26th Apr 2007, 10:30

I have been experiencing a problem with anti-freeze odor in my 2001 Diamante with 58,000 miles. The dealer claims this is not a common problem. He believes it is related to the o-rings, not the heater core itself. They won't stand behind the product and want me to shell out $400.00 after they diagnose whether or not that is that is the problem.

7th May 2007, 19:10

I own a 2002 mitsubishi diamante and yes I have had to replace the heater core, and the antenna motor, but now with 65,000 miles on the car, I need a rear wheel bearing, and the rack and pinion is steering is shot. I was a mechanic for 17 years and never replaced the rack and pinion on a car with under a 100,000 miles on it. has anyone else had steering problems?

10th Jul 2007, 18:58

I own a Mitsubishi Diamante VRX 2002, 59,000 miles, I have noticed an antifreeze smell, took it to the dealer and they said it was the the heater bypass tube leaking, repairs cost about 750 dollars.

Then at about the same time the parking brake cable broke, another 600 dollars to repair.

And of course the timing belt that they recommend to be replaced after 60,000 miles at a 500 dollar expense.

Not to mention the power antenna mast that failed after a little more than 3 years about 250 dollars to repair..

What is going to be next?.. almost as bad as a Ford Taurus, but a lot more expensive to buy and repair... never will I buy another Mitsubishi car.

29th Aug 2007, 12:25

I have a 2002 Diamante LS with 81,000 miles that is having a few issues. The power antenna quit, but it's just the mast, not the motor. The dealer wanted $249 to repair. Did it myself for under $30. New mast kit. Pretty easy.

The gas gauge works intermittently and they want a few hundred to replace the fuel level sending unit. I can live with no gas gauge, thank you. The low fuel indicator light comes on for me.

As for the timing belt, my local dealer wants $650 for it, but the mechanic told me I could hold off until around 100k miles as the same engine if sold in CA has to be warrantied to 100k miles. Other than that, no real complaints with the car.

3rd Oct 2007, 08:35

My fiance owns a 2001 Diamante LS, she just hit the 90,000 mile mark when the transmission went out. The car's engine had power, but it was unable to shift into gear. I took it to the dealership and they estimated $6,000 for a new transmission. I took it to a local transmission specialist and they put in a rebuilt transmission and threw in a 3year warranty for $3,000. I now have to fix the heater core, which has a really bad leak and hopefully it hasn't damaged the ECU. I have to take it back to the dealership since they're the only ones that can fix this.

9th Nov 2007, 17:38

2001 Mitsubishi LS with 104000 miles. Transmission quit working which tripped the check engine light and the drive selector lights on the dash flashed alternately between park and drive. Not sure how much this is going to be.

100000 miles had the timing belt replaced along with water pump.

92000 miles the power antenna broke and was replaced along with driver side door courtesy light switch. Left front speaker blown and was replaced.

79000 miles the heater core went bad which flooded the passenger side carpeting.

45000 miles both front struts had to be replaced with KYB GR2's. Left rear blown speaker was replaced. Radio head unit bad and replaced.

No problems except for changing brake rotors every 2 years due to warpage when purchased new in 2001 until 2003 with 45000 miles.

11th Nov 2007, 11:07

I own a 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante ES, bought it new and have 113,000 miles. Only problems so far are; heather core (replaced 10 months ago), radio antenna (still not working), and the transmission just went out (in the shop as of yesterday/computer checked, code says something about solenoid?), also wearing out the tires (cupping/told is the struts). After reading comments on this site, I agree that Mitsubishi should do something about the common problems everyone is having with this vehicle. Other than that and with the mileage I feel it is still a very good car. I hope to keep this vehicle and get many more miles out of it (wish me luck).

12th Nov 2007, 11:59

I own a 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante with 85,000 miles and have the same heater core problem. Smelled the fluid and the smoke coming out of the vents and the windows all fogged up. I was told by the dealer that it will cost $1,400 to fix. I agree there should be a recall and they should be responsible for fixing this problem. I don't mind paying the wear and tear on things like tires and upkeep of maintenance, but major problems that are an error on the manufacturer is not fair. My antenna also had to be replaced and the trunk does not pop open from the lever inside the car.

13th Nov 2007, 13:27

I own a 2001 Diamante, 62,000 miles, bought it with 8,000 and have maintained it well. I just got the call from my mechanic informing me of the $1200.00 heater core repair that I need. The past week or so had all my interior windows getting a greasy film and I was low on antifreeze. Sounds like we all know the symptoms. I am shocked at how many forums have 20 or more posts discussing this issue. Is there an organization we could contact to report the repair issue? At what point is this a manufacture defect vs. acceptable wear and tear? Thanks and good luck to all.

29th Nov 2007, 18:38

I also own a 2002 Diamante LS with 85000 miles. Had to replace the power antenna motor (40,000 miles), Speed sensor (75,000 miles). Now I am getting the same window fogging as described in other posts, and the low antifreeze level. I thought I was just going crazy.

I was fairly happy with this car until reading of the numerous heater core failures. I have owned 6 other cars with all of them over 150,000 miles, and never had a heater core go bad.

30th Nov 2007, 20:48

I'm in the process of looking for the best deal on replacing the rear wheel sensors for my 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS, with the hopes that it will turn off the TCL light and ABS light in the dashboard. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

24th Dec 2007, 08:40

Original post Nov 9.

2001 Mitsubishi Diamonte now with 106500 miles. The transmission problem was the clutch packs needed replacing along with re-manufactured torque converter. At the tune of $1650 for dealer to rebuild transmission. 2 days and less than 30 miles while driving at 30 MPH front tires locked up and skidded to a stop. Dealer replaced solenoids, which I then left the dealership and within 20 yards front tires skidded to a stop and had to be taken back to shop. After 2 weeks of not being able to fix a leak in the 3rd gear clutch pack the dealer ordered in a rebuilt tranny at their expense. Still waiting on car.