2002 Mitsubishi Diamante Engine Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 75 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE BUT THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A PASSENGER VAN. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE MISFIRES, NEEDED SPARK PLUGS, A FUEL PUMP, A FUEL INJECTOR, AN EGR VALVE, AND THE ENGINE SURGED ERRATICALLY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000. UPDATED 12/06/12*LJ UPDATED 12/6/2012 *JS

NHTSA ID

10478125

Incident

Jul 26, 2012

Mileage

140,000 mi

THE HEATER CORE IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THE WINDOWS IN THE CAR FOG UP SO BAD I COULDNT DRIVE THE CAR...HAD TO PULL OVER AND WIPE THE WINDOWS DOWN. BUT THE THING IS...I DIDNT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEMS WAS...UNTIL I REALIZED THE WINDOWS WERENT JUST BEING FOGGED BY THE COLD, ECT IT WAS A TOXIC MIST FROM A HEATER CORE PROBLEM...I PULLED OVER 2 TIMES BECAUSE I GOT SICK...I NOTICED A MIST COMING OUT OF THE VENTS....SO ALL IN ALL I CALLED MITSUBISHI AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS.THIS HEATER CORE PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS, SICKNESS, AND OTHE EXPENSIVE PROBLEMS IN THE CAR! THE FUMES ARE EXTREMELY TOXIC!!! THERE ARE 1000'S OF COMPLAINTS AND BLOGS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM...I'M SURE THERE ARE 100,000+ COMPLAINTS ABPOUT THIS PROBLEM. AND MITSUBISHI REFUSES TO HELP OR DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. I TOLD THEM, IS THIS GONNA TAKE A FATAL ACCIDENT FOR THEM TO DO SOMETHING?" THEY REPLIED, "IM NOT ANSWERING THAT!" I TOLD THEM THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THIS PROBLEM. THEY REPLIED, "SORRY BUT YOUR WARRANTY IS UP WE CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT." THIS HEATER CORE PROBLEMS LEADS TO FAULTY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, HAZERDOUS PROBLEMS, SICKNESS, INTERIOR OF THE CAR CAN BE RUINED BECAUSE ANITFREEZE LEAKS THROUGH THE DASH BOARD...WHERE MITSUBISHI PLACED THE HEATER CORE. MADE NO SENSE TO PLACE A HEATER CORE ABOVE THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. THEY REALLY MESSED UP HERE AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. I THINK THAT THE MEDIA SHOULD GET INVOLVED BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY WONT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IF SOMEONE DOESNT SPEAK UP! *TR

NHTSA ID

10369327

Incident

Nov 25, 2010

Mileage

91,000 mi

JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WITH A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE, I HAVE HAD HEATER CORE PROBLEMS. ANTIFREEZE LEAKING/SMELL AND WINDOWS FOGGING UP. COST TO REPAIR EXCEEDS $1000. IF EVERY ONE OF THESE VEHICLES HAS THIS SAME ISSUE, WHY HAS IT NEVER BEEN RECALLED? AND WHY DOES MITSUBISHI GET AWAY WITH ALL CARS HAVING THIS DEFECT? AND WHY HAS THIS INVESTIGATION NOT RESULTED IN ACTION? IS THERE ANOTHER AGENCY THAT CAN GET RECALL ACTION FROM MITSUBISHI? *TR

NHTSA ID

10339881

Incident

Aug 1, 2007

Mileage

80,000 mi

MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE 2002 HAS FAULTY O-RINGS AND IS WIDELY PUBLICIZED TO CAUSE MAJOR HEATER CORE PROBLEMS AND ANTI-FREEZE LEAKAGE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10329169

Incident

Apr 30, 2010

MY FRONT WINDSHIELD WAS FOGGING UP EVERY TIME I USED THE HEATER AND A SMELL OF COOLANT INSIDE MY CAR--NASTY FILM WAS LEFT, FOUND OUT IT WAS A HEATER CORE PROBLEM. SOMETIMES THE FOG WOULD TAKE 20 MINUTES TO CLEAR UP WITH DEFROSTER ON HIGHEST SETTINGS. THESE PROBLEMS ARE ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH MITSUBISHI DIAMANTES. I AM SURPRISED THAT THESE HAVE NEVER BEEN RECALLED FOR SAFETY REASONS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10296309

Incident

Sep 19, 2009

Mileage

60,000 mi

HEATER CORE AND O RINGS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10295039

Incident

Oct 15, 2009

Mileage

30,000 mi

OUR 2002 MITSUBISHIS DIAMANTE VR-X HAS BEEN MISTING FROM THE HEATER CORE FOR A FEW YEARS. THE PROBLEM IS BAD GASKETS (O-RINGS) THAT JOIN THE HEATER CORE WITH THE LINES FOR THE HEATER HOSES. THE HEATER CORE IS INSTALLED RIGHT OVER THE PCM UNIT. IF IT LEAKS BADLY ENOUGH, THE PCM AND TRANSMISSION RELAY WILL BE DESTROYED. IT (HEATER CORE) FAILED SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND WHEN WE WENT TO MITSUBISHI DEALER, THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT. THEY QUOTED US $1400.00 FOR REPAIRS. ON THE INTERNET, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT NO ONE HAS GOTTEN ANY SATISFACTION FROM MITSUBISHI. I PUT SOME RADIATOR STOP-LEAK IN AND THIS SEEMED TO HELP SOMEWHAT, BUT IT IS STARTING TO MIST AGAIN WITH ANTI-FREEZE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THIS IS A TOXIN AND IS DANGEROUS TO INHALE AND WILL JEOPARDIZE MY FAMILY'S HEALTH. *TR

NHTSA ID

10292547

Incident

Jul 1, 2005

Mileage

37,000 mi

MY 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE HAS O RING FAILURE IN THE HEATER COIL. I HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS THAT THIS IS COMMON ON THIS MODEL AND WOULD LIKE A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES DUE TO THE EXTREME NATURE OF THE ISSUE. WITH THE FAILURE OF THE O RINGS COME POTENTIAL ANTI FREEZE VAPORS ENTERING PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND CAUSING PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO ALL PASSENGERS. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE CAR TO OVERHEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND/OR DEATH. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE HEATING ELEMENT TO NO LONGER WORK AND PASSENGERS IN THE EXTREME WINTER CLIMATES MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PHYSICAL HARM OR DEATH. LASTLY, THIS IS A RAMPANT KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED AT DEALER COST. MY CAR COST ORIGINALLY $30,000. AND I WOULD EXPECT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT TO MAKE THESE COMPANIES BACK UP THE VEHICLES THEY ARE SELLING TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND MAKE THEM SAFE AND WORTH THE MONEY THAT IS SPENT ON THEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10279201

Incident

Aug 1, 2001

Mileage

78,000 mi

HEATER CORE LEAKS INTO CAR STEAMS UP WINDOWS AND LEAKS ON THE COMPUTER AND CHANGES THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10272391

Incident

Apr 11, 2006

Mileage

71,000 mi

THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL, OWN A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE. I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE ANTI-FREEZE SMELL AND THE SMOKE COMING THROUGH THE VENTS IS BECAUSE THE HEATER CORE HAS GONE BAD. THE QUOTE I RECEIVED WAS FOR $1100. MY ANTENNA JUST STOPPED WORKING ON ME ALSO. IT DOESN'T GO DOWN ANYMORE, BUT THE MOTOR STILL SOUNDS LIKE ITS WORKING. WE ARE ALL HAVING TOO MANY OF THE SAME PROBLEMS. THE COMPANY SHOULD BE LIABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10261387

Incident

Oct 1, 2008

IT HAPPENED OUT OF NO WHERE. NO SIGNS OR WARNINGS TO HELP PREVENT THIS PROBLEM. THE HEATER CORE LEAKS UNCONTROLLABLY. IT'S A LONG LABOR JOB AND HAPPENS PRETTY EARLY IN THE CARS LIFE SPANS. THE PARTS ARE CHEAP TO REPLACE BUT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE DRASTIC. *TR

NHTSA ID

10260351

Incident

Feb 25, 2009

Mileage

103,000 mi

WINDOWS FOGGED UP, SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE AND CARPET IS WET ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10260269

Incident

Feb 28, 2009

I HAVE A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES AND ALREADY I NEED TO REPLACE THE HEATER COIL. I GUESS THIS IS ON GOING PROBLEM WITH MITSUBISHI. *TR

NHTSA ID

10257278

Incident

Feb 2, 2009

Mileage

74,000 mi

THE HEATER CORE OF THE 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND/OR REDESIGNED BY MITSUBISHI. AS IT IS, JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE POST I SEE ONLINE ABOUT THIS CAR HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. THE HEATER IS POSITIONED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE CAR'S COMPUTER , OR ECU , AND THEREFORE CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, SUSPENSION, ETC.. THE ENTIRE 80-PAGE THREAD LINKED BELOW IS ALMOST COMPLETELY ABOUT THIS ISSUE : HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_76426.HTML THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE IT. THE ISSUE IS MENTIONED IN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS BY MITSUBISHI BUT IS NOT RECALLED. PEOPLE ARE BUYING THIS CAR USED AND HAVING TO REPLACE THE HEATER CORE (AROUND $1200 REPAIR). *TR

