Faults:

For the third time in a mere 41000 miles, this car has failed the annual MoT test due to pitted rear brake discs, which on each occasion have to be replaced at considerable cost. A friend who owns the same model has similar experiences, so Renault must be guilty of a basic design fault.

The car is unsuited to those Advanced Drivers who never use heavy braking, because they read the road ahead well and adjust speeds without the need for much braking.

Furthermore, I seldom carry rear seat passengers or heavy boot loads, for which the car appears to be specifically intended.

General Comments:

An otherwise brilliantly designed car is damned by this single fault.

Faults:

Tailgate button popped out. Easy fix as long as you still have the button.

Rear shock absorber snapped, but replacement was quick, cheap and easy.

Intermittent starting problem, fixed by spraying WD40 on the crankshaft position sensor.

General Comments:

Economy and performance adequate for its size and engine. Engine seems very flexible in that you can accelerate to high revs in each gear, or be lazy with gears and select high gears at low revs.

Front seats need arm rests.

Handles quite well, but the ride can get choppy.

Engine noisy when driven hard.

Some rattles and squeaks.

Car driven quite hard for 10,000 miles and is very reliable.

Very thin floor covering (not going as far as to call it carpet) hard to clean.

I think these are quite good looking vehicles, when compared to the odd Picasso, or boxy Zafira. A good bet as long as you don't need 7 seats.

My wife finds the height of the passenger seat off putting.

I find it feels somehow to narrow.

Cruises on motorways quietly and comfortably.

I was put off these by the problems reported with diesels, sunroofs and automatic gearboxes. So I bought a manual, petrol with no sunroof and have not regretted it.

Faults:

Current problems:

Dephaser needs replacing.

Heating and fan worked only intermittently and now completely broken.

Handbrake first did not come on, then came on while driving!

Windows won't close (intermittent problem).

General Comments:

This car is seriously unreliable; it is by far the worst I have ever owned. I believe it to be thoroughly unsafe, and would never buy one again, nor recommend that anyone else should either. I should have listened to friends and family's warnings about Renault's reliability record.

Faults:

Accelerator stopped revving while in a line of traffic.

Sunvisor snapped and wouldn't go back up.

Car stops as no revs when driving.

No warning lights when this happens.

General Comments:

We bought this car for comfort and reliability.

We have had this car back to dealer twice. They say there is nothing wrong.

Could be very dangerous if the car accelerator fails to work on the motorway.

Faults:

Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve was dirty. Also the car required re-programming which as carried out by Renault garage free and resolved the problems.

General Comments:

The RX4 is a great family utility vehicle providing comfort, space and reliability. On motorways the RX4 whilst cruising comfortably at 70, just under 3000 rpm can run at 50-55 mpg fantastic considering the weight of the vehicle. Fantastic caravan towing vehicle also averaging 30 mpg and with the 4 wheel drive... enough said. Love this vehicle. Shame Renault are not carrying on with the concept...

Faults:

The brake disc arrived from new with surface markings on inner disc faces.

When braking at low speed the the brakes are very noisy, this has apparently been reported with more Scenics of late.

The handbrake continues to stick when release after being stationery overnight. This I have been advised is due to adverse weather conditions and again has been noted with other Scenics.

When I purchased the car these problems were not highlighted by the dealer. I still have the problem and the dealer seem happy to leave it as it is not a safety issue. Cannot say I am very happy!

General Comments:

The car is lovely to drive and is very good as a family car.

I purchased it as I needed to use 3 car seats and have managed very well.

However I have found when needing to use the hazard warning lights it is very difficult to press the button as the steering wheel seems to block you view. This can be worrying especially with motorway driving.