Mitsubishi Pajero 2010 Problems

The Mitsubishi Pajero is one of the longest running models ever, and was first seen in 2006 in much the same form as today’s version. With that in mind, the vehicle is very much a known quantity and the trade regards the mechanical package highly.

As with any off-road oriented machine, the major thing to check is how the vehicle has been used (and abused) in the past. If it’s highly accessorised with winches, mud tyres, bash plates and lifted suspension, you can be fairly sure it’s had a tough life.

As the vehicle in question approaches 100,000km, you’ll be up for a new timing belt, as that’s the recommended change interval (some say 90,000km). While you’re in there, the advice is to change the water pump and the various tensioners and pulleys at the same time. It’s a lot easier to do it all in one hit than have to open the front of the engine a second time.

On the recall front, the big one to watch is the Takata air-bag fiasco which did affect this model.

It’s not possible to say with any degree of accuracy, but I wouldn’t want to be relacing bushes before 200,000 km.

The Pajero ticks most of the boxes for a big four-wheel drive wagon. It's well built and reliable, and the diesel is economical. As for family use it is a big, heavy four-wheel drive and would be overkill for a family that doesn't plan on towing or going off-road. Look for signs of bush use and walk away if you see any damage to the body or underbody that might have been the result of driving off-road.

I don't believe there is a way of detecting the problem before it actually happens, except maybe to remove the EGR valves and manifolds and clean them, and that's probably worth doing if you're concerned about it happening on your car. I do also think Mitsubishi should come to the party and cover at least part of the cost of repairs.

I don't believe so; they're mainly fitted to prevent water getting into the engine when crossing creeks and rivers etc.

Revisit the issue with your dealer. Mitsubishi’s current schedule under its capped price servicing deal is for the car to be serviced at intervals of 12 months or 15,000 km.