Consumer Complaint Detail
MITSUBISHI / DIAMANTE / 1999
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 005011047 | Incident Date: Mar, 08 2005 |
| Consumer's City: WAUKESHA | Consumer's State: WI |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. |
| Model Name: DIAMANTE | Model Year: 1999 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system:heater core |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 6MMAP37P8XT | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Mar, 09 2005 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Jul, 31 2002 |
| Was Original Owner: No | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 6 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: I'm experiencing a syrupy smell inside the car when the heat is on. per the various research i have performed, this is a sign of a failing heater core. this is a known failure by mits per tsb 627114 that was issued. additionally, on >2000 model year diamantes, mits began putting the vehicle?s computer (ecu) in a plastic bag so that when the heater core does fail, it does not ruin the ecu and create additional safety risks. this is just another sign that mits is aware of the issue and rather than designing out the problem, they put a bandage over a potential effected area. unfortunately my vehicle is 1999 which does not have the plastic bag and thus i am exposed to the additional risks. the estimate i received to fix this was $1100. i am filing this complaint to ascertain that this is a very common problem in diamantes and mits should be aware of 3 main risks: (1) the defect exposes customers to an unacceptable level of toxic ethylene glycol which should not exceed 10-25ppm levels (2) the heater core failing could result in coolant leaking onto the vehicle?s ecu which could result in unexpected failure which poses additional hazards. (3) faulty heater core makes the visibility difficult due to fogging of windshield thus putting the driver at greater risk. as a product safety engineer, i am very disturbed that all the complaints already filed and the associated risk has not resulted in any action. i highly encourage the nhtsa to take preventative measures in working with mits to issue a recall for this problem rather than wait for an injury or death to occur as a result of a poorly engineered heater core design.*ak |