MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE 1998 : Problems

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Windshield Defroster Heater

ODI ID: 10082271 NHTSA Complaint ID: 492068

Make: Mitsubishi Model: 1998 DIAMANTE 98

Component/Parts: Windshield Defroster Heater

Failure Date: May 15, 2004 Complaint Date: July 20, 2004

City/State: CORAM, NY (New York)
Crash: No Fire: No Injured: 0 Deaths: 0

Complaint Description: this is a mitsubishi diamante 1998 es. i'm experiencing pungent smell of anti-freeze inside the car as soon as i turn on heating. the dealer i got the preowned car from won't fix the problem unless i can show them the leak in heater core. anti-freeze contains ethylene glycon and the fumes are highly toxic. fixing the the heater core will cost $1000. i am filing this complaint to ascertain that this is a very very common problem in mitsubishi diamante and mitsubishi motors should be aware of three main risk associated with this: (1) the defect exposes customers to unusual level of toxic ethylene glycol which should not exceed 10-25 ppm levels (consult msds for ethylene glycol) (2) the leak can affect the car's microprocessor and poses a severe hazard for drivers. (3) faulty heater core makes the visibility difficult due to fogging of wind shield thus putting the driver at greater risk. i will eventually fix the problem by spending $1000 after the summer if mitsubishi refuses to issue a recall. right now i am trying some radiator anti-leak to delay the costly repair. but i want nhtsa to be aware of the hazards that has been ignored by the manufacturer. *la .