2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE Complaints

NOTICED RECENTLY PURCHASED REAR TIRES WERE BALDING ON INSIDE CAMBER AND A NOISE WAS DETECTED WHEN ROUNDING CORNERS. WENT TO REPLACE TIRES AND THE MECHANIC "COULD NOT ALIGN THE CAR WITHIN MFGR SPECS". BROUGHT TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS ADVISED THE REAR BUSHINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SEEMS LIKE AND UNUSUAL REPAIR FOR A CAR OF ITS AGE AND MILEAGE. THE REPAIR IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED THIS WEEK. *NM

EXCESSIVE FOGGING OF INTERIOR WINDOWS AND FAILURE TO CLEAR UP HAVE RESULTING IN VERY UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR CHILDREN AND JUST MISSED GETTING HIT BY A TRACTOR TRAILER THE OTHER DAY. IN ADDITION THE SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE IS DISGUSTING! BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND SPENT NEARLY $600 TO REPAIR "O RINGS". DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT TO HAVE AS MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE WITHOUT HAVING THE MANUFACTURER PROPERLY ADDRESS THE ISSUE. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED OR SEVERELY INJURED SOONER OR LATER. I GUESS WE SHOULD WAIT FOR THAT TO HAPPEN BEFORE WE HEAR FROM NHTSA AND MITSUIBISHI. *NM

THE FIRST TIME MY 5 YEAR OLD SON DROVE IN THIS CAR, HE VOMITTED. EVERYTIME HE RIDES IN IT HE BECOMES NAUSEOUS. THE CAR'S WINDSHIELD FOGS UP AND A SICKLY SWEET SMELL COMES OUT OF THE VENTS. THE WINDSHIELD IS COVERED IN A PERMANENT HAZE. WE NOTICED THESE SYMPTOMS BUT HAD NOT GIVEN IT A SECOND THOUGHT SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW AND HAD NO REASON TO SUSPECT MAJOR PROBLEMS. THE CAR WAS RECENTLY IN THE SHOP FOR 1 WEEK, WHEN WE PICKED IT UP WE REALLY NOTICED THE SWEET SMELL AND ALERTED THE SHOP. AFTER INSPECTION THE SHOP DIAGNOZED IT AS A HEATER CORE PROBLEM, A LEAK THAT IS VAPORIZING AND CONDENSATING ON THE WINDSHIELDS. THE ANTI-FREEZE FUMES ARE NOXIOUS, AND AFTER SOME RESEARCH WE HAVE FOUND THAT MITSUBISHI HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS EVEN ISSUED 2 TSB ABOUT THE PROBLEM. MITSUBISHI FAILS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY FIXING THE CAR. BECAUSE OF THE NOXIOUS NATURE OF THE FUMES, THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON RECORD, MITSUBISHI SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL THESE CARS AND TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IF NHTSA REFUSES TO HELP ALL OF US WHO HAVE BEEN SCREWED BY ANOTHER LARGE CORPORATION, WHY AM I PAYING MY TAXES, SO THAT YOU CAN PROTECT CORPORATE INTERESTS LIKE ALL OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES? THE INCIDENT IS EVERYDAY. *JB

HEATER CORE HOSES LEAKED BY 34K MILES - SEEPING ANTI FREEZE INTO PASSENGER SIDE CARPET, SMELLING OF SYRUP, AND FOGGING UP WINDOWS WHEN THEY NEEDED TO BE DEFOGGED. ALSO, TIRES WERE NOISY FROM FIRST DRIVE. AT 36.5K MILES THEY ARE VERY BAD, VIBRATING ENTIRE CAR AND MAKING EXTREME ROAD NOISE. *NM

