2001 Citroen Xsara LX from UK and Ireland - Comments

Fuel gauge repeatedly faulty from new, dealer fixed it on 4th or 5th attempt, eventually fixed by replacement of fuel sender (twice) and computer upgrade. Kept telling me the tank was full when I knew it wasn't.

Few trips back to the dealer to complain about the fact it likes to cut out on cold mornings when it's only been running a few minutes. Did that from new. Dealer never fixed, said couldn't replicate. I got sick of the waste of time complaining about it and just put up with it.

Engine management light and stop light within first 2 years, loss of acceleration coming on twice on motorway, fixed by computer upgrade (apparently)

Power steering pump failed within a couple of months from new. Causing an interesting near death experience coming off the motorway when I least expected it.

LED/light behind central radio/clock display failed within 3 years.

Indicator stalk on steering wheel failed twice within 2 years.

Cassette player failed twice within 2 years.

Passenger side electric wing mirror motor failed within 2 years.

Front part of exhaust fell off (the long bit that goes from the box at the back into the engine) just before 3 year warranty was up.

Rear exhaust fell off shortly after the above (the box and the bit at the back) (3rd year)

Driver's side ball joint worn, knocking, and needed replacing (3rd year)

1st-stage thermostat failed, causing cooling fan not to come on, engine to overheat/stop light come on, replaced.

Radiator sprung a leak (not related to above), needed replacing (4th year)

Broken/worn fuel sender wire in fuel tank causing car to grind to a halt on motorway (was fixed by re-soldering the broken wire - 4th year). Another near death experience.

Throughout the last 12 months I've been getting a lovely curry/cat pee smell from the heater. Dealer tells me it might be a bust heater core and will cost hundreds of pounds for them just to investigate, never mind fix it.

I'm sure there are others I've forgotten, I've had so many problems with this heap.

One word- nightmare. The only reason I've still got it is because I was stupid enough to buy the car from new with a loan and am still paying it off.

Why oh why oh why didn't I spend that 10 grand on something else. Was suckered into an 'upgrade' to this Xsara after having 2 years happy trouble free motoring with the smaller and miles more reliable Citroen Saxo.

It's underpowered, ugly, and I recently discovered you can't replace the radio cassette for a generic (ie. decent) CD player.

Also recently discovered when the drivers side side light bulb went..it's impossible to get at it to change it.. another trip to the garage just to change a 50p bulb.

To anyone thinking of buying a Xsara - DON'T!. I go to work each day wondering what's going to happen next.

All that aside, it's got comfy seats.

Doesn't surprise me.

I had a VTS from new, don't get me wrong it was seriously quick, but it fell to bits, 18 trips to the dealer in three years, the head gasket blew, ignition coils, ABS went wonky, wheels rusted (odd for allow wheels), mirror fell off, rear windscreen leaked, fuel gauge stuck, heater was goosed from new, alarm went etc etc.

Citroen don't build good cars, but it is a performance bargain, very rapid little car with great handling although my S3 is in a different league :)

Just to add to my original comments (I'm the original poster)...I forgot to mention the clutch went at 65000 miles, needed a new one, and, funnily enough, after the last poster mentioned ignition coils... my deathtrap conked out on the motorway just this weekend, went into 'limp home mode', apparently it's a fault on both ignition coils.. my local garage cleared it, ran tests, no further fault found with the ignition coils and it's not come back (yet)...but who knows when it's going to pack up again.

I hate this car. A ceremonial burning may be in order.

I had to laugh at this post, not out of cruelty, but from a deeply rooted empathy. I have a Citroen Xsara 1.9 LX Turbo Diesel (2001), and the only consolation I can draw is that I didn't buy it new!

Same problems re. power steering pump, heating matrix, radiator has turned to mush and now the head gasket has gone, this on a car that has only done 70000 miles (and a diesel). Plus the exterior panels seem to consist of a material with less structural integrity than papier mache.

I am beginning to become paranoid about this car - it's currently in the garage and if I can find anyone naive enough to buy it, I will pass it on at the next available opportunity and NEVER buy another Citroen!!! Give it another year and I'll also be in automotive sacrifice territory.

