MajorCommonSuspension

Mitsubishi Delica: Front Lower Arm Ball Joint Wear — Bump Clunk

Front Lower Arm Ball Joint Wear — Bump Clunk is a common suspension fault on the Mitsubishi Delica on the 2007 onward cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $380 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 18 documented faults on the Mitsubishi Delica.

Vehicle: Mitsubishi Delica
Years: 2007 onward
System: Suspension

This page covers the Mitsubishi Delica as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Mitsubishi Delica faults18 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

What goes wrong

The CV5W front suspension uses conventional lower control arms with pressed-in ball joints. The ball joints carry significant load given the Delica D:5's elevated kerb weight and high centre of gravity. As the ball joints wear, internal axial and radial play develops in the joint. This produces an audible clunk or knock when the suspension cycles over road imperfections, speed humps, or uneven surfaces. On NZ grey imports, ball joint wear is often accelerated by the quality of NZ sealed roads and gravel surfaces versus the smoother JDM roads the vehicle was designed and driven on. Worn ball joints alter front suspension geometry, causing uneven tyre wear and imprecise steering. A failed ball joint can cause sudden loss of steering control and is a WOF rejection item. The lower arm assembly often requires full replacement as the ball joints are not always available separately from the arm.

What you would notice

Clunking or knocking sound from front suspension over bumps or rough surfaces
Clunk felt through steering wheel when parking or manoeuvring at low speed
Uneven or accelerated inner tyre wear on front axle
Steering wander or imprecise response at highway speed
Vehicle pulling to one side under braking

How to check it

Where to look. Front lower control arm ball joint, one per side, at the outboard end of the lower arm connecting to the front hub carrier

Also check the arm-to-subframe bushings for cracking. Test-drive over speed humps and listen for clunks from the front corners. If a workshop inspection is possible: With the vehicle on a hoist, grasp the front tyre at 6 and 12 o'clock positions and attempt to rock it — movement indicates ball joint play. Use a pry bar to load the lower arm upward while watching the ball joint for axial movement exceeding 1 mm.

Parts involved: Ball joint.

What it costs to put right

$380 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Have the front ball joints or lower control arms been replaced?”
“Has there been any clunking or knocking from the front suspension over bumps?”
“When was the last wheel alignment performed, and was any unusual suspension wear noted?”

Now check the Mitsubishi Delica you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.

Mitsubishi Delica buyer questions

Is front lower arm ball joint wear — bump clunk serious on a Mitsubishi Delica?

We rate it major and common on the Mitsubishi Delica. The CV5W front suspension uses conventional lower control arms with pressed-in ball joints. The ball joints carry significant load given the Delica D:5's elevated kerb weight and high centre of gravity. As the ball joints wear, internal axial and radial play develops in the joint. This produces an audible clunk or knock when the suspension cycles over road imperfections, speed humps, or uneven surfaces. On NZ grey imports, ball joint wear is often accelerated by the quality of NZ sealed roads and gravel surfaces versus the smoother JDM roads the vehicle was designed and driven on. Worn ball joints alter front suspension geometry, causing uneven tyre wear and imprecise steering. A failed ball joint can cause sudden loss of steering control and is a WOF rejection item. The lower arm assembly often requires full replacement as the ball joints are not always available separately from the arm.

How much does it cost to fix on a Mitsubishi Delica?

$380 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Mitsubishi Delica years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2007 onward Mitsubishi Delica. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.