2002 Citroen C5 SX review from UK and Ireland
"Woefully unreliable"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Most serious fault was the failure of the handbrake mechanism on a steep hill. It was left correctly applied, but when we returned to the car, we found it protruding from a house at the bottom of the hill. We were extremely lucky that nobody was hurt, but well over £10000 of damage was caused. Citroen have denied any knowledge of previous handbrake failure (the police strangely found the brake to be applied correctly and the car locked) despite other reviews on this site suggesting that this fault is known about.
On Christmas eve, the engine exploded on a steep hill, several hundred miles from home. Whilst the Citroen Assist (the free breakdown service) got us home efficiently, they later charged my credit card for the cost of the "free" courtesy car. It took several weeks to reclaim this money, and many more weeks to get the car back on the road again.
The car regularly suffers power failures (engine will not start etc.) and goes into "Eco Mode."
The hub caps keep on falling off.
The brakes squeal regularly.
General comments?
Overall, a highly unreliable car, which we are unable to sell due to ridiculous depreciation.
The dealer has been poor, and we have visited so regularly that the staff know all of our names. They are at least friendly, and acknowledge the weaknesses of this car.
The C5, with its excellent diesel engine could be so good. Unfortunately, due to woeful reliability, it is a car to steer well clear of.
Search for New and Used Citroen C5s available in the UK
Click here to advertise your car
Recommended reviews
  | Sound car let down by incompetent, ignorant and unhelpful dealership |
| 2001 - C5 210 BHP 2.0 HDi 16 V Nice ride, but TOO unreliable and costly |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 diesel Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 3/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 20000 miles |
| Previous car | Renault Laguna |
| Date of Entry | 21st September, 2004 |