NHTSA ID

10251904

Incident

Nov 15, 2008

Mileage

95,000 mi

AT APPROX 60K (I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER) THE CAR BEGAN TO EMIT MIST FROM THE VENTS. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS A NEAR OVERHEATING EVENT WHICH CAUSED ME TO CHECK THE COOLANT. AFTER TOPPING OFF THE LEVEL THE CAR OPERATED NORMALLY FOR A FEW MONTHS AND THEN REPEATED THE BEHAVIOR. THE TCL WENT OFF, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE MIST GOT HEAVIER, AND THE CAR IS A DANGER TO BOTH MYSELF AS AN OPERATOR AND OTHERS ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE THE FOG FROM THE ANTIFREEZE DAMAGES VISIBILITY. THE FLOOR MAT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAS ALSO GATHERED MOISTURE FROM THE APPARENT LEAK. THIS SCENARIO IS WELL DOCUMENTED BY OTHERS AND DEMANDS A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10250921

Incident

Aug 30, 2008

Mileage

60,000 mi

HEATER CORE IS LEAKING CAR ONLY HAS 82,000K ON THE DASH. AS I HAVE GONE THROUGH VARIOUS CAR FORUMS AND HAVE COME TO REALIZE THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10249041

Incident

Sep 19, 2008

HEATER CORE FAILURE CAUSED FAILURE OF POWER CONTROL MODULE. TOTAL REPAIR BILL > $2,500. MITSUBISHI IS FULLY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND NEGLECTS TO EVEN INFORM CUSTOMERS THAT THERE ARE STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM BEFORE A COSTLY BREAKDOWN. DEFECTIVE PCM CAUSES SEVERE DRIVABLE PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10247127

Incident

Nov 15, 2007

AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES I STARTED TO SEE A VERY FINE MIST-LIKE SMOKE COMING FROM THE DASH WHILE DRIVING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. SO AFTER THE TEMP GAUGE STARTED TO GO UP AND I COULD ALSO SMELL ANTI-FREEZE. I CHECKED THE RADIATOR AREA AND COULD FIND NO LEAK BUT WHEN I CHECKED THE COOLANT IT WAS LOW. I TOPPED OFF THE COOLANT AND A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER IT DID THE SAME THING. I THEN ADDED STOP-LEAK AND THE COOLANT LEVEL SEEMS TO BE STAYING BUT I CAN STILL SMELL THE ANTI-FREEZE AND THE WINDOWS FOG UP. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH GASKETS ON THE HEATER CORE. I AM WORRIED THE COOLANT LEAKED INTO MY VEHICLE IN THE AREA OF THE ECM. TO ME, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND MITSUBISHI SHOULD BE CORRECTING THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS VERY COMMON FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ON-LINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10246942

Incident

Jan 1, 2007

Mileage

70,000 mi

I BOUGHT MY CAR USED FROM THE DEALERSHIP, AND DROVE ABOUT 200 MILES BEFORE I REALIZED THE ANTIFREEZE SMELL AS WELL AS MY WINDOWS BEGAN TO FOG. AFTER READING THE VAST AMOUNT OF HEATER CORE PROBLEMS IN THE MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE, I DECIDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT. ANTIFREEZE IN THE CAB OF THE CAR COLD LEAD TO HEALTH ISSUES AND THE CONSISTENT FOGGING OF THE WINDOWS CAN LEAD TO LITTLE TO NO VISIBILITY. THE WINDOWS WILL RANDOMLY BECOME INTENSELY GREASY WITH ANTIFREEZE BACKUP, THIS CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME WHEN I AM DRIVING. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT DUE TO MY VISIBILITY, AND AM GETTING MY EYES CHECKED OUT JUST INCASE THE ANTIFREEZE HAS AFFECTED THEM. THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ID

10246481

Incident

Aug 8, 2008

Mileage

77,000 mi

I BOUGHT A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE LS 10/3/07. HE HAD 53,000 MILES ON IT. IT NOW HAS ABOUT 75,000 MILES. MY PROBLEM IS THE SAME AS HUNDREDS OF OWNER OF THIS CAR. HEATER CORE ISSUES. I RECENTLY HAD THE HEATER CORE GASKETS REPLACED AS I WAS TOLD THAT THE HEATER CORE WAS OK, STILL HAD TO PAY FOR LABOR. IT IS NOW LEAKING AGAIN. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND SEEMS THAT MITSUBUSHI IS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THE HEATER CORE IS RIGHT ABOVE THE COMPUTER THAT RUNS THE CAR. WHEN THE HEATER CORE GOES BAD, ITS LEAKS ON THE COMPUTER. WHAT KIND OF SENSE DOES THAT MAKE? MY ENGINE LIGHT IS CONSTANTLY ON AND I HAVE SEEN THE TCL LIGHT COME ON AS WELL. I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND ALL 3 OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE VERY COMMON. I WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS OR IF MITSUBUSHI HAS ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM AND I AM NOT AWARE OF. I CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX THE CAR OR GET A NEW. PLEASE HELP! *TR

