1999 Mitsubishi Diamante

I OWN A 1999 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE WITH 87K MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE LAST WEEK AND NOTICED THAT THE WINDOWS OF THE CAR STARTED TO FOG UP. THE FOGGING BECAME SO THICK THAT SHE HAD TO PULL OVER (BLINDLY) AND FRANTICALLY WIPE THE WINDOW CLEAN IN ORDER TO SEE OUT OF THE CAR. SHE HAD TO CANCEL HER TRIP SHORT BECAUSE THE PROBLEM KEPT RECURRING THE CAR ALSO STARTED TO SMELL LIKE ANTI-FREEZE, WHICH, ACCORDING TO MY WIFE, CONTINUED TO GET STRONGER AS SHE DROVE IT HOME. I CALLED THE LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD BY THE PERSON IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS CAR AND THAT BY NOT REPAIRING IT IMMEDIATELY IT CAN CAUSE THE ECU TO FAIL (THE CAR COMPUTER) WHICH COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL IF THIS OCCURS AT SPEED. MITSUBISHI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT TAKEN ACTION TO ISSUE A RECALL OF THE DEFECTIVE PART (THE GASKETS THAT ATTACH THE HEATER CORE TO THE COOLING SYSTEM). I AM LOGGING THIS COMPLAINT ONLY BECAUSE I HAVE COME ACROSS A SITE ON THE INTERNET WHERE OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE (BUT DIFFERENT YEARS) ARE DETAILING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR CARS. *JB

I STARTED TO NOTICE AN ODD SMELL IN THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED A LACK OF COOLANT IN THE RESERVOIR TANK. AFTER A FEW WEEKS I REALIZED THERE WAS COOLANT ACCUMULATING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOORWELL. MY VEHICLE IS AT 53,500 MILES AND WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER AS HAVING A "HEATER CORE FAILURE." THE ESTIMATE THEY GAVE IS $1,300 TO REPAIR. I CANNOT AFFORD IT SO IT LOOKS LIKE MY VEHICLE WILL BE GARAGED UNTIL A RECALL IS ISSUED. *AK

I'M EXPERIENCING A SYRUPY SMELL INSIDE THE CAR WHEN THE HEAT IS ON. PER THE VARIOUS RESEARCH I HAVE PERFORMED, THIS IS A SIGN OF A FAILING HEATER CORE. THIS IS A KNOWN FAILURE BY MITS PER TSB 627114 THAT WAS ISSUED. ADDITIONALLY, ON >2000 MODEL YEAR DIAMANTES, MITS BEGAN PUTTING THE VEHICLE?S COMPUTER (ECU) IN A PLASTIC BAG SO THAT WHEN THE HEATER CORE DOES FAIL, IT DOES NOT RUIN THE ECU AND CREATE ADDITIONAL SAFETY RISKS. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER SIGN THAT MITS IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND RATHER THAN DESIGNING OUT THE PROBLEM, THEY PUT A BANDAGE OVER A POTENTIAL EFFECTED AREA. UNFORTUNATELY MY VEHICLE IS 1999 WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE PLASTIC BAG AND THUS I AM EXPOSED TO THE ADDITIONAL RISKS. THE ESTIMATE I RECEIVED TO FIX THIS WAS $1100. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT TO ASCERTAIN THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN DIAMANTES AND MITS SHOULD BE AWARE OF 3 MAIN RISKS: (1) THE DEFECT EXPOSES CUSTOMERS TO AN UNACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF TOXIC ETHYLENE GLYCOL WHICH SHOULD NOT EXCEED 10-25PPM LEVELS (2) THE HEATER CORE FAILING COULD RESULT IN COOLANT LEAKING ONTO THE VEHICLE?S ECU WHICH COULD RESULT IN UNEXPECTED FAILURE WHICH POSES ADDITIONAL HAZARDS. (3) FAULTY HEATER CORE MAKES THE VISIBILITY DIFFICULT DUE TO FOGGING OF WINDSHIELD THUS PUTTING THE DRIVER AT GREATER RISK. AS A PRODUCT SAFETY ENGINEER, I AM VERY DISTURBED THAT ALL THE COMPLAINTS ALREADY FILED AND THE ASSOCIATED RISK HAS NOT RESULTED IN ANY ACTION. I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THE NHTSA TO TAKE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES IN WORKING WITH MITS TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM RATHER THAN WAIT FOR AN INJURY OR DEATH TO OCCUR AS A RESULT OF A POORLY ENGINEERED HEATER CORE DESIGN.*AK

MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE 1999: WINDSHIELD STARTED TO GET FOGGY, INSIDE CABIN SMELLED ON COOLANT AND OCCASIONAL PUFFS OF "SMOKE" EVAPORATED OUT OF THE WENTS. THIS PRESENTED VERY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. COULD NOT DRIVE CAR FOR 2 MONTHS. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED AND WANTED $1000 FOR THE REPAIR OF THE HEATER CORE. DUE TO THE LACK OF MONEY, I DID IT MYSELF WITH PROPER INSTRUCTIONS. PROBLEM WAS IN BAD O-RINGS THAT CAUSED COOLANT TO LEAK INTO CABIN AND OVER IMPORTANT COMPUTER MODULE. HALF-YEAR LATER, NO SMELL, NO WAPOR, NO FOG IN THE CABIN. PICTURES CAN BE SEEN AT HTTP://WWW.JOLDIC.COM/GALLERY/HEATER-CORE-ADVENTURE. *AK

