2002 Mitsubishi Diamante

2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE 65K MILES. FAILURE OF HEATER CORE/ HEATER CORE GASKETS/ O-RINGS. WINDSHIELD WILL NOT DEFOG, STRONG COOLANT ODOR AND RESIDUE ON WINDSHIELD AND SIDE WINDOWS. RESULTED IN DANGEROUSLY LOW VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING. WINDSHIELD TOO FOGGY FOR SAFE DRIVING. STRONG SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE IN PASSENGER COMPT. HAD TO OPEN WINDOWS IN SUB FREEZING TEMP TO GET FRESH AIR TO PASSENGER COMPT WHILE DRIVING. COST TO REPAIR ESTIMATED $800-$1100. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE WIDESPREAD BASED ON COMPLAINTS FILED AT THIS NHTSA SITE AS SOME COMPLAINTS ARE CATEGORIZED UNDER DIFFERENT COMPONENT NAMES BUT HAVE SAME PROBLEM DESCRIPTIONS. GREATER THAN 60 COMPLAINTS BY MY COUNT FOR 2002 MODEL YEAR ALONE ON RELATIVELY LOW NUMBER OF VEHICLES SOLD IN US. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED LEAKAGE ON THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, SHE WAS UNABLE TO SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD DUE TO THE FOG. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS AN A/C EVAPORATOR WAS CRACKED AND THEY MADE THE REPLACEMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPLACEMENT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE HEATER CORE CAUSED THE FAILURE AND THEY HAVE REPLACED IT ON FIVE OCCASIONS HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. AS A RESULT, THE VENTS WOULD DISPERSE ANTI-FREEZE INSIDE THE VEHICLE WHEN THE HEATER OR DEFROSTER WAS ACTIVATED. AS OF JANUARY 2, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

02 DIAMANTE WITH APPROX 42, 000 ML - UPON STARTING THE CAR THE FRONT WINDOW BEGINS FOGGING UP AND THE ENTIRE CAR THEN FILLS WITH STEAM THAT IS SWEET BUT OVERWHELMING. IT GETS SO BAD IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE OUT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND THEN THE SMELL OVERWHELMS YOU WITHIN ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES FORCING THE DRIVER TO PULL OVER OR DRIVE WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN (NOT EASY AT 18 DEG OUTSIDE AND 2 KIDS UNDER 5 IN THE BACK). SYMPTOMS INDICATE THAT THIS IS A HEATER CORE PROBLEM THAT DEALERS ARE AWARE OF AND IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT THEY SEE APPROX 2-3 TIMES A MONTH WITH A CHARGE OF $1000.00 - $1400.00 TO FIX AND THAT IF NOT FIXED THEN THE MAIN COMPUTER FOR THE CAR WOULD SHORT OUT. SO JUST LOOKING AT 1 DEALER LOW END NUMBERS: 2 HEATER CORES PER MONTH * $1200= $2400*12MONTHS = $28,800 A YEAR PER DEALER FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM. ALSO MEDICALLY SPEAKING BREATHING ANTI-FREEZE MAY CAUSE IRRITATION OF THE NOSE AND THROAT WITH HEADACHE, PARTICULARLY FROM MISTS. HIGH VAPOR CONCENTRATIONS CAUSED, FOR EXAMPLE, BY HEATING THE MATERIAL IN AN ENCLOSED AND POORLY VENTILATED WORKPLACE, MAY PRODUCE NAUSEA, VOMITING, HEADACHE, DIZZINESS AND IRREGULAR EYE MOVEMENTS. FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE THIS IS PROBLEM WHAT ABOUT THOSE WITH COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. *TR

