2000 Mitsubishi Diamante

I PURCHASED THE CAR USED FROM A MITSUBISHI DEALER, A MONTH OR SO LATER I NOTICED A MAPLE SYRUP TYPE SMELL. THE PROCEEDING MONTHS THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE AND NOTICED THAT MY WINDSHIELD KEPT FOGGING UP. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL REPAIR GUY WHO GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE HEATER CORE AND INFORMED ME THAT IF I DONT I COULD HAVE A COMPUTER FAILURE BECAUSE IT IS RIGHT UNDER THE HEATER CORE WHICH IN TURN MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL. MY PASSENGER SIDE CARPET IS NOW SOAKED WITH COOLANT AND THE SMELL IS HORRIBLE COMING FROM THE VENTS. I HAVE HEARD THAT THE COOLANT IS TOXIC AND CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS IN YOUR RESPIRATORY SYSTEM WHICH CONCERNS ME EVEN MORE.*AK

FOR SEVERAL WEEKS IT WAS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD ON MY CAR AND I ATTRIBUTED IT TO HOT, HUMID WEATHER. COMING BACK ON THE FREEWAY ONE EVENING IT SUDDENLY BECAME MUCH WORSE AND MY HUSBAND AND I TRIED MANY DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF COOL/WARM/FRESH AIR TO BE ABLE TO SEE OUT OF THE WINDOW, BUT IT NEVER FULLY CLEARED. IT WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS, BUT WE MADE IT HOME. THERE WAS A WHITISH FILM BEGINNING TO FORM ON THE WINDOW, VISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT. WHAT WAS IN THE FUMES THAT FORMED THE FILM I AM AFRAID TO IMAGINE. SEVERAL DAYS LATER AS I WAS DRIVING MY SON TO SCHOOL WE BOTH NOTICED A WHITE, CLOUDY SMOKE COMING FROM THE VENTS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. WE KEPT THE WINDOWS DOWN TO AVOID BREATHING IN THE FUMES. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE GASKETS ADJACENT TO THE HEATER CORE HAD FAILED. IT COST $5.10 FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART, BUT THE REPAIR COST TOTAL $560.00 BECAUSE THEY HAD TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE DASH TO REPLACE THE O-RINGS. MY CAR WAS IN THE SHOP FOR A FULL DAY. I'M ALSO CONCERNED BECAUSE I'VE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE ANTI-FREEZE LEAKING FROM THE "WORN-OUT" RINGS DRIPPED DOWN ONTO MY CAR'S COMPUTER. WHAT POTENTIAL DAMAGE COULD HAVE OCCURRED TO THE COMPUTER, IS IT OK NOW, AND COULD IT HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT IF THE COMPUTER FAILED.*AK

NOTICED FAINT SMELL OF ANTI FREEZE IN OCT 2003. HAD PROBLEMS WITH DEFROSTER CLEARING WINDOWS, VERY HARD TO CLEAN. NOTICED PASSANGER 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 60000 MILES, AND IS WELL MAINTAINED. THIS HEATER CORE LEAKS DIRECTLY OVER COMPUTERS WHICH, AS FAR AS I KNOW, CONTROL THE ENGINE - AND COULD CAUSE IT TO ACT UNPREDICTABLY OR CUT OUT ALTOGETHER WHEN DRIVING. HEATER CORE GASKET WAS THE PROBLEM ACCORDING TO DEALER AND I HAVE HAD IT FIXED. *AK

WE HAVE A 2000 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE WITH 32K MILES ON IT. CAR IS STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY ALONG WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WE HAVE PURCHASED. AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF THOUSAND MILES WE NOTICED A "PULSING" FEELING IN THE BRAKES AS WELL AS AN INTERMITTENT ABS WARNING LIGHT FLASH. WE MADE THE DEALER AWARE OF THIS SO THEY REPLACED ALL 4 AT APPROX. 11K. LESS THAN 10K AFTER THAT WE NOTICED THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOOK IT INTO A CLOSER DEALER TO WHERE WE LIVE, THEY REPLACED THE BRAKES AGAIN. NOW AGAIN ABOUT 10K THE BRAKES ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE ABS LIGHT CAME ON A COUPLE OF TIMES AND THE CAR IS ?PULSING? WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AND IS WORN OUT AGAIN. I SPOKE TO MITSUBISHI CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT WHO IS THE DEALER REP. DEBBIE KRUMBOLTZ. SHE ORIGINALLY AGREED TO TAKE CARE OF THE BRAKES AFTER I MET WITH HER ABOUT THE ISSUE. WHEN I MADE THE APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE SHE DENIED AGREEING TO THE REPAIR? I IN TURN CALLED MITSUBISHI MOTORS AND SPOKE TO A PERSON IN THE ESCALATED COMPLIANT DIVISION NAMED LISA, SHE WOULD NOT GIVE HER LAST NAME AND BASICALLY TOLD ME THAT THE CASE IS CLOSED AND MITSUBISHI IS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I EXPLAINED TO HER THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ON-GOING PROBLEM AND THE ABS LIGHT IS STILL AN ISSUE AND THAT THE BRAKES ATE WEARING OUT TOO FAST AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. SHE DID NOT CARE SHE AGAIN TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO, SHE WOULD NOT LET ME TALK TO A SUPERVISOR OR ANYONE ABOVE HER AT MITSUBISHI AND TOLD ME THAT THAT IS THE FINAL ANSWER AND HUNG UP ON ME TWICE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. WE FEEL THAT WE ARE BEING IGNORED BY MITSUBISHI AND WHEN I TOLD THEM AS A CUSTOMER THAT HAD DROPPED 30+ THOUSAND DOLLARS ON A CAR THAT IS STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM AND A SAFETY ISSUE AT THAT TO BE TOLD ?CASE CLOSED?? IS THE WORST SERVICE AND RESOLVE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. PLEASE HELP? THANK YOU

DEALER REPLACED THE HEATER CORE AT 37,000 MILES, AND AT 80,000 MILES THE HEATHER CORE FAILED AGAIN. CONSUMER FOUND TWO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS PERTAINING TO THIS PROBLEM.*AK IN BOTH INCIDENTS, THE WINDSHIELD BECAME FOGGY ON THE INSIDE AND THE DEFROST FAIL TO CLEAR IT. MECHANIC STATED THE O-RING FAILED. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, ANTIFREEZE LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE PARTS. THE ANTI FREEZE GOT HEATED AND EVAPORATED. IT THEN SEEKS THROUGH THE VENTS ONTO THE WINDSHIELD. CONSUMER NOTED THIS POSED TWO SAFETY HAZARDS. REPAIRING DEALER STATED THEY ALONE HAS SEEN THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES. *PH *NLM