2002 Mitsubishi Diamante

THE VEHICLE IS A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE LS. THE WINDOWS IN THE VEHICLE HAVE BEEN CONSTANTLY FOGGY IN A DRY ENVIRONMENT. WHEN WIPING WINDOWS DOWN, I NOTICED THAT THE CONDENSATION WAS OILY. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED A SYRUP SMELL IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEFROSTER HAS NOT BEEN WORKING PROPERLY, SO I INVESTIGATED ONLINE TO FIND OUT IF IT WAS A COMMON FAILURE. WHAT I FOUND OUT WAS THAT THE SYRUP SMELL AND OILY CONDENSATION WAS MOST LIKELY DUE TO A LEAKY HEATER CORE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO FOUND THAT THE O-RING SEALS FOR THE HEATER CORE WERE FAILING. THEY PRESSURED TESTED THE CORE TO BE SURE IT WAS NOT FAILING ALSO. THE OLD PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEFROSTER WAS NOT RELATED AND ONLY SPARKED MY INVESTIGATION INTO THE OILY CONDENSATION. *JB

FOG AND MIST ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. COOLANT LEVELS DROPPED AND REFILLS WERE REQUIRED, FOLLOWED BY A PROBLEM IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTING AND FINALLY A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WARNING. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION RELAY HAD BEEN DAMAGED BY COOLANT LEAKING ONTO THE ECU FROM THE HEATER CORE. COOLANT WAS ALSO FOUND TO HAVE LEAKED UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE CARPETING. *JB

HEATER CORE (AND POSSIBLE EFFECT ON TRANSMISSION ISSUES) GOING UP BEFORE ITS TIME (AND THIS KNOWN TO BE A PROBLEM ON THE DIAMANTES FOR OVER 3 YEARS OF THE MODEL) AND CAUSING ANTIFREEZE FUMES AND SMOKE TO FILL MY CAR FOR MONTHS UNNOTICED EXPOSING MY FAMILY AND SELF TO NAUSEOUSNESS, HEADACHES, NOT TO MENTION EXPENSE OF REPAIR ON A RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLE. *NM

THE HEATER CORE HAS DEVELOPED A LEAK THAT ALLOWS ANTI-FREEZE TO ENTER AND COLLECT ON THE INSIDE FLOOR OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THIS MOISTURE INSIDE THE VEHICLE MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD WITH THE DEFROSTER, MAKING FOR A RATHER DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE. THIS IS ON A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE WITH FAIRLY LOW MILES. I'VE OWNED A LARGE NUMBER OF VEHICLES IN MY LIKE AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A HEATER CORE HAS EVER FAILED. *NM

MY WIFE AND I OWN A 2002 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE VR-X. THIS PAST JUNE 2005 I STARTED NOTICING THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING WHEN I WOULD STOP AT LIGHTS OR IN TRAFFIC. AT FIRST I FIGURED IT WAS THE REALLY HOT WEATHER WE WERE HAVING. AFTER A DAY OR SO I NOTICED THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE WOULD FLUCTUATE EVEN AT HIGHER SPEEDS, SO I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION AND CHECKED THE COOLANT. IT WAS LOW. I BOUGHT SOME COOLANT AND FILLED UP THE RESERVOIR THINKING I HAD FOUND MY PROBLEM. THE NEXT DAY I NOTICED I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS AGAIN AND CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL, IT WAS LOW AGAIN. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG THEN AND I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC. LOW AND BEHOLD I COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE ANTIFREEZE, WHICH IS POISONOUS, HAS LEAKED ALL OVER PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR AND WAS TOLD THAT IT PROBABLY HAD BEEN BLOWING OUT OF THE VENTS ALSO. THIS WAS VERY DISCONCERTING NOT JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF MY WIFE AND MYSELF, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE HAD, AT THE TIME, A FIVE MONTH OLD WHO ALSO HAD BEEN BREATHING THIS POISON. I PRAY WE DON'T END UP HAVING ANY RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY MY DAUGHTER, FROM THIS IN THE FUTURE. WHAT ENDED UP BEING THE PROBLEM WAS THE HEATER CORE CORRODED AND WAS LEAKING INTO THE CAR. MY MECHANIC SAID THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO A CAR WITH ONLY 50K MILES. ACTUALLY, THEY SAID IT GENERALLY SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE. I COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE LEAK IS JUST ABOVE THE CARS COMPUTER SYSTEM. FORTUNATELY THE LEAK DIDN'T AFFECT THESE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. I SEE FROM THE HTTP://WWW.MYCARSTATS.COM WEBSITE THAT THIS PROBLEM IS VERY PREVALENT AND I'M SURE IT HAS HAPPEN TO OTHERS THAT DON'T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT ABOUT THE PROBLEM. IT ENDED UP COSTING ME $1300 TO GET IT FIXED. THE PROBLEM LIES BEHIND THE DASHBOARD WHICH ENDS UP CREATING A LOT OF LABOR CHARGES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I HOPE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING DONE BY THE ODI IN RESPONSE TO THIS COSTLY, UNNECESSARY PROBLEM. *NM