If this car transformed into a robot a la the current Citroen ads, it would become the crap one out of "Lost in Space"

How sad reading all these negative comments, but totally justifiable. Almost all the faults listed have happened to my Xsara 2002 hatchback purchased from new, including that infuriating curry stench from the heater making it unusable. The windows constantly fog over; without being able to use the smelly heater for long it makes journeys very frustrating and even with the heat on max, still no clearance. Engine cuts out on EVERY ramp as I make my way down seven floors of the multi storey car park, resulting in dangerous manoeuvres because of the loss of the power steering. Knocking underneath to which the Citroen dealer told me that all Citroen's do knock and bang and hat its part of their history and character! Drivers side ball joint had to be replaced, exhaust fell off after 20,000 miles and has never been the same. Heater jammed on full in the cold position in the middle of a freezing spell and doors caving in even when you just lean on them! Being of small frame and build, that's quite a concern! I hate this car and will never buy another one. Lost acceleration also when overtaking and noisy, creaking suspension. Too much 'furniture' on the steering column which renders it unusable. To top it all, the after sales service is dreadful. Get your act together Citroen.

Dear me, I honestly couldn't make this up if I tried.. original poster back again.. just to say that 1 week after my ignition coil fault, my gearbox sprung an oil leak (drivers-side drive shaft seal broke apparently)...exactly 1 week later, exhaust fell off (the same section that fell off just before my 3 year warranty)..so that's 2 exhaust midsections in 6 years. 3 weekends in a row at the garage for 3 separate faults for my trusty ol' Xsara. 6 years old now and I've had enough. Time to trade in methinks.

I've had a Xsara 1.8 16v for almost 4 years now and its not been that bad - I bought it 5 years old with only 10k on the clock.

The only real problem I have had was quite recent - the exhaust manifold pressure sensor required replaced. Symptoms were stalling at junctions and losing power on the motorway. Total cost around £110.

Other than that its been OK - I pretty much service it myself and any other problems which tend to be wear and tear (tyres, brakes etc) are sorted at MOT.

I think with Citroen it really is pot luck as I have heard a good few horror stories. Then again, you do see a lot of them in the road going back to R Reg.

Cheers.

Andrew.

We have an almost five year old Xsara and it's been OK so far, but with some of the 'standard' problems that this car apparently suffers from. Exhaust systems are low quality and seem to last about 3 years (just past the warranty) and there are the common problems with the heater/climate control where we have had this car in for repairs twice. This car has not yet done 70.000 km and even if it has had only a couple of repairs outside warranty I don't have that much confidence in this car. It simply does not feel very well built and even at 70.000 km it is starting to feel worn. I really question the durability of these cars even if mine has been OK until now. I'm anxious what's going to happen when this car goes beyond 100.000 km. I suspect it may give us a lot of expensive repairs.

I compare this car with the neighbours ten year old Corolla that has twice the mileage, and that car is never in for repairs except for wear items like brake pads. There is clearly a difference in quality between brands.

As an owner of a Citroen Xsara 1998 hatchback, yes the dreadful power steering pump went on me also, but did not render the car useless as the belt was cut, so I could use the car without power steering.

To be honest the only other problem I have had with the car is a creaking rear suspension, which I am still trying to cure.

This car has 100,000 on the clock, but without the horror stories.

I thought it was quite reliable; starts every morning, and I been everywhere in the UK with it. Quite pleased; I must have the only reliable one.

Hi everyone who has taken the time to post. I am in Australia and I too have had my fair share of problems with my '02 Xsara VTR. I only purchased it about 10 months ago and I have probably only driven it for about three of those. I purchased it with 100 000km on the clock, and based on previous purchases of cars with much more mileage, I thought that this lower figure combined with European 'quality' would see a driving relationship like no other. Definitely not the case.

So many things have happened I don't know where to start. The first thing that happened was about a month after I purchased - the car would 'bunny-hop' in 1st and 2nd gears when accelerating from traffic lights, along with the engine management light displaying on my dashboard. A trip to the dealer saw this problem identified as a faulty MAP sensor. $450AUD later and this was fixed. One week earlier, I had taken the car to the same dealership for a thorough check in order to identify any possible problems like this.

I had also noticed a clonking noise from my suspension (which the Citroen dealer missed also). This was identified as the suspension drop link and was replaced for another $200.

A couple of weeks after these events, the passenger side electric window decided to remain permanently open. The regulator was rebuilt for a cost of $400 as the dealer replacement was going to cost more and I was also told the quality would be poor.

The stereo (after-market) seems to have no memory. So each time I turn the car on, I need to program my favorite radio stations. Citroen can re-wire this for me for $120.

Randomly, the door-open light (and chime) will announce themselves, when all doors are closed and the car is in motion.

The exhaust baffle needs replacing.

