IllustrationTHE TRANSMISSION IS MAKING A WHINING NOISE. IT HAS NO POWER WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP AND DOES NOT GAIN ANY SPEED. BOTH TIMES COMPUTER FAILED I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART.
1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 49.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Eclipse years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 5 of 49 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
49 reportsWHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO FASTER, AND TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN REPLACED BEFORE. *AK THE OWNER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACE THREE TIMES AND THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE LOOKED IT. *YH
DEALER REFUSED TO HONOR RECALL BECAUSE CONSUMER REFUSED TO ALLOW THEM TO DO EXTRA WORK WHICH WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. CONSUMER INFORMED DEALER ALL HE WANTED THEM TO DO WAS WHAT IT SAID IN THE MANUFACTURER'S RECALL NOTICE. *AK
VEHICLE LEAKS OIL ON DRIVEWAY AT ALL TIME. DEALER HAS REPAIRED VEHICLE, BUT PROBLEM KEEPS RETURNING . MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATON. *AK
RECEIVED RECALL #98069001. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. WAS INFORMED WORK WAS ALREADY DONE. CHECKED WITH ANOTHER DEALER & WORK WAS NOT DONE. TOLD OTHER DEALER TO INSPECT & COMPLETE RECALL ON VEHICLE. THE TRANSFER CASE WAS LEAKING BADLY. *AK
TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER UNDER RECALL. WAS INFORMED THE WORK ALREADY DONE. TOOK TO ANOTHER DEALER & WAS INFORMED WORK WAS NOT DONE. WAS TOLD BY PREVIOUS DEALER THAT BYJUST INSPECTING VEHICLE,HE COMPLETED RECALL WORK. ALSO, TRANSFER CASE IS LEAKING BADLY. MANUFACTURER IGNORED OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. OWNER IS UPSET & WOULD LIKE TO HA…
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TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER UNDER RECALL. WAS INFORMED THE WORK ALREADY DONE. TOOK TO ANOTHER DEALER & WAS INFORMED WORK WAS NOT DONE. WAS TOLD BY PREVIOUS DEALER THAT BYJUST INSPECTING VEHICLE,HE COMPLETED RECALL WORK. ALSO, TRANSFER CASE IS LEAKING BADLY. MANUFACTURER IGNORED OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. OWNER IS UPSET & WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE WORK DONE ON THE TRANSFER CASE. *AK
SHOULDER BELT REMAINS IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED. ALSO WHILE DRIVING BELT WILL SUDDENLY MOVE BACK TO THE FULL FORWARD POSITION. RECALL REPAIRED DELAYED DUE TO PART NOT BEING AVAILABLE.
BECAUSE OF A COMPUTER FAILURE, THE FUEL INJECTORS ARE STUCK IN THE FULL OPEN POSITION, EVEN AT IDLE. THIS IS CAUSING LIQUID GASOLINE TO FLOW OVER THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD, WHICH POSES AN IMMINENT FIRE RISK.
FROM THE FIRST DAY OF PURCHASE, THE LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) WINDOW HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY. THE WINDOW WILL ROLL DOWN, BUT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE, TO ROLL UP TO A CLOSED POSITION.
TRANSFER UNIT FAILED AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A STOPLIGHT. ROCKVILLE MITSUBISHI WAS NOTIFIED, BEFORE THE RECALL ON THE TRANSFER UNIT WAS ISSUED. THEY DETERMINED THE TRANSFER UNIT WAS BAD BUT COULDN'T REMOVE THE UNIT BECAUSE THE OUTPUT SHAFT WAS SEIZED TO THE TRANSMISSION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE DEALER IS TRYING TO BLAME THE PROB…
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TRANSFER UNIT FAILED AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A STOPLIGHT. ROCKVILLE MITSUBISHI WAS NOTIFIED, BEFORE THE RECALL ON THE TRANSFER UNIT WAS ISSUED. THEY DETERMINED THE TRANSFER UNIT WAS BAD BUT COULDN'T REMOVE THE UNIT BECAUSE THE OUTPUT SHAFT WAS SEIZED TO THE TRANSMISSION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE DEALER IS TRYING TO BLAME THE PROBLEM ON OPERATOR ERROR.
Official recalls
198V069001 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Mar 26, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. LOCKUP OF THE TRANSFER CASE CAN OCCUR DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
3RQ98007 · Transfer Case Leakage
Opened May 11, 1998 · Closed Aug 28, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission
THE TRANSFER CASE OF THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD), MITSUBISHI GALANT, ALLEGEDLY LEAKS OIL CAUSING ONE OR MORE WHEELS TO LOCKUP; OR THE INABILITY TO TRANSMIT ENGINE POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS.THE VEHICLES HAVE THE SAME TRANSFER CASE DESIGN AS THE ECLIPSE VEHICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE SAME ALLEGED DEFECT.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:automatic Transmission
THE TRANSFER CASE OF THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD), MITSUBISHI GALANT, ALLEGEDLY LEAKS OIL CAUSING ONE OR MORE WHEELS TO LOCKUP; OR THE INABILITY TO TRANSMIT ENGINE POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS.THE VEHICLES HAVE THE SAME TRANSFER CASE DESIGN AS THE ECLIPSE VEHICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE SAME ALLEGED DEFECT.
Power Train:automatic Transmission
THE TRANSFER CASE OF THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD), MITSUBISHI GALANT, ALLEGEDLY LEAKS OIL CAUSING ONE OR MORE WHEELS TO LOCKUP; OR THE INABILITY TO TRANSMIT ENGINE POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS.THE VEHICLES HAVE THE SAME TRANSFER CASE DESIGN AS THE ECLIPSE VEHICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE SAME ALLEGED DEFECT.
EA98002 · Transfer Case Lockup
Opened Jan 30, 1998 · Closed Apr 30, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Wheels
No summary supplied.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Wheels
Wheels
PE97040 · Transfer Case Lockup
Opened Sep 4, 1997 · Closed Jan 30, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Wheels
ALLEGED DRIVETRAIN FAILURE THAT CAN LEAD TO LOCK-UP OF THE REAR OR ALL WHEELS.