NHTSA ID

10244946

Incident

Sep 23, 2008

Mileage

75,000 mi

I OWN A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE CAR, I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 02 SINCE THE 1ST DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR THERE WAS PROBLEMS. THE COMPUTER IN THE CAR WENT CRAZY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT,,CRUISE CONTROL,ANTI LOCK BRAKE, TCL LIGHT ALL STARTED FLASHING . I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER & THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER BUT IT DIDN'T WORK THEY PUT 3 COMPUTERS IN SINCE THEN, THESE LIGHTS ARE STILL ON TILL THIS DAY. IN 06 MY TRANS BLEW I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THEY REPLACED MY TRANS THE CAR STILL DOESN'T RIDE RIGHT. MY A/C TURNS ON BUT NOTHING COMES OUT SOMETIMES. IN THE WINTER THE INSIDE OF MY CAR BECOMES A FOG ALL OVER MY WINDOWS AND IT WONT STOP FOGGING UP. A SMELL IS COMING OUT OF MY VENTS LIKE A COFFEE SMELL & IM INHALING THIS SMELL WHENEVER IM IN THE CAR I HAVE TO GO TO A DOCTOR TO GET CHECKED OUT TO SEE IF I HAVE HEALTH ISSUES .MY SUN ROOF LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS,I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE ALL THESE ISSUES FIXED BUT THEY NEVER DID I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 02 THE WARRANTY LASTED 02-05 B/C THAT IS WHEN MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. WHEN I CALL THEY TELL ME I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET B/C THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THIS ISN'T FAIR TO ANY MITSUBISHI OWNER I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE MY CAR FIXED NOW AFTER THE WARRANTY WHEN ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN RECURRING SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR AND THEY NEVER FIXED IT TO BEGIN WITH. I CAN UNDERSTAND IF I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WITH THESE PROBLEMS I DECIDED TO SEARCH THE INTERNET TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE OWNED MY MAKE AND MODEL OF MY CAR TO SEE IF THEY HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS SURE ENOUGH I CAME ACROSS A WEBSITE CALLED WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_76426.HTML THERE'S OVER 50 PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS I HAVE WITH MY CAR.MITSUBISHI SHOULD FIX THESE PROBLEMS AND STAND BY THERE CARS. I CALLED CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS TODAY & WAS TOLD THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO B/C ITS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10236534

Incident

Jul 31, 2008

Mileage

20 mi

NOTICED FAINT SMELL OF ANTI FREEZE APPROXIMATELY 9 MONTHS AGO. HAD PROBLEMS WITH DEFROSTER CLEARING WINDOWS. ALSO, SEEMED TO GET BETTER (OR MAYBE I GOT USED TO THE SMELL). NOW NOTICED PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR CARPET IS SOAKED WITH ANTI FREEZE. OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THE HEATER CORE OR THE HOSE(S) WHICH CONNECT TO IT ARE LEAKING. CAR HAS 92000 MILES, AND IS WELL MAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10231145

Incident

Apr 3, 2007

Mileage

75,000 mi

THE HEATER CORE. I START SMELLING AN ANTIFREEZE SMELL INSIDE THE CAR THEN THE CHECK ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. ALSO THE TCL IS ON. THE DEALER SAID THAT IT IS A WHEEL SENSOR THAT WILL RUN ME $625. THE HEATER CORE IS $1,200. EVERY ONE THAT I TALK TO ON THE EMAIL SIGHT IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP! THANKS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10230393

Incident

May 2, 2008

Mileage

63,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN ILLUMINATING, THE HEATER COIL WAS LEAKING, AND THE WINDOWS WERE STEAMING. THE CONTACT SMELLED A FOUL ODOR COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. A MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEATER CORE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,800 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,990.

NHTSA ID

10217465

Incident

Feb 4, 2008

Mileage

67,800 mi

I FOUND POSTINGS OF THE SAME HEATER CORE ISSUE. WINDSHIELD FOG AND THE AWFUL SYRUP SMELL OF ANITFREEZE. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THE HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS DATING BACK TO 1995 OR EARLIER. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS URGENT MATTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10216525

Incident

Jan 30, 2008

Mileage

80,000 mi