2001 Vauxhall Corsa SXI from UK and Ireland - Comments

I have had my 1.0 2001 Corsa for a week now and I can't fault it. It runs like a fat man on ICE ICE BABY!

I bought a used y-reg 2001 Corsa in December and traded in an n-reg corsa. My n-reg Corsa was a great run and I had very little problems with it so I decided to go for another Corsa . I regret this!

One day after the used-car dealer warranty ran out I started getting weird problems with it. I had difficulty selecting 2nd gear, then 1st and then reverse. It came to a point where I could only go in 3rd gear and up.

I took it to a local garage to have the linkage change and have it fully service. Cost me £190. When I went to pick up the car and selected 1st gear the car went backwards! The mechanic says its because it's a new linkage and so forth.

I also get the weird noise in the back seat; choking engine on start-up, lights going out on start-up.

I regret buying this car and I only had it for 3 months!

Can someone please advise me on the 1st gear and reverse mix-up?

My 53 plate Corsa SXi developed a difficult to engage 1st gear a few weeks ago. This was with only 28K miles on the clock. At 30K miles the problem developed into the loss of 2nd and reverse gears. It's in the Vauxhall garage just now and I am facing a bill for £190 for a new gear linkage. My point is this - surely this has to be a Vauxhall recall issue with such a low mileage and now, so many people suffering with failure of the very same linkage? I bought the car 2nd hand from a Vauxhall dealership - only a month's warranty - and of course - the problem started a month out of the warranty. Wish I had bought the extended warranty now!! Story of my life. This is my fifth Corsa and never had problems with any of them - until now!! Not impressed Vauxhall - major mechanical failure after only 30K miles on the clock? This also has the possibility of being dangerous. Mine went suddenly and left me on the road with no 1st, 2nd or reverse gear. Luckily I was able to keep going without having to stop - else I could never have started again.

I have owned 2 Corsa's now, and am about to take delivery of the brand new model, a Design 1.3 CDTI.

My first was a 99 T plate 1.2 MK1. Sold it with just over 80000 miles on the clock, only ever had one problem, which was the crank shaft sensor, causing the car to stall and then not start for about 15 minutes.

Then purchased a brand new 53 Plate MK2, 1.2 SXI. First problem, outside temperature started reading -0 when it was actualy 30c plus (rare in the UK I know!). Needed rewireing.

Next problem at about 35000 miles, gear linkage went. Car was out of warranty. Vauxhall first said it would cost £150, then later called back to say that Vauxhall will pay for it as a gesture of goodwill, as I have a FSH with them. Reading comments above about people having to pay, guess it depends on the garage. However, gearlinkage really should not go at 35K.

Next problem, at 45K, the water pump appears to have gone, not to bothered though, as I take delivery of my nice shiney new one this week! But still, at 45K not to be expected.

All in all, I have been very happy with the Corsa and has been a great little car, and would not let these problem put me off.

I have a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 SXI, year 51 which I have had over 2 years with no problems until a month ago. Just like some of these comments on here my car will not go into 1st or 2nd gear without a fight. Took it to my local garage who said there was a gear linkage problem; he said I should take it to my local Vauxhall dealer as it was a common problem and they should recall them even though my warranty has expired and they should deal with it as it's a manufacturing problem as a gesture of goodwill.

First problem I had with my 53reg 1l Corsa life was failure of engine after about 20k miles. It was changed by dealer under warranty, but took 3 weeks to get it sorted. However, the dealer paid for courtesy car. Second problem is strange noise coming from front wheels which appears and disappears randomly, but if I press break slightly while it lasts the noise disappears. I just had my breaks checked and cleaned and was informed that I don’t need new brake discs or pads, but the noise is still there. Last weak I have noticed difficulties putting car into 2nd gear and yesterday it wouldn’t go neither into 1st or 2nd gear. After reading all comments, I phoned Vauxhall garage and asked for price of gear linkage exchange and they quoted me £190. Other mechanic quoted me £40 for work and £90 for gear linkage. I may get it cheaper in halfords. Thank you for your comments. I still love my little corsa!

To 20th Jun 2006, 12:03:

Hello! I couldn't find a way to reply to your post, but I had this exact problem with my semi automatic SXI, and I spent a lot of time and money trying to sort it out, only to be told that there was nothing wrong with it, or they couldn't find anything wrong (Vauxhall were still very happy to take the 'diagnostic' charge of 50 pounds though...). Anyway, the problem is that the shift motor has gone and needs replacing. The part costs around 300 pounds. Good luck!

My 52 plate SXi Corsa; when driving along, the service light will show. The engine is still running, and I'm still driving, but the rev counter and the speedo dials all on the dash go down, but when I tap the top of the dash they come straight up again. Would you think this is just a loose connection, or a big problem?

Hi, I have a 2002 Corsa SXi, owned it for just over 2 years. For about a year I have had a problem with the car making panel type noises when driving over uneven road/pot holes in road. It sounds like the whole car's panels are making the noise. I have noticed when my tires are down, the noise seems to be less. From my opinion I think the suspension is not doing its job as it is not taking in the shock of the uneven road/pot holes.

What does anyone think of what the problem might be?

