What are the Most Common Peugeot 3008 Suspension Issues? (Troubleshooting Guide)

In this brief article, we are going to discuss the different Peugeot 3008 Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

Most common suspension issues in the Peugeot 3008

The most common suspension issues seen in the Peugeot 3008 are:

• Rear Suspension Recall
• Rear suspension Creaking
• Rear Trailing Arm Bush Failure
• Front Shock Absorber Failure
• Front Strut Top Mount Bearing Failure
• Front Lower Control Arm Bushing Failure
• Anti Roll Bar Drop Link Failure

What suspension does the Peugeot 3008 have?

The Peugeot 3008 is a sub-compact Crossover SUV made by the PSA Group as a successor to the Peugeot 4007 and the 4008. The first-gen 3008 was built on the T8 platform. The 3008 is currently into its 2nd generation P84 since 2016. The Peugeot 3008 shares its platform with a bears similarity with the Peugeot 5008.

Front Suspension

The front suspension in the Peugeot 3008 is a MacPherson Strut and Lower control Arm with Anti-roll bar. This arrangement is mounted onto the front subframe.

Rear Suspension

The Peugeot 3008 has a Trailing Arm Torsion Beam axle with coil springs and shock absorbers.

The Peugeot 3008 also had a Plug-in Hybrid vehicle with a rear-wheel-drive configuration. This rear suspension is an independent 3-Link set-up.

Rear Suspension Recall

• The Recall concerns PEUGEOT 3008 from the 2019 – 2020 Model years
• As per PSA, the rear suspension mounting bolts were not torqued correctly to spec from the factory. 
• Peugeot recall code: JWX
• The Remedy is to get the rear suspension mounting bolts replaced and tightened to the recommended OE torque settings

Rear Suspension Creaking Noise

• Creaking noise from the rear especially going over a hump
• Can be heard even when a passenger enters and sits in the rear seat

Troubleshooting Rear Suspension Creaking Noise

• This is a known issue with Peugeot 3008
• More common with the 2015 model year Allure
• The known issue is related to the rear axle Torsion beam developing a crack
• The creaking sound is whenever there is a roll motion in the rear suspension; either when each rear wheel goes over a bump separately, or when there is a load applied to any one side of the rear
• The roll motion causes the axle to twist and creak at the axle crack location, which is most probably located at the center of the axle
• The axle is unfortunately not repairable and will have to be replaced

Rear Trailing Arm Bush Failure

• Vehicle handling is poor at high speed
• The rear seems to roll excessively and gives a feeling of instability
• Knocking noises from the rear
• Occurs in the 3008 Hybrid 4 independent rear suspension

Troubleshooting Rear Trailing Arm Bush Failure

• In the rear independent type of suspension, roll behaviour is influenced by both the antiroll bar as well as the trailing arm bush stiffness
• If the trailing arm bushings have worn out, the rear suspension has lost a good amount of roll resistance. 
• Also, the worn-out bushings will allow the rear wheels to move out of alignment
• The rear suspension bushings can be checked using a pry bar lever. Leverage pry bar against the rear subframe and try to move each control arm
• Check for movement of each control arm. Excessive movement of the control arm at the bushing indicates that the bushing might have failed

Front Shock Absorber Failure

Symptoms:

• Knocking Noise going over any rough patches. This happens at relatively low mileages
• Front end bouncier than normal for high mileage vehicles

Troubleshooting Front Shock Absorber Failure

• Under normal usage conditions, a vehicle would be due for a shock replacement at around 50K miles or so, due to wear and tear. 
• If the front strut shock 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:

• In order to access the top strut mount of the shock absorber, it would be necessary to remove the windshield wiper assembly, as the bolt is located underneath

Front Strut Top Mount Failure

Symptoms:

• Knocking Noise while going over Rough Road Patches
• Bumping/Knocking Noises when trying to lock the steering in parking maneuvers

Troubleshooting Front Strut Top Mount Bearing Failure

• The Top Strut Mount contains a bearing that allows the strut to rotate while steering, in addition to a rubber isolator to absorb road impacts and noise.

• When the Top Strut mount is damaged, the bearing also fails and restricts the strut from rotation during steering. This is what causes the knock and creaking noises.
• One more source of noise is the Bump stop rubber at the top of the strut. If this has deteriorated, then it would lead to noises while going over bumps

• The top mount and bearing are held together by one Nut and retainer plate that is tightened against the spring compressive load.
• The strut top mount can be removed only by using a spring compressor to compress the spring and relieve the top mounting bolt.

Pro-Tip:

• Always use a professional grade spring compressor to remove the spring from the strut. It should be either pneumatic or hydraulic.
• Lead-screw type compressors tend to not ensure proper gripping of the spring and risk spring jumping out. This is potentially dangerous as the spring carries enough amount or potential energy to cause damage and injury to the surroundings.

Front Lower Control Arm Failure

Symptoms:

• The car seems to be drifting
• Steering seems vague while Lane Changing
• Uneven Tire Wear pattern
• Knocking Noises while going over Rough Patches

Root Cause:

• Due to a Tire wear issue, it can be inferred that the alignment of the front suspension is outside of the recommended settings. But this is still a symptom.
• The cause for alignment change points to the Lower control arm Bushings and Ball-joints that may have got worn or damaged

Troubleshooting Front Lower Control Arm Bushing Failure: Lower Control Arm Bushings

• The Peugeot 3008 has two Lower control arm bushings
• These Lower Control Arm bushings wear out over time and crack due to age
• When inspecting the Lower control arm after removal, it is clear that there are tears and cracks in the rubber portion

Troubleshooting Front Lower Control Arm Bushing Failure: Lower Control Arm Ball-Joint

• The lower control arm ball joints are also subject to wear and tear.
• The deterioration is usually initiated as a crack or rupture in the rubber boot around the ball-joint
• This leads to loss of lubrication and finally to complete wear out
• The wear out causes play or movement accompanied by knocking noise. The play in the ball joint is one of the reasons for the vehicle steering feeling value.
• The Peugeot 3008 has a two-piece lower control arm where the Ball joint is bolted onto the Lower control arm. Hence, for a ball-joint failure alone, it is not needed to replace the entire lower control arm.

Anti Roll Bar Drop Link Failure

Symptoms:

• Clunking Noise while normal driving
• The noise gets worse when going over a rough patch

Troubleshooting Anti Roll Bar Drop Link Failure

• Clunking noises, in most passenger cars, almost always point to the Anti-roll bar linkages
• The noise is due to the play in the joints of the Anti Roll Bar Drop Links.
• One good way to diagnose this problem is to hold the Anti-roll Bar and Push and Pull it hard.
• If you see the ball-joint separating and moving along with a knocking noise, then you have found the root cause for Clunking Noise
• Once you remove the Drop Link, you can check the ball joints by hand the see if they move with play

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have discussed the different Peugeot 3008 Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

For any questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch with us.

References

https://www.vehicle-recall.co.uk/recall/R/2020/052