'02 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE; HEATER CORE FAILURE; 2ND OWNER EFF. 2/05; BOUGHT FROM SAME DEALER THAT LEASED TO 1 PERSON; FOUND MANY OTHER OWNERS SUFFERING SAME ISSUE ON GOOGLE TO SITE: HTTP://WWW.DIAMANTEOWNERS.COM/FORUM/INDEX.PHP?S=918C701E5465C87381CCAE0AA22C20A3&SHOWTOPIC=3615 I HAVE BEEN QUOTED $1200 BY 2 DEALERS AND $900 BY A MECHANIC/INDEPENDENT. THE DEALER THAT LEASED THE CAR TO '1ST OWNER' AND SOLD IT TO ME AT END OF LEASE TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON TWO DIAMANTES PER WEEK FOR HEATER CORE REPLACEMENT! WHY IS THERE NO RECALL YET??? THIS LEAK - PER BRAD/SALE AND SERVICE DEALER STATES THAT IF I FAIL TO FIX IMMEDIATELY - 10 HOURS OF LABOR - RADIATOR COOLANT WILL LEAK INTO PASSENGER FOOT WELL/FLOOD AND THE LEAKAGE GOES OVER MY COMPUTER THAT RUNS THE CAR! 2 REPAIRS A WEEK IS UNACCEPTABLE!!! PLEASE HELP!!! I HAVE A TODDLER AND TEENAGER RIDING DAILY WITH ME SMELLING THE RADIATOR FLUID THAT STEAMS INSIDE WINDSHIELD (CANNOT USE HEATER). THIS FOGGING OCCURS EVEN WHEN HEATER NOT IN USE (ALTHOUGH MUCH MILDER IN CONDENSATION). BOUGHT CAR IN MINT CONDITION -USED- AT SAME DEALERSHIP THAT ISSUED LEASE/ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE PERFORMED. I CANNOT AFFORD THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT THAT NEEDS FULL 'RECALL' STATUS - PLEASE HELP! P.S. PERSONALLY, I HAVE WANTED THIS CAR FOR 6 YEARS - TO HAVE THIS ISSUE, AND OBVIOUSLY JUST BEFORE A RECALL WILL / "*HAS** TO BE MADE IS SO TERRIBLY STRESSFUL AND DISAPPOINTING. *NM UPDATED 07/17/2012 *JS

HEATER CORE FAILURE - WINDSHIELD FOGGED UP SEVERELY, AND TURNING ON DEFROSTER MADE PROBLEM WORSE AS GASEOUS ETHYLENE GLYCOL WAS PUMPED DIRECTLY ONTO INTERIOR WINDSHIELD. VERY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS, AS WELL AS AIR QUALITY IN CAR CABIN WAS EXTREMELY PUNGENT W/EG FUMES. *NM

I PURCHASED A USED 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE IN AUGUST 2005. THE CAR HAD 45,000 MILES ON IT. IN OCTOBER WHEN I STARTED TO USE THE HEATER I COULD SMELL AN UNUSUAL SMELL INSIDE THE CAR. IN JANUARY OF 2006 MY BROTHER RODE IN THE CAR AND TOLD ME THE SMELL WAS ANTI-FREEZE. I WENT ON THE INTERNET AND INSTANTLY FOUND OUT THAT THIS MODEL CAR HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEATER CORE O-RINGS FAILING. THE SMELL IN THE CAR GOT REAL BAD REAL QUICK AND I HAD TO HAVE THE LEAKING O-RINGS REPAIRED. I WOULD GET SICK FROM THE SMELL AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE IT FIXED. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A MITSUBISHI DEALER AND HAD THE REPAIR DONE FOR $650.THE CAR HAD 48,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THE REPAIR WAS MADE. THAT IS ALOT OF MONEY FOR PROBLEM THAT MITSUBISHI SHOULD HAVE CORRECTED. *JB

COULD NOT CLEAR THE INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. SMELL LIKE ROTTEN EGGS WHEN I TURN ON THE HEATER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE LIGHTS INDICATOR ON BOTH THE N AND D WERE FLASHING. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTING WAS DIFFICULT. DEALER'S MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION RELAY HAD BEEN DAMAGED BY COOLANT LEAKING ONTO THE ECU FROM THE HEATER CORE. COOLANT WAS ALSO FOUND TO HAVE LEAKED UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE CARPETING. REPLACED THE HEATER CORE AND THE RELAY TO A TUNE OF $1,500 BILL. CAR HAS 50,000 MILES .DH. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE WINDOWS WOULD CONSTANTLY BE FOGGY. THE VEHICLE WAS SMOKING UNDER THE DASHBOARD. ALSO, COOLANT LEAKED INSIDE THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE DASHBOARD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED. THEY DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM TO BE THE HEATER CORE, IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.*AK

HEATER CORE LEAKING AND FOGGING UP WINDOWS. INHALING OF RADIATOR FLUID FUMES IS NOXIOUS. CAN NOT KEEP WINDOW CLEAN, IT'S GREASY, AND CAN'T SEE TO DRIVE WITHOUT WIPING OFF FILM. PASSENGER SIDE CARPET IS WET FROM RADIATOR FLUID AND I'M AFRAID SMELL WILL NOT GO AWAY. *JB