I have a 02 SXI which I have had from new. Has been a brilliant car up until now. I have regular services, have done only 25,000 miles and am one of the slowest drivers on the road so you can imagine my suprise when I find my gear stick floppy and unusable. I am told it is possibly the linkage and it is due to wear and tear!!!. Will Vauxhall cover my bill as its seems it is a common problem they should have recalled models for?

Hi, I have a 02 corsa sxi. I usually do around 100 miles withe £10 petrol, but now I can only manage to do around 55 miles. what kind of problem do I have here?

I have had a W reg corsa for over a year now and I have had one problem after another. First of all the car was jumpimg all over the place when I was driving it and the mechanic said ineeded new plugs which solved this problem. Not long after this the car was needing to be filled up with oil every 2 weeks and then I started to get an awful noise that sounded like a drill from the engine. The mechanic thought it was a tapets noise and it continued to get worse over the next few days. It was still needing to have oil replaced every couple of weeks and that's when I noticed blue coming smoke from the exhaust. I was told it was burning oil and should have a new engine. I had another engine and this sorted the problem and it was fine and isn't using oil anymore. Then I kept hearing a banging noise at the back of the car when I went over any bumps in the road. I couldn't work out what this was until it failed its MOT because the back suspension springs had broken. I had these replaced. The car was OK for a little while then after i'd been into town and came back to the car it wouldn't start and kept making a clicking noise. The stater motor had packed up so I had to replace it. The most recent fault is an intermittent fault where it won't start and I can leave it for an hour and it try again and it still won't start then as soon as I get the mechanic or RAC out it starts and it will be fine for a week or so and then it'll do it again which is making it hard to find out what is causing it. I also continue to get light bulbs blowing on one side of the car. I have never known a car to have so many problems in such a short space of time. The good points are that its good on petrol and is a nice size, but overall I'm not happy with the corsa's.

I have a 52 plate SXi which I had brand new for my 21st birthday. My very first issue was the stereo. I took the car back repeatedly and am now on my 6th stereo (i think it's 6, I lost count). My next issue was the left hand indicator sticking on (i keep forgetting to switch it off even now). I'm just waiting for someone to turn out in front of me, thinking I'm turning off. Thank god it won't be my fault!!Then it was the now famous gear linkages!! I live at the top of a big hill and when they finally gave up I had to leave my car at the bottom and walk home. Not much fun with several bags of shopping and a toddler. A neighbour managed to drive it home for me, but I couldn't get it into reverse to get out of my drive again. A local mechanic fixed this for around £40. Next was the key fob. I thought the battery had gone, but in fact the contacts weren't touching each other anymore (how does that happen?!). Still not fixed. Now it's just got freezing - guess what's broken?! The heaters!! Nightmare! It's not a fuse (I've checked). They don't ever get warm, and they switch off and on like I have a poltergeist playing with them. I've also had the tappets issue that people have commented on - people sometimes ask if it's a diesel!! Talk about adding insult to injury! I also agree with the loss of power people have spoken about. I do use the BP Ultimate petrol which I think does make a small difference. At the end of the day, it's never going to feel like a 1600 because it isn't, it's a 1200. All in all, great if you have it brand new and get rid around now (I'm looking to sell in the new year) but I wouldn't buy one 2nd hand. The depreciation is pretty bad too, I suppose because they're so common. I (well my Dad) paid £9.5k for mine as I had air con as an optional extra. Now I think i'd struggle to get £3k for it. And don't get me started on how bad the air con smells when you switch it off!! What's that all about???! I think there are issues with the steering too - it doesn't feel very steady and on the motorway I wouldn't like to be doing much more than 75 (which obviously I wouldn't be, lol). I also have got through a lot of sets of brake pads and tyres... is it just me? All in all, still glad I had it, but wish i'd had the SRi. I suppose none of the faults are dangerous - just a bit frustrating. I've not had any rattles which is good, that would drive me insane. I do think it handles reasonably well and for a 1200 it has got a bit of poke in it. The brakes aren't great in the wet, they don't need much of an excuse to lock up. But that could be me and my lead foot (again!!). I think i'd buy another as the new ones look pretty smart, but only the VXR!!

I own a 51 Corsa SXi. 45K on the clock. Put it in for an MOT this week (OCtober 2007) required new track rods and was told that the power steering motor was faulty. When turning right the steering wheel was not turning back itself. Will cost about £500 to fix. Have to remove dash board and console, plus parts. Rubbish if you ask me. The car is 6 years old and 45K miles. No other problems, but has put me off buying a Corsa again. Going to sell once fixed.

I've just part exed a 51 Corsa SXi, it's cost me a fortune in the last few months... losing first and second gear... had the linkage looked at, still having problems... then I limped it into a garage in third (lowest available gear at the time) and was told that the selector needed replacing, another common problem in Corsas allegedly.

The steering has been a constant problem, especially when fully locking to the right. Several repairs, costing about £250, have failed to fully resolve this issue, and on its MOT this month (failed, quelle surprise, brakes this time) the advisory notice contained the line "CV clicking on full lock"...

I've always had old bangers, this is the newest car I've ever had and it's cost me a fortune. It's a great car to drive, it's solid and it holds the road really well, but I don't have the money to keep fixing it and it's put me off Vauxhalls for life. It's turned me Japanese... let's see what Mitsubishi's can do to my bank balance!