HEATER CORE ISSUE WITH MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE 1999 SUMMARY: NOTICE CONSISTENT AND VERY NOTICIABLE FOUL ODOR WHEN CAR IS SHUTOFF. CAN SMELL INSIDE THE VEHICLE AS WELL. SOME FOGGING OF FRONT WINDSHIELD. HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM IDENTIFIED AS CONSISTENT WITH HEATER CORE'S ISSUES BY OTHER DIAMANTE OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CAR SERVICED AT A MITSUBISHI DEALER. HAVE NOT REPLACED ANYTHING YET BECAUSE THE PARTS AND LABOR QUOTES HAVE BEEN ANYWHERE FROM $600-$1000. CAR HAS 56,000 MILES ON IT, BUT HAVE NOTICED PROBLEM SINCE BUYING THE VEHICLE LAST YEAR WITH 36,000 MILES. TRIED ADDING STOP LEAK TO THE GAS WITH NO RESULTS. *LA

MY PAINT STARTED TO BUBBLE UP ON MY 1999 DIAMANTE A FEW MONTHS BACK. THIS BUBBLE IS AT EDGE OF TOP WINDSHIELD MOLDING. I WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD THAT MANUFACTURE WARRANTY WILL COVER IT BUT FEW MEANINGLESS VISITS TO THIS DEALERSHIP AND THEIR CONTRACTED BODY SHOP DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER DECLINED THE CLAIM STATING THAT BUBBLE IS CAUSED BY CORROSION INITIALLY STARTED BY ROCK CHIP ON THE PAINT. THIS IS WITHOUT ANY PROFESSIONAL OPINION, THERE IS NO TRACE OF CHIP AT BUBBLING SPOT AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS CORROSION STARTED FROM UNDERNEATH PAINT. DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER DID POINT OUT SOME CHIPS ON HOOD, WINDSHIELD AND ROOF PANEL OF THE CAR BUT THEY LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE BUBBLE. THE GUY FROM BODY SHOP TOLD ME THAT HE WILL RECOMMEND FOR WARRANTY REPAIR ON MY CLAIM BUT DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER DIDN'T CARE FOR IT. I WAS CALLED IN TO LET THEM SEE THE CAR 4 TIMES FOR NOTHING, THIS DEALERSHIP IS NOT SO CLOSE BY WHERE I LIVE OR WORK. I REQUESTED THEM TO PROVE THAT ROCK CHIP CAUSED THE BUBBLE BUT THEY JUST SAID NO, THERE IS NO SIGN OF CHIP ANYWHERE NEAR THIS BUBBLE. I'D LIKE TO HAVE THEM FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS CLAIM. THEY ALSO DAMAGED MY UPPER WINDSHIELD MOLDING TO LOOK UNDERNEATH IT, THEY DON'T MENTION NOTHING OF IT EITHER. I HEARD MITSUBISHI HAS BAD SERVICE BUT DIDN'T THINK I'D HAVE FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE MY SELF.*AK

TEST DROVE A USED 1999 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE VIN # [XXX] AT THE WAYZATA AUTO CENTER BARGAIN LOT 1805 EAST WAYZATA BLVD., WAYZATA, MN 55391ON OR ABOUT 12/26/02. THE CAR WAS SHOWING APPROX 57,000 MILES. WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED SHE MADE A LANE CHANGE AND THE CAR ENTERED INTO AN OSCILLATION WHICH CAUSED ME TO QUESTION HER DRIVING AND THEN DRIVE THE CAR MYSELF. I REPEATED THE EXERCISE AND NOTICED THE VEHICLE HAD A TENDENCY TO ENTER INTO A PRONOUNCED OSCILLATION ANY TIME A TURN WAS ATTEMPTED AT CRUISE SPEED. WE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND POINTED OUT WHAT I CONSIDERED TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO THE SALESMAN ([XXX] . I LATER WROTE AN EMAIL TO [XXX] AT THE VILLAGE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHO ORIGINALLY ADVERTISED THE CAR IN TRADERONLINE. I HAVE YET TO GET A RESPONSE STATING THEY LOOKED INTO THE ISSUE. BY THE WAY, I'M A QA AUDITOR, MECHANIC AND PILOT, COMFORTABLE WITH THE PERSONALITY QUIRKS OF MOST VEHICLES. WHILE BOTHERSOME AND A DEAL KILLER FOR US, I FEEL THIS ISSUE WOULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR INEXPERIENCE DRIVERS IN LESS THAN IDEAL ROAD CONDITIONS. I HAVE YET TO GET A RESPONSE FROM THE DEALERSHIP SAYING THEY EITHER INVESTIGATED OR TOOK ACTION ON THE PROBLEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR