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2003 Mitsubishi Diamante Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 56 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante, most often about the visibility and wipers (50% of complaints, typically around 60,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Diamante model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.

Complaints56
Recalls2
Crashes reported1
Fires reported0
Injuries reported1

Most common 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante problems

  1. Visibility and wipers

    28 complaints · 50%

    Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system.

    2003 Mitsubishi Diamante coolant leak inside the car. Steam fogging the windows and strong chemical odor leaving residue on windows. Quoted $1000 to repair, they say it needs a new heater core. It may not be the heater core, but just seals. I have bypassed the heater hoses and fortunately live in a warm area.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 60,000 miles
    Anti-freeze leak on carpet passenger side near firewall fogged up windows check engine light comes on and off due to the leak the ecu started working awful.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 60,000 miles

  2. Engine

    17 complaints · 30%

    Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine.

    2003 Mitsubishi Diamante coolant leak inside the car. Steam fogging the windows and strong chemical odor leaving residue on windows. Quoted $1000 to repair, they say it needs a new heater core. It may not be the heater core, but just seals. I have bypassed the heater hoses and fortunately live in a warm area.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 60,000 miles
    I own a 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante, around 60k miles I started noticing a sweet smell from the vents and a constant fog when the heat or air was turned on in the car. After taking my car to the mechanic I was told that my heater core was busted. My car also sdriving in "safe mode" meaning I can only run in second gear…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 60,000 miles

  3. Brakes

    5 complaints · 9%

    Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, conventional.

    I have a new 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante, which Ive taken back to the dealership 3 times now with the same two issues: the front breaks make noise and my stearing wheel vibrates when I brake and the check engine service soon light keeps coming on. One of the dealers employees told me that the brakes issues was very…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 6,000 miles
    When the brakes were applied, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to a repair shop for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the rotors and pads may need to be replaced. The consumer found nothing apparently wrong before the parts were…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 11,000 miles

  4. Transmission

    4 complaints · 7%

    Parts named most often: automatic transmission.

    I own a 2003 Diamante Mitsubishi. The problem started with a check engine light coming on, fogging the window with a fowl toxic smell then the car would not hardly move out gear. I was told that the car's heater core leaked onto the computer which caused the transmission relay to short out do to the computer failing.…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 78,000 miles
    My transmission relay went out due to a leak heater core. The core has been leaking for some time and has fogged my windows so bad I could not see at times, having to pull over and wipe off the film. This is a serious problem with these cars.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 114,132 miles

  5. Wheels and tires

    3 complaints · 5%

    The contact owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante equipped with cooper cs3 tires (na). While driving 25 MPH, air from the vehicle's front driver side tire began to be released. The contact pulled the vehicle into a fuel station/repair shop where the tire was replaced. The contact took the vehicle to the independent mechanic…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2019, at 216,242 miles

  6. Suspension

    3 complaints · 5%

    Parts named most often: front.

    When I apply the brakes, the car shakes and jerks uncontrollably. I have had work done on the rotors as well as the brakes. I have four new tires, but problem still occurs. I am afraid that one day while driving this car the brakes will fail and cause my family and I serious injury . This is a 2003 Mitsubishi…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 30,000 miles

  7. Equipment

    3 complaints · 5%

    Parts named most often: appliance.

    When I apply the brakes, the car shakes and jerks uncontrollably. I have had work done on the rotors as well as the brakes. I have less than 20k miles on the car. It is highly unusual to have 4 warped rotors without some type of manufacturing defect.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 15,000 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2003 Mitsubishi Diamante recalls

  1. Equipment: labels

    NHTSA 04V428000 · September 1, 2004 · 100,432 vehicles

    Risk: This does not meet the 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 begin during april or may 2005. Owners should contact mitsubishi caribbean at 1-787-251-8715.

    Full defect summary

    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.

  2. Equipment: owners/service/other manual

    NHTSA 04V067000 · February 11, 2004 · 134,000 vehicles

    Risk: If the tether strap is improperly installed to the tether anchor, the child safety seat may not be sufficient restrained. In the event of a crash, the child could be injured.

    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.

    Full defect summary

    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.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

Questions about the 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante

What are the most common problems with the 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante?
By NHTSA owner complaints: visibility and wipers (28 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); engine (17 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); brakes (5 complaints).
How many recalls does the 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante have?
2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 1, 2004 (equipment). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2003 a bad year for the Mitsubishi Diamante?
It is the 3rd most complained-about Diamante model year since 2000, with 56 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Mitsubishi Diamante years

Mitsubishi Diamante problems by year