FALL OF 2007, NOTICED INCREASED FOGGING OF WINDOWS THAT DID NOT GO AWAY WITH DEFROSTER, FRESH AIR. BEGAN TO SMELL SWEET, SYRUPY SMELL. NOVEMBER 07, HEAT REFUSED TO WORK, CHECKED ANTIFREEZE LEVEL, VERY LOW. WINDOWS CONTINUING TO NOT BE CLEARED. OILY FILM COVERING WINDOWS. CURRENTLY, I HAVE NOT HAD COMPLETE FAILURE OF HEATER OR COMPUTER MODULE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE DIAMANTE OWNERS WEB SITE. MY PROBLEMS MIRROR EXACTLY AS FELLOW POSTERS. NOVEMBER 29, 2007, I PULLED BACK THE CARPET TO INSPECT COMPUTER MODULE AND HEATER CORE AREA, THERE IS GUNKY GREEN OOZE ON THE FLOOR AND ON THE COMPUTER MODULE. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE POSITION OF RESEARCHING THE BEST WAY TO HAVE PROBLEM FIXED, WHETHER AT THE DEALER, ANOTHER AUTO SHOP, OR SELF REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A HEATER CORE FAILURE IN MY 2002 DIAMANTE. I NOW HAVE ANTIFREEZE LEAKING INTO MY PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR. I HAVE AN ANTIFREEZE SMELL AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE VENTS IN THE CAR. I GOT LOW ON ANTIFREEZE AND ALMOST OVERHEATED ON THE BELT PARKWAY. IT IS VERY HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT BECAUSE WINDOWS WILL FOG UP AND DEFROSTER MAKES PROBLEM WORSE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE CARS COMPUTER IS POSITIONED UNDER THE HEATER CORE SO I HAVE TO HOPE I DO NOT HAVE A COMPUTER ISSUE AS MY SERVICE LIGHT HAS GOBNE ON AS WELL> I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 3 ENGINE SENSORS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS ( THE HEATER CORE ISSUE COULD BE THE ROOT CAUSE). THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I SEE ALOT OF THE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MODEL ARE FOR THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE. I HAVE KEPT REGULAR MAINTENANCE. I AM SUBMITTING THIS FORM BECAUSE OF A HEATER CORE ISSUE I AM HAVING. HOWEVER I HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. ALL THESE PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE RECURRING PROBLEMS THAT HAPPEN TO MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS MODEL. AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT I FIND WHEN I SEARCH THE ISSUES ON THE INTERNET 1- VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL --THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AFTER TAKING CAR BACK TO DEALER-IT APPEARS THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE ROTORS IN THIS CAR. AFTER HAVING THE ROTORS CUT TWICE BY THE DEALER WITH NO LONG LASTING SUCCESS. I HAD TO HAVE THE BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED BY A MECHANIC ( CAR HAD LESS THE 10,000 MILES WHEN ISSUE STARTED HAPPENING) 2- RUSTED MUFFLER--NOT SURE IF THIS ISSUE HAPPENS OFTEN BUT AFTER 23,000 MILES I HAD TO HAVE MY MUFFLER REPLACED BECAUSE THERE WAS A HOLE RUSTED THROUGH THE TOP OF IT-I WAS TOLD THIS COULD HAPPEN FOR NOT USING THE CAR VERY MUCH IN THE WINTER TIME( ROAD SALT CAN CAUSE THE RUST) 3- HEATER CORE- I KNOW HAVE A HEATER CORE PROBLEM IN THIS CAR. I HAVE ANTIFREEZE LEAKING IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. I HAVE AN ANTIFREEZE SMELL IN THE CABIN OF THE CAR. MY WINDOWS FOG AND THE DEFROSTER WILL NOT CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD ( MAKES IT WORSE). I AM LOW IN ANTIFREEZE BECAUSE OF THIS. MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT HAS NOW COME ON AND I AM TOLD THIS CAN BE CAUSED BY LEAKING ANTIFREEZE ONTO THE COMPUTER WHICH IS POSITIONED UNDER THE HEATER CORE. THIS ISSUE IS WIDELY REPORTED ON THE INTERNET IN MANY FORUMS AND SEEMS EVERYBODY WITH A DIAMANTE WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I AM BEING TOLD THIS REPAIR CAN COST OVER 1,000 DOLLARS 4-I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 3 SENSORS IN THE ENGINE 2 EGR AND 1 IDLE SENDER (COST AROUND 1,500 DOLLARS). THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE BECAUSE OF THE HEATER CORE ISSUES CAUSING THE CARS COMPUTER TO FAIL. *TR