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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

Visibility complaints

71 reports
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91,000 miles · Dec 6, 2010
Engine And Engine CoolingVisibilityInjury

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 PROBLE…

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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 ODI #10369327

60,000 miles · Dec 17, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingVisibility

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 SUR…

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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 ODI #10296309

80,100 miles · Feb 15, 2009
Visibility

THE BLACK METAL STRIP ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING. ALL THE PLASTIC CLIPS THAT ATTACH THE WINDSHIELD TO THE STRIP WERE BROKEN, AND SOME WERE EVEN MISSING UPON INSPECTION. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALERSHIP, AND GOT A CARFAX REPORT THAT SHOWED THE VEHICLE SUFFERED NO PRIOR DAMAGE AND HAD NO PRIOR ACCIDE…

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THE BLACK METAL STRIP ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING. ALL THE PLASTIC CLIPS THAT ATTACH THE WINDSHIELD TO THE STRIP WERE BROKEN, AND SOME WERE EVEN MISSING UPON INSPECTION. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALERSHIP, AND GOT A CARFAX REPORT THAT SHOWED THE VEHICLE SUFFERED NO PRIOR DAMAGE AND HAD NO PRIOR ACCIDENTS WHATSOEVER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10258708

53,600 miles · Nov 7, 2008
Visibility

FOGGY WINDOW, ANTIFREEZE SMELL THROUGH VENT, PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR DAMP/WET. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT HEATERCORE O-RINGS AND HEATERCORE POSSIBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10247933

20 miles · Jul 31, 2008
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Engine And Engine Cooling

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 TH…

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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 ODI #10236534

63,000 miles · Jun 9, 2008
Engine And Engine CoolingVisibility

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 ODI #10230393

58,000 miles · Apr 21, 2008
Visibility

STARTED SMELLING "MAPLE SYRUP" IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. WINDOWS WERE FOGGING UP EASILY. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY DEALER TO BE THE HEATER CORE LEAKING ANTIFREEZE, AND SERVICE COST $1,100. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10225281

Mileage unknown · Apr 13, 2008
Visibility

2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE HEATER CORE LEAKAGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10224371

Mileage unknown · Apr 8, 2008
Visibility

THE WINDSHIELD FOGS UP FOR NO REASON AND I AM NOT ABLE TO DEFOG IT. IT IS VERY HARD TO SEE ANY TIME THE HEAT IS ON. I AM TOLD IT MAY BE THE HEATER CORE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10223759

67,800 miles · Feb 8, 2008
Engine And Engine CoolingVisibility

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 WA…

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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 ODI #10217465

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.