2001 Citroen C5 Exclusive SE from UK and Ireland - Comments

- Sat Nav computer crashed frequently and refused to come back up, even after switching off and restarting the car.

- Display frequently went haywire, with lines buzzing up and down the screen.

- One cylinder failed resulting in the AA having to tow my wife to the garage.

- Alarm system failed causing the alarm to go off at all hours of the day and night.

- Brakes squealed terribly, dealer said that this was a known problem and they were unable to fix it.

- Washer fluid level sensor failed.

- Airbag warning light came on occasionally.

- Steering wheel 'melted' - frequently after a long drive I would end up with some of the steering wheel stuck to my hand.

- Xenon lights were not very bright and the auto-leveling system cause the lights to 'jump' slightly which was very annoying on long journeys.

- Strange rumbling sound from the back at low speeds.

This is by far the most luxurious and most comfortable car I have ever owned.

Boot space is excellent too.

Loved the V6 and the semi automatic mode on the gearbox.

However, poor reliability meant that it was back in the garage up to twice a month, with most of the faults appearing to be unrectifiable.

Eventually it was the brakes squealing (really embarrassing in slow traffic) and the alarm problems that led us to sell the car.

Citroen don't do a v8, it's a v6,

My 2001 C5 2.0 also had squiking brakes. The dealer also said it was a common problem, but fixed it without any further ado.

I too have a C5 V6 Exclusive se. I have owned it for the last two years and as yours, it has spent a great deal of time at a dealership being repaired. My problems have varied, but the one and only consistent problem has been the Ignition Coils. They keep failing and up until recently where this has cost me just time and inconvenience, it has now cost me money. Lots of it to be exact.

I also have a Citroen C5 Exclusive, but not for long. It has been the worst experience of my life in terms of owning a car and will never buy another. I have had it two years and within months it developed a fault with the electric seat on the driver side and caught fire. Five months ago it developed a fault which caused the power to cut-out. It cost a small fortune to get it fixed and the fault is now back five months later. The last point to make is that the car cannot hold its value which is not surprising. I cannot wait to get rid of it.

Citroen C5 Exclusive SE 2.2 HDi We have had this vehicle for a few years was a demostrater it a 02 plate with 27.000 miles on it OK its got all the toys I have read with horror at some of the comments on here (ours has not got all of them <-- "yet"!) Yes I agree it eats front tyres and about the brake noise its has had new pads front/rear The main concern is the ride not good at low speed on uneven roads also the front suspension legs are very wet with oil on the outside round the plastic cone at the top I took it to my dealer they said this is normal! I took it to a friend who is a mot examier and he said it would fail (its not due for its mot yet) I'm still trying to sort this out and will keep you posted Also the electric heaters in both seats packed up Another anoying thing is the fuel flap not locking sometimes The faults on this vehicle does amaze me for a vehicle that is so expensive! I would not buy one again.

I purchased a low mileage C5 Exclusive SE (the V6) about 2 years ago. On the plus side, it is the most comfortable and well-equipped car that I have ever owned. As a package it works well, the Sat Nav is good, the stereo system is excellent, the ride is smooth and quiet. It is absolutely superb on long journeys (you can hop out after 300 miles feeling loose and relaxed), and there is acres of boot space. Given the incredibly cheap price that I paid for such a high-spec motor (the depreciation on these cars is unbelievable) I expected some snags (the buying public are pretty shrewd, and you don't get bargain cars very often). After only 15,000 miles, all 3 catalytic converters needed to be replaced (under warranty, would have cost well over £1000 otherwise). The problem may have been caused by an ignition problem (not very noticeable on a V6 at first), which meant that I "lost" a cylinder on my way down the M6 (fortunately, warranty was still valid). At 20,000 miles I started replacing components in the front suspension, and have just forked out £700 on two new front shockers. Not good news for such a low mileage car! Now that the warranty has expired I am not really sure whether to keep the car. On one hand, it is still a great car and day-to-day reliability is fine. On the other hand, should I sell it before it becomes totally worthless? My greatest fear is that at some point in the not too distant future, the repair bills could exceed the value of the car! Other snags that I recognised from the other postings include the amazing melting steering wheel and the sensitive alarm (I was told that there are 2 sensitivity settings on the alarm, mine was not set for leather upholstery and hence the fault - that said, even though this has been "fixed" I still do not entirely trust the alarm and tend to use my key)! If you are thinking of buying one, make sure that you go into it with your eyes open. At the right price, these cars are still good value - but maybe you should put some of the money that you saved on one side to pay the inevitable repair bills.