1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The newest campaign is 98V069001. NHTSA received the report on 26 Mar 1998. The NHTSA record gives the component Power Train / Automatic Transmission. NHTSA has 46 complaints on file for this model year. 4 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 98V069001, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will inspect the vehicles for adequacy of the transfer case oil volume, transfer case oil leakage, and operational degradation of the transfer case mechanism. If oil volume is insufficient, the appropriate amount of oil will be added. If there is transfer case oil leakage, affected components will be replaced. If the transfer case shows operational degradation, the transfer case will be replaced.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 688,178 units in total.

98V06900126 Mar 1998Power Train / Automatic Transmission
95V10300424 May 1995Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
90V1060021 Jun 1990Visibility / Windshield
90V05600221 Mar 1990Visibility / Sun/Moon Roof Assembly
89V12800031 Jul 1989Electrical System / Wiring

98V069001Received 26 Mar 1998. 24,275 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Lockup of the transfer case can occur due to insufficient lubrication.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the vehicles for adequacy of the transfer case oil volume, transfer case oil leakage, and operational degradation of the transfer case mechanism. If oil volume is insufficient, the appropriate amount of oil will be added. If there is transfer case oil leakage, affected components will be replaced. If the transfer case shows operational degradation, the transfer case will be replaced.
Report filed by MITSUBISHI AMERICA. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Apr 1998.
95V103004Received 24 May 1995. 658,000 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The front safety belt buckle release buttons can break. These red plastic release buttons are marked "press." if a button breaks, pieces can fall into the buckle assembly causing the buckle to operate improperly.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The safety belts would not provide adequate protection to an occupant in a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners should promptly check the condition and operation of both front safety belt buckles and carefully inspect the red release button for any breaks or cracks. They should ensure that both buckles are operating properly by inserting each latch plate into its buckle, tugging on the belt to make sure the latch is securely locked, and then pressing the release button. The latch plate should pop out of the buckle when the button is pressed. If either release button shows a sign of breaking or cracking or if either buckle fails to operate properly, owners should promptly contact their authorized dealer to schedule an appointment to have the buckle replaced or repaired, free of charge. The manufacturer is developing a remedy designed to prevent failure of the buttons that are not currently broken.
Report filed by MITSUBISHI AMERICA. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 1 Nov 1995.
90V106002Received 1 Jun 1990. 26 units.
Visibility / Windshield
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Diluted primer may have been used on the windshield opening flanges prior to windshield glass installation which would not provide the retention required by FMVSS 212.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Windshields would not prevent ejection of vehicleoccupants during a vehicle crash, which causes serious injuries and fatalities.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace windshields, associated parts, and primer.
Report filed by MITSUBISHI AMERICA. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Jul 1990.
90V056002Received 21 Mar 1990. 367 units.
Visibility / Sun/Moon Roof Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Operation of sunroof in "non-standard" manner may cause male hinge disengagement from the roof hinge receiver.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The sunroof glass could detach from the roof and result in injury to occupants or persons in the vicinity, especially if this occurs while the vehicle is in motion.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace male hinge with a modified version to increase roof hinge receiver retention ability.
Report filed by MITSUBISHI AMERICA. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Apr 1990.
89V128000Received 31 Jul 1989. 5,510 units.
Electrical System / Wiring
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Wiring harness for the headlamps may break due to the stress created by the headlamp pop up devices.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Breakage of the wiring harness causes loss ofheadlamp illumination which could have a potential for an accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Headlamp wiring harness routing will be modified and damaged wires repaired.
Report filed by DIAMOND-STAR MOTORS. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 19 Sep 1989.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

46 complaints, 59 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse
All 1990 vehicles

1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1990 Eclipse	All 1990 vehicles	Eclipse, all years	Mentions
Power Train	457.6	86.1	135.1	27
Seat Belts	101.7	104.7	23.9	6
Engine and Engine Cooling	101.7	105.8	112.5	6
Electrical System	84.7	99.6	64.3	5
Visibility	50.8	33	44.3	3
Steering	50.8	40.2	33	3
Equipment	33.9	15.3	20.4	2
Exterior Lighting	33.9	17.7	31.7	2
Seats	16.9	22.1	12.6	1
Unknown or Other	16.9	14	22.6	1

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 13.

Complaints that report a crash: 3
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 4
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 17 Dec 2007

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1998, with 13 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
RQ98007	Recall query	TRANSFER CASE LEAKAGE	Power Train / Automatic Transmission	11 May 1998	28 Aug 1998	98V168001
EA98002	Engineering analysis	TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP	Wheels	30 Jan 1998	30 Apr 1998	98V069001
PE97040	Preliminary evaluation	TRANSFER CASE LOCKUP	Wheels	4 Sep 1997	30 Jan 1998
EA95004	Engineering analysis	TAKATA SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILURE	Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly	10 Mar 1995	1 Aug 1995	95V103004

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1990 Mitsubishi EclipseThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/mitsubishi/eclipse/1990/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: MITSUBISHI AMERICA

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse?: 688,178 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Mitsubishi Eclipse have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 30 recall campaigns for the Mitsubishi Eclipse, model years 1989 to 2009. 5 of them name the 1990 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse name most often?: Power Train: 27 of 59 component mentions, or 457.6 per 1,000. For all 1990 vehicles the figure is 86.1 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse open?: No. Each of the 4 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.