How to Solve Mahindra XUV 300 Suspension Issues? (Expert Guide)

By Vroomouk
Page last updated: 14/08/2023 | Next review date: 14/08/2025
close

Author bio


Vroomouk
View More north_east

In this brief article, we are going to discuss the different Mahindra XUV 300 air suspension issues, what the causes are, and how these issues can be effectively dealt with.

Top XUV 300 Suspension Problems

It has been a little over 2 years since the launch of the XUV300. Therefore, it would take more time to make observations on the common failures that occur in the XUV300’s suspension. But, however, judging from the type of suspension and other comparable cars, the common and predictable suspension problems with the XUV300 could be:

  •  Front Shock absorber Failure
  •  Front Strut Top Bearing Failure
  •  Rear shock absorber Failure

XUV 300 Suspension

The Mahindra brand has always been known for the ruggedness and off-road capabilities of its products. The suspension system design has always been one of the main factors in this respect.

The front suspension in the XUV 300 is a rather conventional MacPherson Strut set-up, whereas the rear suspension consists of a Torsion beam trailing axle with Coilover Springs.

The XUV300 was derived from and based on SsangYong’s X100 platform and the SsangYong Tivoli. (SsangYong is a fully owned brand under the Mahindra group). The XUV300 was launched in February of 2019 for the Indian Market.

Front Strut Failure

  • The car feels Bouncier going over bumps
  • On a rough road it feels as if the front end is losing grip as you increase speed
  • Poor Handling at speed
  • Knocking and squeaking noises over rough roads

Troubleshooting Front Strut Failure

  • The Bouncy Ride symptom points to the Shock Absorber as a probable cause.
  • The noises coming from the front or rear are partly due to the failed shock absorber allowing the bump stops to contact more often. 
  • The noises also partly come from the worn out shock mounting bushes that allow the shock to move and hit against the mounting brackets.
  • If your vehicle has crossed 50K miles, then it could be due for a shock absorber replacement. Due to long-term internal wear, the shock starts becoming ineffective over time.
  • If the shock absorber has started leaking oil due to a failed oil-seal, then it means that the shock will no longer be effective.
  • One good way to tell if your shock has failed or not is to do a “Bounce Test”. Put all your weight on one of the front corners of the vehicle pushing it downwards. Keep oscillating the corner till you feel that it has reached its maximum height. Once you take your hands off the corner, observe how it settles. If it takes more than 2 oscillations to settle, that means the damper has failed.

Pro Tip

  • Once the Strut Shock absorber has been dismantled, there is one more way to see the shock condition for yourself by way of a ‘Compression’ test. 
  • You can simply apply force on the top of the shock and compress it. If it can come back up on its own, then the shock is in fairly good condition. But if it takes too long or doesn’t expand on its own, it’s confirmed that the shock absorber has failed.

Front Strut Top Bearing failure

  • Front suspension banging excessively over rough roads as well as bumps
  • Banging Noise present also while turning the steering wheel

Troubleshooting Front Suspension Banging Noise

  • Front Suspension Banging noise could be due to either the control arms or the strut top bearing
  • The presence of noise while steering increases the probability of the root cause being the strut top bearing
  • The Top Strut Mount contains a Bushing as well as a bearing that allows the strut to rotate while steering
  • Generally, when the Top Strut mount is damaged, both the bushing as well as the bearing fail and restrict the strut from rotation during steering. 
  • The bearing failure causes the knocking and creaking noises while locking the steering.
  • The Bushing failure causes the Knocking and Popping noises driving over a rough patch.
  • The Strut Top Mount is assembled with the Front Shock Absorber Strut. So for removing this, you would need to disassemble the Front Strut.

Rear Shock Absorber Failure

  • Knocking and Squeaking noises
  • Bouncy Rear end going over bumps
  • Rear wheels feel ‘floaty’ and losing grip going over rough patches
  • Poor handling especially during slightly fast cornering

Troubleshooting Rear shock Failure

  • Handling problems usually point to a problem in lateral grip. Now this could be either the tires or the Rear Shocks.
  • Rear shocks tend to have more life as compared to the front, but could also fail early depending on whether or not the vehicle does off-road driving a lot.
  • It seems that the inside wheel was not planted enough on the tarmac to get lateral grip.
  • Going over rough surfaces, the damper’s job is to keep the tires planted on the road surface. The ‘Floaty’ feeling is clearly due to a lack of Damping at the outside corner while cornering.
  • Squeaks and Knocks are also typical symptoms of Shock Absorber failure
  • Once the Tire is ruled out as a potential cause, then the only remaining Root Cause is the Rear Shock absorber. Failed Shock Absorbers can cause lateral grip problems
  • Check the condition of the shock absorbers’ upper and lower mount rubber bushings
  • Also check for oil leakage stains on the shock tube top, right below the Rod-seal. Oil leakage is a sure sign that the shock absorber is not functioning
  • Although shock leakage is conclusive of failure, not all shock absorber failures involve oil leakage. If a shock absorber has reached its end-of-life then it could internally fail at the piston eventhough the top Rod-seal may still be intact.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have discussed the different Mahindra XUV 300 suspension issues, what the causes are, and how these issues can be effectively dealt with.