I PURCHASED 2002 MITUSBISHI DIAMANTE LS WITH 35000 MILES FROM THE MITSUBISHI DEALER IN SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA. AFTER DRIVING OFF I NOTICED A SMELL OF MAPLE SYRUP. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY EYES BURNED AND ITCHED WHEN THE HEATER WAS ON. THIS WAS LIKELY DUE TO THE WHITE CLOUD THAT CAME FROM THE HEATER DUCT. IT WAS ALSO CAUSING CLOUDY WINDOWS THAT MADE SAFE NAVIGATION IMPOSSIBLE. THE CARPET I STARTING TO PUDDLE WITH ANTIFREEZE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I TOOK IT IN FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE, AND HAD THE DEALER MECHANIC CHECK THE SMELL. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE HEATER CORE WAS LEAKING, AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEIR QUOTE WAS $1060 AND WAS NOT COVERED BY MY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. THIS IS A HEALTH HAZARD AND THE LEAKY HEATER CORE COULD CAUSE MASSIVE DAMAGE TO THE COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE ENGINE. THEY WILL NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUG IT WA A PROBLEM AT DRIVE OFF.*AK

2002 MITSHUBISHI DIAMONTE AUTO HEATER CORE FAILS AND LEAKS; WINDOWS REMAIN FOGGED FOR A LONG PERIOD. VENTS AND AC FIRST FAILED 5/2004. AN AUTHORIZED DEADER REPAIRED SYMTOM W/O A ROOT CAUSE. BY 4/1/2005, DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE UNTIL VISIBILITY WAS UNSAFE AND THE VENTS EMITTED AN ODOROUS SMELL. ORIGINAL DEALER DISCONTINUED SERVICE AND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER INITIALLY REFUSE TO COVER THE REPAIR. NOTHING WAS DONE OR DIAGNOSED AFTER 6 HOURS, REPORTING THE VENTS WORKED OK. I RE-OPENED A CASE BY CONTACTING THE MFG WHO ACKNOWLEDGED GROWING SAFETY REPORTS WITH THE HEATER CORE. THE DEALER WAS GIVEN 2-3 WORKING DAYS OR REVIEW. MEANWHILE. *AK

WINDOWS FOGGED UP AND WOULD NOT CLEAR UP. THERE WAS A KIND OF SWEET BURNING SMELL. DID RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT IS WAS THE HEATERCORE LEAKING ANTIFREEZE AND ALL THE SYMTOMS LISTED ON SITE MATCHED MY CAR. CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE AND FOUND PUDDLE OF ANTIFREEZE SOAKED IN THE CARPET. ALSO THE ANTIFREEZE IN THE RADIATOR WAS VERY LOW. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR AND SHE IS 8 MONTHS PREGNANT! SHE HAD BEEN UNKNOWINGLY INHALING THE ANTIFREEZE VAPORS SINCE THE LEAKAGE. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT COST ME $690 TO FIX (3/10/05). I HAD TO WAIT 3 DAYS BEFORE THE PARTS CAME IN AND 1 DAY TO HAVE IT FIXED. THIS CAR IS ONLY A 2002 AND HAS 52,000 MILES! WHAT A COINCEDENCE THAT THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. I AM CURRENTLY DRIVING THE CAR SINCE MY WIFE IS PREGNANT AND THE CAR STILL SMELLS LIKE ANTIFREEZE! I HAVE TO DRIVE IT WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN SINCE THE SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE VAPORS ARE STILL STRONG. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE AFFECTS OF BREATHING THE ANTIFREEZE VAPORS.*AK