AI Damage1993 Mitsubishi Diamante: common problems
Owners of the 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante filed 29 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 29
- involving a crash
- 10
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 34% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 28% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 24% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 3% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 3% of all complaints
- Air bags: 10 complaints (34% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 8 complaints (28% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (24% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (10% of all).
- Structure: 2 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 29 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While driving about 10 mph rear ended another vehicle, and air bag did not deploy without a prior warning.
Consumer rearended a vehicle and the airbags did not deploy. The seat belt restraints retracted, but owner received injuries to neck and shoulders. Dup of 815028, added on 25-feb-98.
Vehicle involved in an accident, hit on the driver's side and the air bag did not deploy. The bumper was sheared completely off. Vehicle not seen by adjustor.
Mechanic's say new engine is needed, but new cars also smoke? Compression is good so what is the underlying problem? Also will not pass deq which is illegal to drive with that much smoke!
My front end vibrates vigorously while breaking. Stopping several feet past the point where I breaked. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I have to stop way ahead of a stop. Also, my car shakes and the brake pedal vibrates when I try to stop.
When driving over 30 mph steering wheel and vehicle shakes and vibrates badly. Also, pulls to the right. Vehicle has yet to be taken to dealer.
Vehicle would remain in lower gears while in normal operation, running rpms up higher than it should have been. Consumer took vehicle to a dealership, who replaced transmission from another vehicle.
Brakes overheated/cracked and had warped when applied while driving. Found out that brakes were underrated along with tires by goodyear. Did not know about this until later.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,958 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Diamante has 42 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 29, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, service brakes, powertrain. Total complaints: 29. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (17%), vibration (14%), smoke, burning smell, fire (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1993 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.