Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mitsubishi Shogun 2002: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 60 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

With 712 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 712 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
60 in every 100
Did not pass first time
40 in every 100283 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
23 yearsabout 121,250 miles
First tests counted
712

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)20 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension mounting area (front): 6.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 281 of 283 failed first attempts (99.3%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Suspension mounting area (front)

Failed on 33 first tests6.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 56 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: steering rack (front), 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 21 first tests5.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

One fault: chassis condition (rear), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 21 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
60in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
34in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 60.3% of 712 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 34 not fixed make the 40 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020022005201020152020Newer cars
406080100200220102020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 56 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200155 in every 100401
2002 This car60 in every 100712
200358 in every 1001,259
200459 in every 1002,376
200558 in every 1002,651
200657 in every 1002,119
200757 in every 1001,730
200860 in every 100773
200961 in every 100531
201063 in every 100934
201165 in every 1001,008
201267 in every 100622
201370 in every 100859
201473 in every 1001,478
201577 in every 1001,777
201677 in every 1001,487
201780 in every 1001,123
201881 in every 1001,089
201981 in every 100695
202083 in every 100652
202186 in every 1001,129

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 712 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 60.3% of 712 first MOTs on the 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.7%. Among 283 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension mounting area (front) appears more often than on similar cars (11.7% of those tests; 33 observed failures; about 6.3× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (19.9%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Suspension mounting area (front) (11.7% of those tests; 33 observed failures; about 6.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension mounting area (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (11.7% of those tests; 33 observed failures; about 6.3× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun include Suspension mounting area (front), Steering rack (front), Chassis condition (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2002 Mitsubishi Shogun (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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