Head-to-head reliability

Mitsubishi Eclipse vs FORD F 150

How the Mitsubishi Eclipse and FORD F 150 compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.

Mitsubishi Eclipse523 complaints · 24 recalls Fewer issues per year
FORD F 15011,157 complaints · 144 recalls

Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records

Which should you buy?

Mitsubishi Eclipse averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Mitsubishi Eclipse has 523 complaints and 24 recalls on record; FORD F 150 has 11,157 complaints and 144 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.

The numbers

Side-by-side NHTSA record

Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.

CategoryMitsubishi EclipseFORD F 150
Total complaintsAll model years combined523 Better11,157
Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns24 Better144
Crash reportsCrash-related complaints70 Better324
Complaints per yearAveraged across model years52.3 Better1115.7
Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints47 Better287
Reported deathsTied to owner complaints11

Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.

What actually goes wrong

The problems owners report

The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.

Mitsubishi Eclipse

  1. 01SERVICE BRAKES267
  2. 02STRUCTURE64
  3. 03AIR BAGS57
  4. 04HYDRAULIC44
  5. 05POWER TRAIN36
In owners' words — SERVICE BRAKES

MY 2008 ECLIPSE HAD AN OPEN RECALL ON ISSUES WITH ABS FOR OVER A YEAR. AFTER A YEAR I WAS FINALLY NOTIFIED THAT THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. AFTER MUCH HASSLE DEALING WITH THE LOCAL DEAL I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR REPAIR. THE SERVICE CENTER CLAIMED TO…

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V337000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) IN JULY OF 2015. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GOLDSTEIN MITSUBISHI (613 NEW LOUDON RD, LATHAM, NY 12110, (518) 69…

FORD F 150

  1. 01POWER TRAIN3,503
  2. 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,058
  3. 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,383
  4. 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,150
  5. 05ENGINE829
In owners' words — POWER TRAIN

I started noticing hard and delayed shifts from 7th into 8th gear. My RPM's were not increasing when this happened, and then on a very crowded major road I lost all power, vehicle shut off and drifted, then started up and jerked again very hard. This failure…

I am filing a safety complaint regarding the transmission in my 2019 Ford F-150 equipped with the 5.0L V8 and 10-speed automatic transmission. My vehicle currently has approximately 88,000 miles. The transmission began experiencing abnormal shifting, includin…

Official recalls

Safety recalls on record

Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.

Mitsubishi Eclipse — 24 recalls

Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
#15V338000Feb 2015

The defect: 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, 20…

The risk: If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.

The fix: 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 custom…

Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
#15V338000Feb 2015

The defect: 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, 20…

The risk: If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.

The fix: 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 custom…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — Control Unit/Module
#15V337000Feb 2015

The defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 20, 2005, to February 13, 2009, and 2007-2009 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured December 23, 2005, to February 13, 2009. Due to corrosion inside the antil-lock brake system…

The risk: A sudden reduction of braking performance may increase the risk of a crash.

The fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, flush and clean the ABS hydraulic unit using high grade brake fluid, free of charge. If the inspection shows that the valves may seize, the ABS unit will be replaced. The recall began on J…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — Control Unit/Module
#15V337000Feb 2015

The defect: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 20, 2005, to February 13, 2009, and 2007-2009 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured December 23, 2005, to February 13, 2009. Due to corrosion inside the antil-lock brake system…

The risk: A sudden reduction of braking performance may increase the risk of a crash.

The fix: MMNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, flush and clean the ABS hydraulic unit using high grade brake fluid, free of charge. If the inspection shows that the valves may seize, the ABS unit will be replaced. The recall began on J…

FORD F 150 — 144 recalls

Exterior Lighting — Headlights
#20V097000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from…

The risk: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.

Electrical System — 12v/24v/48v Battery — Cables
#19V805000Dec 2019

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 F-150 vehicles. The fastener securing the Power Distribution Box (PDB) 12V cable and Battery Monitoring System (BMS) eyelets to the positive battery terminal may loosen and affect the vehicle's systems such as instrument panel displays and br…

The risk: Inoperative vehicle systems or an engine stall can increase the risk of a crash. Reduced braking and steering efforts increases the risk of a crash. This condition could also create a resistive short, increasing the risk of a fire.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the positive battery cable/BMS/PDB joint for excess sealant adhesive and remove any excessive adhesive, reassemble the joint, and retorque the fastener, as necessary, free of charge. The re…

Engine
#18V894000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causin…

The risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford…

Seats — Front Assembly — Recliner
#19V633000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also…

The risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's num…

Check the actual car

Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.

Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Mitsubishi Eclipse or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.

Go deeper

Full reliability reports

Mitsubishi Eclipse vs FORD F 150 — comparison facts
Comparison
Mitsubishi Eclipse vs FORD F 150
Mitsubishi Eclipse total complaints
523
FORD F 150 total complaints
11,157
Mitsubishi Eclipse total recalls
24
FORD F 150 total recalls
144
Mitsubishi Eclipse avg complaints/year
52.3
FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
1115.7
More reliable overall
Mitsubishi Eclipse
Mitsubishi Eclipse top complaint area
SERVICE BRAKES
FORD F 150 top complaint area
POWER TRAIN