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2002 Mitsubishi Diamante

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Diamante years

Owner complaints for the 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante are substantially higher than the model-year median of 31.5.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

92 reports with mileage · 31 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Visibility. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports8 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

38 reports
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103,000 miles · Mar 1, 2009
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 ODI #10260351

Mileage unknown · Feb 28, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingEquipment

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

NHTSA ODI #10260269

74,000 miles · Feb 3, 2009
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 ODI #10257278

95,000 miles · Dec 15, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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,…

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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 ODI #10251904

60,000 miles · Dec 6, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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…

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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 ODI #10250921

Mileage unknown · Nov 17, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 ODI #10249041

Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 ODI #10247127

70,000 miles · Oct 28, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 T…

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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 ODI #10246942

77,000 miles · Oct 23, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 CONS…

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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 ODI #10246481

75,000 miles · Oct 9, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 AGAI…

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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 ODI #10244946

Official recalls

3

04V428000 · Equipment:other:labels

Sep 1, 2004

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE BILINGUAL ENGLISH/SPANISH REMOVABLE AIR BAG WARNING LABELS AFFIXED TO THE DASH AND TO THE SUNVISOR DO NOT MEET THE SIZE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Remedy: MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN WILL MAIL A CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION LETTER CONTAINING A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION AND A GRAPHIC OF THE BI-LINGUAL DASHBOARD AIR BAG WARNING LABEL. IN ADDITION, ALL CURRENT 2000-2004 NATIVA OWNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT AIR BAG ALERT LABELS FOR THE SUN VISORS. THIS RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH OR APRIL 2005. THE NOTIFICATION TO THE NATIVA OWNERS IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL OR MAY 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN AT 1-787-251-8715.

04V067000 · Equipment:other:owners/service/other Manual

Feb 11, 2004

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE OWNER'S MANUAL DOES NOT CONTAIN A STEP-BY-STEP DESCRIPTION FOR HEADREST ADJUSTMENT WHEN INSTALLING A CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM (CRS) TETHER STRAP.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THE TETHER STRAP IS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED TO THE TETHER ANCHOR, THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT RESTRAINED. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE CHILD COULD BE INJURED.

Remedy: A LETTER OUTLINING THE PROBLEM WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS ALONG WITH A STICKER CONTAINING THE CORRECT INSTRUCTIONS AS WELL AS INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO AFFIX THE STICKER IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 29, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-888-648-7820.

02V100001 · Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood

Apr 7, 2002

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE MAIN UNDER HOOD ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS MAY HAVE INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE ENGINE CONTROL HARNESS AND THE EXHAUST HEAT SHIELD. AS A RESULT, THE HARNESS COULD COME IN CONTACT WITH THE HEAT SHIELD, WHICH COULD RESULT IN MELTING OF THE HARNESS INSULATION.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE MELTING OF THE HARNESS INSULATION COULD RESULT IN GROUNDING OF THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR WIRING, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO RUN ERRATICALLY OR STOP SUDDENLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE HARNESS FOR DAMAGE AND, IF NONE IS EVIDENT, WILL TIE THE HARNESS BACK TO PREVENT THE HARNESS FROM EVER COMING INTO CONTACT WITH THE HEAT SHIELD. ANY HARNESS THAT SHOWS EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE WILL BE REPAIRED AS NECESSARY AND THEN TIED BACK TO PREVENT FUTURE DAMAGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 13, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT MITSUBISHI AT 1-800-222-0037.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.