The Lemon Index
Mitsubishi Diamante reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 311 complaints about the 2000 to 2004 Mitsubishi Diamante with the government, most about visibility.
No Lemon Index score yet: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
Show 3 older years (1997–1999, YouTube videos only)
YouTube rank: we read 199 YouTube videos about the Mitsubishi Diamante and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
1997–2004 Diamante · 200 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 51 | 3 |
| 2001 | 78 | 2 |
| 2002 | 123 | 3 |
| 2003 | 56 | 2 |
| 2004 | 3 | 1 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Visibility | 47% |
| Engine | 20% |
| Transmission & drivetrain | 7% |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 4% |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 3% |
| Electrical | 3% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 41,175 and 75,000 miles. The middle report was at 60,000 miles, from 216 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
Windshield would not defrost. Vapor blowing from vents. Called to get cost estimate-$765 from dealer. Called other repair shops--they said they've done 4 repairs in the last 6 months on Mitsubishi's for this problem.
2002 Mitsubishi Diamante owner · NHTSA complaint 10106544
Heater core failed, causing the front windshield to fog up. Also, consumer could smell anti freeze inside the vehicle. Dealership was notified but did not resolve the problem.
2001 Mitsubishi Diamante owner · NHTSA complaint 10053677
When brakes applied the car shakes so bad you can't control it. Brakes were worked on by Mitsubishi 3 times then replaced brakes and they are bad again.
2003 Mitsubishi Diamante owner · NHTSA complaint 10137295
Recalls 4
04V428000 Sep 2004 Equipment / Other / Labels
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.
Fix. 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 BEG
04V067000 Feb 2004 Equipment / Other / Owners/Service/Other Manual
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.
Fix. 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 Apr 2002 Electrical System / Wiring / Front Underhood
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.
Fix. 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 U
00V132000 May 2000 Parking Brake / Driveline / Hydraulic
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE HEAD OF THE SCREW THAT HOLDS THE RETAINING CLIP FOR THE PARKING BRAKE SHOE CAN BECOME BRITTLE AND BREAK OFF.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RETAINING CLIP SCREW AND IN THE PROCESS INSPECT THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM OF ANY POSSIBLE RELATED DAMAGE. ANY RELATED DAMAGE THAT MAY BE FOUND WILL ALSO BE REPAIRED.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Mitsubishi Diamante problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are visibility, engine, transmission & drivetrain.
How many recalls does the Mitsubishi Diamante have?
4 safety recalls on record for the 2000 to 2004 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score (2 of the 2 years we have sales for were under 20,000, sales source). Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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