the molding was gone. The next day I went to the dealer (coconut creek mitsubishi in coconut creek, florida) to ask if this was normal. They of course said no. I asked what they would do to get it replaced. Their first response was to sell me a new one at a cost of $163.70 plus tax, but they would install it for free because they admitted that this should not happen. A week later I spoke to the service manager michael see at coconut creek mitsubishi and find out what the factory rep told him. Michael told me that john hackworth the factory rep said I'm not going to do anything. The factory rep never looked at the car or inspected the bolts to see why the molding flew off. He heard the age of the car and the mileage and that was the basis for his final decision. The story that michael see and the assistant manager of the dealership stanly anders keep telling me IS that the car IS six years old and has 95,000 miles on it and things break. First mr. Anders said that it was normal wear and tear. The fact that the factory rep never called to look at the vehicle and inspect the bolts to see what happened, in my opinion IS unacceptable. The fact that mitsubishi motors of north america has no influence over the decisions of a factory rep IS absurd. In addition, the dashboard IS slowly falling apart. The dashboard had approximately seven cracks in it when I purchased the car. The dealer said that this IS normal on convertibles and that they will not replace it. Your car, your problem we did more then enough for a used car. Today there are about eleven or twelve cracks and I suppose that one day it will just fall apart completely, but according to the dealer, that's normal. *Tr
Went off road, back left wheel cracked. *Jb
I was leaving my driveway and something popped and hit me in the right eye. after stopping car on the side of the street,i heard more popping sounds and a piece of the dash hit the windshield. After looking at the dash I found 4 cracks in the dash material, 2 of the vent grates had popped off. This could have caused me to have an accident if I was in a more congested area at the time. I have had to put tape onto the dash to keep from more pieces from hitting me or my occupants.
All chrome wheels have bent due to inferior manufacturing. *jb
TL* - the contact called regarding the 2001 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. the contact stated that while driving at 55 mph the support bolt came out. the vehicle started to vibrate and made noise. The check engine light turned on. the contact took the vehicle to a mitsubishi dealer, and the vehicle was diagnosed as needing a tune up. the contact was told the vehicle needed a new crank shaft sensor, that the one in the vehicle was worn out. the failure mileage was 100,000. the contact has not had the sensor replaced. *ak
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
See attached report.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.