Mitsubishi Pajero: Front Lower Control Arm Ball Joint and Swivel Hub Bearing Wear

The Pajero front suspension uses a double-wishbone arrangement with the lower control arm ball joint carrying a significant proportion of the vertical and lateral loads generated by the vehicle's substantial kerbweight and common off-road use. The ball joint boot cracks with age, allowing water and grit ingress that accelerates wear of the ball stud and socket, eventually producing excessive radial and axial play. The swivel hub (steering knuckle) bearing that the hub rotates on is also a known wear point, particularly on vehicles that have been used in water crossings or operated in wet environments without adequate regreasing; worn swivel hub bearings produce a characteristic grinding and vibration that is often misdiagnosed as wheel bearing failure.

• Clunking or knocking from the front suspension when driving over bumps or during slow-speed parking manoeuvres
• Vague or wandering steering feel, particularly at highway speed
• Uneven or accelerated tyre wear on the inside or outside edges of the front tyres
• Grinding sensation or noise from one front corner when turning, consistent with swivel hub bearing wear

Grip the tyre at 9 and 3 o'clock and feel for play in the swivel hub bearing. Inspect the ball joint boot for cracking or grease loss. On V60/V65 and early V80 examples, physically move the lower arm and listen for a dry metallic knock. Have a wheel alignment check done as worn ball joints will cause premature tyre wear. If a workshop inspection is possible: With the vehicle raised on a jack and the wheel supported, grip the tyre at 12 and 6 o'clock and rock it — any clunk or visible movement at the lower ball joint indicates failure.

Parts involved: Wheel bearing, Ball joint.

$350 to $1,800 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.

• “Have the front lower ball joints been replaced, and at what mileage?”
• “Have the swivel hub bearings been repacked or replaced, particularly if the vehicle has been used for water crossings?”
• “Has the vehicle had a recent wheel alignment, and were any suspension wear items flagged?”

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.