5 years after buying vehicle, brake pedal would sporadically push all the way to the floor. Took me 3 years for someone to figure out what was wrong with spongy, whistling brakes. Abs hydraulic unit had grease caked under it, and the shop would not let me drive my car because it was too dangerous. Had ABS system replaced on my $, a year later a recall came out on the ABS hydraulic unit. Mitsubishi denied my claim for reimbursement because the place that fixed it failed to write on the form the reasons I came in to get it fixed. Apparently I'm going to have an $800 part replaced for no reason. Found on the federal safety agency the indicators of a bad part and the fact that it is documented my ABS light came on should be enough. Also, passenger side door: the automatic lock no longer works and there is no key hole on that side; could be a slight issue but is more annoying than anything and puts car at risk for theft.
Mitsubishi Eclipse spongy pedal problems
16 of the 2,133 owner complaints about the Mitsubishi Eclipse describe soft or spongy brake pedal, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 16
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 95,000
By model year
- 20082
- 200712
- 20062
Often reported together
What owners say
Slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting something and now the brakes are very spongy and need to pressed all the way down to stop. Also makes a noise when letting go of the pedal. Was sent a recall notice months ago and the parts still aren't available. Hoping it doesn't get any worse while mitsubishi plays around getting the parts to stop my car.
Brakes stopped working before a speed bump. Have been spongy and making puppy like sounds ever since when released.
I was pressing brakes when I suddenly got the bump driving from the hill and brake pedal became very soft and the car stopped braking until I pushed breaks very hard. Fortunately, I could avoid the collision with car in front of me before the lights. I pulled off the road to check brakes and I found the liquid leak under the car in the center. It didn't smell like fuel, my breaking fluid is at the maximum level, so I'm not sure what it is, it doesn't smell and has no color. So, car still can stop, but brake is spongy and I had to press pedal to the very down to start breaking. I figured out it's pretty common eclipse model problem (see forums http://club4g.org/board/problem-reports/31276-spongy-brake-pedal-whistle-release-2.html and http://club4g.org/board/problem-reports/86737-recall-updated-june-2015-a.html) and it may be related to the problem with ABS module. Later, I found out that mitsubishi made a recall on july 21, 2015 for antilock systems on eclipses 07 (see http://www.dealerrater.com/recalls/mitsubishi/eclipse/#y2007), code of recall: sr-15-004.
I was driving down the road when I was coming to a stop my brake would not stop me. When I push on the brakes you would hear a whistle sound. Cylinder and booster both replaced and pedal/brakes are still soft. After hit a bump, the brakes would go completely soft and required them to be pumped up. This happened several times. We replaced the master cylinder and booster after brake pedal would go all the way down with little stopping power. Replacing the master cylinder fixed that issue, but now the problem is exactly as described in the previous : brakes begin to engage, then go soft (spongy) for a bit, then re-engage. Braking power is significantly less than before.
I was driving the car normally fine and there was a small pot hole on the ground that I went over. I had my foot on the brakes while running over the pot hole and the pressure on the brakes were completely lost. It was a spongy feeling as the brakes were to the floor. The brakes had very little power and when let go had a whistling sound coming back up. I had to drive home while down shifting to lower gears because the brakes did not work.
I have had this issue 20 or more times in the past, I have owned my vehicle for 5 years, I have had the brakes replaced 3 times. Today I was driving about 60 miles an hour on a wet road. I had to suddenly hit the brakes, although I did not slam on them, and the anti lock brakes kicked in, then I lost all the brakes all together. I released the brakes immediately and drove to the right side of traffic to avoid a crash! As the car slowed on its own I had to slowly and repeatedly press the brakes, all pressure was lost to the brakes at this point and they felt spongy. I exited the freeway (full of traffic) and slowly pulled off the side of the road, while depressing the brakes I noted they felt inconsistent, they would either immediately brake or not at all, terrifying! This has happened in the past and last a few hours or days, I have to repeatedly pump the brakes as if there is air in the brake lines. There is also a hissing sound like many other ppl describe (might be coming from the pedal). The biggest shock is that this has not been recalled, when I take it in to be checked they always say the brakes look fine, with no other ideas and after a few days it just goes away until I hit the brakes again or run over a big speed bump. Please do a recall on this issue! I have read on other forums that this may be due to the master cylinder's internal seal breaking and leaking fluid into the booster and ruining it, although when calling the dealership they say that this is unlikely, so confused. Recall this issue! This is too common and terrifying. I do not trust my car!
I hit some ice and the anti lock brakes made a sound and the brakes went to the floor and now the brakes are spongy. This is not the first time this has happened to me. I found a web site called club g forum and there were dozens of other eclipse owners all experiencing the same problem as me. This is definitely a major defect and needs to be recalled before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.
Brake pedal became spongy and brakes are not responsive. With no warning the brakes will need to be pushed completely to the floor to stop the car. This will occur for anywhere from a day or two to a few weeks. Symptoms will disappear and occur roughly once every 2 or 3 months.
After a sudden stop due to pedestrian jay walker in the road, the brakes became almost irresponsive, the feeling is spongy and the pedal makes a whoooa sound when released. Now the pedal travels almost to the end before there is any brake response.. There no leaks or any other attributed to the sudden loss of response from the brakes, the car is very unsafe now and my mechanic says there is nothing wrong with the master cylinder, lines, air in the system and the pads are in good condition.. This car has become very unsafe to drive.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- What is wrong
- 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 (ABS) unit, one or more of the internal valves may seize. In a braking event that uses the ABS, a seized valve would increase brake pedal travel and reduce braking ability.
- Risk
- A sudden reduction of braking performance may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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 July 21, 2015. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1‑888‑648‑7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-15-004.
Recall number 15V337000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, one of four seals inside the master cylinder may have been installed improperly. As a result, the master cylinder may unexpectedly by-pass hydraulic braking force pressure and allow a longer than normal pedal stroke.
- Risk
- Should this condition occur, the braking distance required to stop the vehicle may increase and could lead to a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the master cylinder assembly free of charge. The recall began june 28, 2005. Owners may contact mitsubishi at 1‑888‑648‑7820.
Recall number 05V299000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles may have been fitted with a defective brake booster assembly.
- Risk
- The booster body could separate due to improper crimp joints, resulting in a total loss of brake system performance, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly free of charge. Owners were notified by telephone on may 24, 2005, to stop driving their vehicles and arrangements were made for a loaner vehicle. Owners may contact mitsubishi at 1‑800‑222‑0037.
Recall number 05V247000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- The headlamp support panel can develop a fatigue crack where the anti-lock brake system (ABS) hydraulic unit is attached, allowing the hydraulic unit to fall down.
- Risk
- Loss of braking can result if the ABS hydraulic unit falls. This can result in a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will connect the ABS hydraulic unit attachment point at a rigid portion of the headlamp support panel with a bracket and reinforce the headlamp support panel by adding a back plate.
Recall number 94V149002 · Recall details
Questions about the Mitsubishi Eclipse spongy pedal
Which Mitsubishi Eclipse years have soft or spongy brake pedal problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (12 complaints), 2006 (2 complaints) and 2008 (2 complaints).
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