1999 Peugeot 406 GLX from UK and Ireland - Comments

3rd Aug 2007, 16:10

"Great drive and comfortable, but maintenance and unexpected faults are costly"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

The seals on the driver and passenger windows keep lifting, so I have to keep pushing them back down. The passenger side has now split and looks unsightly.

When you have the door open the rubber seal at the bottom edge of the car comes away, I am always putting it back in place.

The electric windows have an annoying habit; when you press the control to close the window, it gets half way up and comes down again. Not fun when it is raining, and to outsiders it looks like you are having fun messing around with the window (up, down, up, down). Sometimes it is a real fight to close it.

There is an knocking sound that comes from the back, but so far the garage has no explanation for it.

The front windows rattle when they are slightly down.

Most recently, the cutout in the dash for the airbag started to raise. I took it to my local dealer, to be told the passenger airbag needed to be replaced and the car was not safe to drive. They tell me it is going to cost £380 labour and £300 plus for the part; can't tell you how upset I was. This seems a real rip off to me, but what choice do I have, they say it is not safe to drive as the airbag could go off at any minute. Seems to me to be a very dangerous fault to occur. The dealer is expensive, but I cannot go to my local garage where I have my car serviced, as they say they cannot do this particular job, it is specialised. I am still a little suspicious though, as my airbag light did not come on. Peugeot dealers can charge what they like, knowing not many of the smaller garages can handle the job. Not at all fair.

General comments?

Seriously quick in sports mode, and very quiet.

Very spacious and comfortable; great for long journeys.

It is a big and heavy car, but the power steering makes it a dream to drive, and I feel safe in it.

The interior is wearing well, as it is now over 8 years old. The dash is set out nicely; lots to see, but easy to read.

However the control panel for the electric windows are set in the door, and when it is raining, they get very wet when you get in or out of the car. Not sure this is safe.

It has its faults, and I am finding they are usually very expensive, but generally it is a great drive, and I love it.


4th Aug 2007, 10:00

If the airbag is dangerous, discuss with Peugeot-even a 1999 car which is well out of warranty is still their liability for a major safety issue such as this.

If you have a bulging airbag and have been told professionally that it could fire unexpectedly, contact Peugeot Head Office immediately. If it has not been damaged previously, they are liable-the units have a life of 10 years.

This may be a serious safety issue which may instigate a recall for this unit.

Your wet electric window switches are probably causing your unruly window operation!

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