1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse engine and engine cooling problems
26 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse — 16% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I have researched this site and deduced that mitsubishi has produced a defective product in the 1996 mitsubishi eclipse re: defective head gasket and which leads to worn out valve seals . On july 29th 2005 the mitsubishi corporation sued its previous presidents and former executives for defect and…”
filed Aug 3, 2005
“(1) bought car used, it had a bad rear main seal. (2) car passes georgia emission inspection (3) replace rear main seal (4) now vehicle blows smoke while standing still in traffic. (5) repair of leaking valve cover gasket (6) still smoking while in gear (7) informed of valve seals being bad.. (8)…”
filed Aug 3, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
This is a service newsletter (Tech Talk) that was sent out to dealers.
TT218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 28, 2015
Engine and Engine Cooling problems in other Eclipse years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 Eclipse | 2 | 2% |
| 2003 Eclipse | 12 | 10% |
| 2002 Eclipse | 2 | 3% |
| 2001 Eclipse | 14 | 7% |
| 2000 Eclipse | 11 | 4% |
| 1999 Eclipse | 18 | 15% |
| 1998 Eclipse | 21 | 16% |
| 1997 Eclipse | 41 | 30% |
| 1995 Eclipse | 59 | 19% |
| 1994 Eclipse | 5 | 15% |
| 1993 Eclipse | 8 | 22% |
| 1992 Eclipse | 8 | 16% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.