The top engine mount is split.

The passenger side seat has lost one of it's bolts and also the thread that holds it in place. $100 to fix.

About four months into ownership, the gearbox began to make a dreadful noise when decelerating. This was identified as faulty bearings and requiring a rebuild. When rebuilding the box, the dealer rang me and asked that I go and inspect the box with them. They showed me that several of the gears were worn and as such the box was useless. The dealer offered to source a second hand gearbox in order to replace. They spent a week searching here in Australia and could not find one, other than one that cost $3000 and only had a 30 day warranty! Fed up with poor dealer service, I decided to search for a box on the internet myself and ended up purchasing one from a breaker in the UK for a fraction of what the Citroen dealer here in Australia could offer me. This arrived, the dealer rebuilt it with new bearings, and $3000 later I had a nice, slick gearbox.

That would be nice, but now my engine management light is permanently lit. A trip to the dealer saw the problem identified as a failing catalytic converter. The dealer replacement is about $1000. I took the car to an exhaust specialist who could do it for half the cost, and within half an hour they rang me to say that the engine light may not be the catalytic converter, but could be due to the fact the exhaust manifold is cracked. I was left wondering why, in my COUNTLESS trips to Citroen, was this not identified?!

So here I am now, 10 months later and thousands of dollars lost on a car that is still wrought with problems. The car is so nice to drive compared to what I have had in the past, but I am heartbroken at the situation that I have been through with this heap of junk. My next move is to have that engine light reset by the dealer and promptly take the car to sell off to a dealer (probably for much less that I purchased it for). That was meant to happen today, but I took the car to Citroen and their Proxia computer had died! It seems that this company will never get its act together.

ALL YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE CONSIDERING A CITROEN - BE VERY CAREFUL.

ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUFFERED LIKE ME... AT LEAST YOU CAN TAKE COMFORT IN THE FACT THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Take this experience and learn from it for your future purchases. I know I will.

I don't know how much $120 is in our money,£'s.But come on, it just needs a permanent live feed to the radio.Cost, pennies.

You want to look up 2002 VW Passat if you want to read about bad reliability.

I bought a Xsara 1.4 LX with 92,500 miles on the clock. Because Citroen haven't put tenths of a mile on the clock, I thought it had only done 9,250. Frankly its not as bad as some of the examples here, but it does have the funny smell, the power steering hang - ups, electrical faults, starting and stalling problems and indeed most of the usual faults. The build quality appears to suck through a straw. My favourite example of this was when the top half of the front Citroen logo fell off and I drove over it. 58 GBP? AAARRRGGGHHH!!!. Now its up to 115000 miles and, fair play, it still starts up and runs most of the time, but I can't manage the constant repair bills. The solution, which I'd recommend to anybody, is; BUY A VW GOLF - IT WILL STILL BE ON THE ROAD WHEN YOU'VE FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH IT COST, AND LETS FACE IT, That's WHAT YOU MEANT TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE, ONLY YOU THOUGHT YOU'D SAVE MONEY BY GETTING A CITROEN.

Well I am a woman and have just managed to change the main beam bulb on our Citroen xsara lx 2002.

I will explain how for all that are having problems,

there is a black cap you need to take of behind the light,

under that there is a little black box that is connected to the bulb that just pulls off, then you need to unclip it, this is were I did get a bit baffled and you need someone with small hands, the clip undoes from the top, you need to push each side of the clip to the side so it unhooks, this is still attached to the bottom so it will not fall, then carefully remove the bulb and replace with another one, you have to make sure the bulb is straight before you clip it back on, again clip each one by pulling it out to the side to hook it on, then put the little black connector back on which slides over the two bits on the back of the bulb then put the cover back on and job done.

Any one who has studied this will know what I am on about.

Hope this helps and save people a trip to the garage.

Kind regards

Jenni.

Its just tricky with a lot of patience needed and small hands, but is relatively easy.

Changing the bulb on drivers side is easy as described above, however the passenger side Xsara 2001 headlight arrangement is practically inaccessible due to positioning of equipment behind, l changed three bulbs yesterday and it took forever, you can't see anything, must be done in feel around, small hands would be great, as would a better design. It can be done, not quickly and not without pain and discomfort. Halfords advertise changing bulbs for you, but they knocked me back, hence l had to do it myself.

Wow...now I'm really worried. I just gave downpayment to a second hand dealer for a 7 year old xsara..it's gorgeous, but I hope the horror stories don't come with it.