Broken springs? We run a fleet of 200 trucks all over northern Canada and up to the north slope of alaska. Running day and night down to -40 C and beyond. I don't recall ever having a coil break "due to cold".

 

As I mentioned before there are mainly defective spring and/or corroded springs that fail.

By defective I mean there could be a bubble of void or a large inclusion in the metal of the spring or damage on the outside of the coil caused by an impact leading to stress fracture.

By corrosion I don't mean flaky large surface rust but micro pit of rust caused by the environment (salt in the air or on the road) and also how much carbon is in the steel, more carbon mean more corrosion susceptibility.

I copied the following paragraph from a VW forum where a few person had broken spring.

Quote:
I'm assuming my spring failed due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC), which is also a high profile cause in catastrophic bridge failures, and for basically the same reasons. Corrosion develops a tiny surface pit, and a crack begins to form at the pit and get bigger over time. Since spring are highly stressed in torsion, the crack finally reduces the stress bearing area enough to cause sudden failure. In northern Indiana, corrosion from road salts is still an issue; however, living in Florida or California (anywhere near the ocean) leads to similar corrosion issues.

Without looking at the fracture we can only suppose.

 

My right front coil spring broke yesterday , exactly one year to the day since the front left broke . I as well have never had this happen to any of my previous vehicles. We have 114k on it . They have to order the part , going to take a few days .... this one is a more costly as they also seen that the tire rod ends are loose. Up until now , it has been the best vehicle we have ever owned , but dissapointed in these coil springs .... I thought I would join the forum to see what others are saying about it. Thanks !!

 

Hi, are your new ones gonna be OEM from the dealer?

Has anyone changed aftermarket ones before considering aftermarket ones would be a little better in terms of price and maybe quality.

 

I am one happy camper ...recieved a letter today from Mitsubishi Canada that they are extending the warrenty for front coil springs . They have determined that there is a potential for them to corrode from prolonged exposure to anti freezing agents ( such as Calcium Chloride) used in cold weather areas to clear ice and snow from roadways which may cause the spring to fracture. I have had them both break exactly one year apart . Besides that , it has been by far the best vehicle I have ever owned. Way to go Mitsubishi for backing up your vehicles !! They want me to mail my reciepts in ..... this ice pellet/crazy snow day in April has just gotten better \o/ ....Going to bed now , hoping it is all gone ( the snow) by the time I get up !! :

 

Hi, I know this is an old thread but I'll share my experience all the same. I have an old Outlander 2007 (220.000 KM) and this week the coil spring from driver's side snaped just like described above.

I was leaving my parking spot and I first heard a poping sound coming from the front/left wheel, about 2km later I did a sharp turn to the right and this time a very loud noise came from the very same place. The next day I brought it to a garage and I has been confirmed the the coil spring snaped.

I live in Montreal/Canada, we get a LOT of snow here and there's always salt on the roads wherever you go. However it wasn't cold when it happened (18C). I can only believe this is due to corrosion/salt. A new pair will cost me $244 + taxes.

 

I have a 2007 Outlander AWD too, in H, and temperatures dropped to -20 F. First my driver side mcPherson strut spring snapped, and then the other front coil spring snapped while trying to move it to my neighbor's garage to be inspected. Mitsubishi extended their warranty on this failure to 9 years from new, or 100,000 miles, so I had to replace them myself, at considerable cost. I had 132k miles. One of the broken springs managed to shift and puncture one of the front tire sidewalls while making a tight left turn in my driveway too. I complained to NHTSA. I will never buy another Mitsubishi again.