2002 Mitsubishi Diamante: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 123 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is visibility (54% of complaints); the 2000 and 2003 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2004
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 123 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was driving my mitsubishi across the university bridge on 7-28-2017 and suddenly the transmission went out and I was stuck and had no power of movement,my wife and 3 y.o.child were passengers in the car,luckily the state patrol came and assisted us.the dealer told us that this car was mechanically sound and had no problems or issues.they lied to us and by doing so they put our lives in danger.the drivers side air bag was also missing when we purchased the car.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi diamante. While driving at 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 02v100001 (electrical system.) the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,289.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2015
“Driving along at 35mph engine rpm suddenly almost red lined lost power and lost all forward and reverse gears.had to tow the vehicle! *tr”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2014
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi diamante. The contact stated that while driving at 75 mph, the contact attempted to brake but the brakes failed to respond without any warnings. The vehicle crashed into a passenger van. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact mentioned that two months prior to the failure the check engine light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and was informed that the vehicle misfires, needed spark plugs, a fuel pump, a fuel injector, an egr valve, and the engine surged erratically. The failure and current mileage was 140,000. Updated 12/06/12*lj updated 12/6/2012 *js”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mitsubishi diamante. The contact stated that she was involved in a frontal crash while driving approximately 35 mph. The contact was injured as a result and a police report was filed. None of the air bags deployed upon impact. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileage was approximately 88,000. Updated 12/15/10. *lj updated 12/27/10”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2010
“Mitsubishi diamante 2002 has faulty o-rings and is widely publicized to cause major heater core problems and anti-freeze leakage. *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Apr 2010
“I have a '02 mitsubishi diamante and I have had problems out of the heater core leaking and now its affected my ecu (computer) I call the dealership and they want outrageous prices to fix or even check my car.. I think that since its a problem from the dealer they should recall these cars.. I know I will never buy another mitsubishi and I will never recommend them to a friend.. What can be done about this problem? *tr”Owner report · Structure · Oct 2009
“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”Owner report · Visibility · Sep 2009
“The buckles in back of the car seat does not hold the straps in place they come loose just by caring the car seat. I entered in a different model number then what my car seat model number is because you do not have it in your system my model number for my car seat is 22-325 pac gb1b. Sorry but I needed this complaint put in immediatly because I do not need anything bad happening to my baby because of his car seat that has a serious default that needs to be recalled. (related vehicle information: model year=2002, make=mitsibishi, model=diamante). *tr”Owner report · Child Seat · Apr 2009
“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”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Feb 2009
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 11 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How other years compare
Check your exact Diamante by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante reliable?
NHTSA has 123 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante. The most complained-about area is visibility (54% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 63,000 miles or less.
Does the 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning equipment:other:labels. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.