Rear Wheel Misaligned? (UPDATE: some rear axles out of spec; warranty replacement)

[RodeRoNL]

I took a rear axle pic of one of the first '17s to hit the local lot. This was in March, before they were even for sale. It uses the same design. It is important to note here that Mitsubishi need not redesign the whole axle to solve this problem, they need only tighten up their quality control when manufacturing the axle.

Let's hope they did...

My rear axle is OK (in fact very good) so happy with that. At my car, the front camber is out of spec, way out of spec. That can be done with camber bolts, so there is an easy fix, but the dealer refuses to do it, as the bolts are not OEM and the car drives well, tyre wear is ok. So, no problem. Well, I think it is a problem. (camber fl -1,37 and fr +0,40 you can see the difference even with the naked eye).

[Cani Lupine]

More than half a degree of cross camber is outside of industry standards, and would cause a camber pull. It can't be felt because the electric power assist is too tight (and doesn't even allow for return to center), so get on their case and demand repair or replacement of parts under warranty.

[Eggman]

More than half a degree of cross camber is outside of industry standards, and would cause a camber pull. It can't be felt because the electric power assist is too tight (and doesn't even allow for return to center), so get on their case and demand repair or replacement of parts under warranty.

I hope it's still covered under warranty.

[Angrybeaver]

I know that I haven't responded to the poll because there's no option for me. I've owned my 2015 for two years, and it tracks straight as an arrow, and tire wear is normal. I don't have any reason to suspect my rear axle is out of alignment.

[inuvik]

I know that I haven't responded to the poll because there's no option for me. I've owned my 2015 for two years, and it tracks straight as an arrow, and tire wear is normal. I don't have any reason to suspect my rear axle is out of alignment.

Mine too!

[Frank_A05]

So I just had my alignment checked on my new (to me) 2015 Mirage on advice from Eggman. Took it to an independent shop. Looks like I have some pretty nasty issues. Front toe was out of wack, but it seems to have been set in a fashion to counter the mess that is the rear alignment. Possibly by the used car dealership I purchased from.

AS FOUND

Left Front
Camber Toe
0.2° 0.31°

Right Front
Camber Toe
-0.5° -0.44

Left Rear
Camber Toe
-1.6° -0.06°

Right Rear
Camber Toe
-1.8° 0.59°

I went ahead and had the tech adjust the front to sit within spec and now the car behaves oddly. The rear seems to be tracking to the left now as the numbers would indicate it should. Do i win the award for most severely out of alignment or what? lol. I am this close to taking it back and having the tech set it back to the way it was.

Unfortunately since there's 30,100 miles on the odometer I seem to be out of the warranty "Adjustment" window stated in the warranty manual. I guess that leaves me with the 5/yr 60k mile basic coverage, of which I have about 29k miles remaining. Time to plan my next move now I guess.

[Eggman]

Frank_A05, sorry to hear about your alignment problems. I'm going to guess that the car was let go by the previous owner over this, and probably wore through tires quickly. You could try to work something out with the place you bought it from. You could try getting this fixed through a Mitsubishi dealer, but judging by other member's experience shared here it hasn't usually gone well. I think it's worth a try, though.

Just going by memory I think there's been worse numbers than yours.

Position	Camber	Toe
Left Front	0.2°	0.31°
Right Front	-0.5°	-0.44
Left Rear	-1.6°	-0.06°
Right Rear	-1.8°	0.59°

The following info I found in the 2015 service manual.

Suspension Specifications	2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
Front Toe-in At the center of tire tread mm (in)	0 ± 3 (0.0 ± 0.1)
Front Camber	0°05' ± 0°45' *
Front Caster	4°00' ± 0°45'
Front Kingpin inclination	11°35' ± 1°30'
Rear Toe-in At the center of tire tread mm (in)	2.5 ± 3 (0.10 ± 0.12)
Camber	-1°00' ± 0°45' *

NOTE: *: Difference between right and left wheels must be 0°30' or less.

Comparing your alignment numbers with specifications (for a 2015...) it looks like your rear axle camber is out but the bigger concern would be the right rear toe, which would cause problems with handling, tire wear, and fuel economy (the front toe is adjustable, but not the rear.)

Part of me wonders if your car has been in an accident and has been repaired? Some of the front alignment numbers look questionable to me - but I'm no trained mechanic, so what do I know.

Here's something to think about. I'm not sure how much you paid but it might be worth considering replacing the axle yourself, either DIY or have a mechanic do it. A replacement axle lists for $827.80 online at mitsubishipartswarehouse.com. They sell the assembly for $629.13. Here's a link to the part:

Axle Assembly Part # 4120A150 for 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage DE 1.2L L3 - Gas | Genuine OEM Mitsubishi Part

My dealer's service department had the job done by lunch, and the service guy commented on how small the assembly was. There's no adjustments that I'm aware of, so your alignment might work out if you only had a straight axle.

Is it possible for you to drive another Mirage without the alignment problems? Doing so could give you an idea of before & after results.

Would replacing the axle be worth it? In terms of money, maybe not. It might be cheaper to keep replacing tires. In terms of stress and agitation from driving a wandering car, or arguably from a safety standpoint (handling issues) it might be worth considering. Like I said, I'm not sure how much you paid for the car but it might be worth either doing an axle replacement yourself or having a mechanic that you trust do the work. Either way it would be interesting to hear how this turns out for you as I'm sure the car will last long enough for you to enjoy the benefits.

[Frank_A05]

Thanks for all of the info Eggman. I bought the car from Hertz car sales here in Riverside. I guess it made it through its 1 year campaign as a rental. There's no sign of an accident, in fact it was the only one on the lot that didn't have any nasty dings or obvious signs of spot repairs. And on top of that the interior wasn't thrashed like some of the others.

The car did have 4 almost new OE tires (makes sense right?)...so at least I have that going. I have a feeling it may have been curbed a time or two. There is some nice scuffs on the wheel covers up front. $7650'ish is what I paid including tax title and licence. Price was about the same as all the others on the lot give or take a few hundred. I guess if I have to replace the rear suspension I wouldn't be in too bad of shape. I love the car though, I really do. I'll be riding this out until it's resolved, one way or another.

[kalifornia]

has grinding off the hub/axle weld and rewelding been considered?

[Eggman]

I haven't heard it suggested here. How do you think it would be done? I was under the impression that alignment would be thrown off as the welds cooled.