Which Pajero Sport is this about?
This page is mainly about the third generation, on sale here from 7 December 2015 as the QE, then facelifted as the QF. It has a 2.4-litre 4N15 turbo-diesel, and Mitsubishi ended production for Australia in 2025. An older model called the PB was sold here as the Challenger, so check the badge and the build plate.
Pajero Sport service schedule
- Maintenance every 12 months or 15,000 km, whichever comes first
- Valve clearance adjustments every 60,000 km, which CarsGuide says the 4N15 needs
- No scheduled timing belt, because this engine has a timing chain
- Your own service book has the final word for your year
Why does the intercooler hose fail?
This one's unusually specific. On a 2018 Pajero Sport, CarsGuide found the fan pulley could rub through the intercooler hose (the pipe taking boosted air from the turbo to the engine) when the turbo is at full boost. Its explanation was a change of hose supplier: a slightly different shape fitted to the old alignment marks, which put the hose in the pulley's path.
The hose wants at least 25 to 30 mm of clearance from the pulley. If yours has been replaced, or you're losing power under load with a hiss or a whoosh, have a mechanic look at the hose and how it's sitting.
DPF and EGR niggles
The DPF (diesel particulate filter) traps soot, and the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) feeds some exhaust back through the engine to cut emissions. CarsGuide said in 2021 that the Pajero Sport had niggling problems with both, and that most early faults have probably been sorted by now.
Town-only driving is the main thing to watch, because a filter needs a hot run to clear. If a DPF light's on, don't ignore it. Our page on the DPF warning light explains what to do.
Cracked heads, and cutting out at the lights
CarsGuide says cracked cylinder heads and blown head gaskets happen on this engine, though it's unclear how often. One theory it mentions is injector hardware being overtightened, or stuck injectors being forced out. So if injectors are ever on the estimate, ask how the mechanic plans to get them out. Heavy coolant loss or a hot engine means pull over somewhere safe and switch off.
A 2016 owner's car started cutting out at the lights just after a service, and CarsGuide's advice was to go back to the workshop that did the work. That's fair: something disturbed at a service is the first place to look.
Warranty, and where it's serviced
Reports from 2020 tied Mitsubishi's 10-year, 200,000 km warranty to dealer servicing, with five years or 100,000 km for owners using other mechanics. Check the terms for your own car, as they may have changed. Servicing a Pajero Sport with a qualified independent mechanic, to Mitsubishi's schedule and specifications, doesn't by itself void the new car warranty. Tell us the year and what it's doing. A local mechanic who specialises in your car.
If it were our Pajero Sport
We'd check the book for the 60,000 km valve clearance job first, because a chain engine can make owners think there's nothing to worry about. We'd lift the bonnet and ask the mechanic to look at the intercooler hose near the pulley. And if the car only does town work, we'd plan a proper highway run into the month.