1999 Vauxhall Zafira Elegance from UK and Ireland - Comments

We have an X reg Zafira and have problems with it not starting even with up to half a tank of fuel in it or if it is on a small hill etc as many of you have also experienced, today it just conked out completely and the AA guy said that it is probably the fuel pump. So even though we bought the car fairly recently and it has low mileage we have got to fork out for a new fuel pump. It seems a common problem from the comments here.

Hi, I have an 04 reg Zafira Elegance 2.0 DTi and have a problem where when I turn the headlights on all the dash display lights go out. Has anyone experienced this before, or know how to fix it??? The garage has suggested calling in an electrical specialist to fix but I fear this could become expensive. We have also been suffering with the spanner light on + loss of power at high speeds problem, garage quoted £250+ to replace EGR Valve, but after reading previous posts I think we will try and clean it and/or replace it ourselves thank you very much!

Any help re the electrical problem with the dash display lights would be VERY appreciated please!...

I have just bought an "X" reg 1.6 petrol Zafira. Like everyone else, mine cut out at 50mph on the motorway. It got so bad (the engine cut out every time I took my foot off the accelerator) that I had to use my left "clutch" foot as the "brake" foot, to save the power assisted brakes from also failing.

Needless to say, I put the clutch in and accidentally braked very hard instead.

Hey Presto -the vehicle acted normally again.

Thinking about all that, I considered what a mass of fuel suddenly whooshing along a pipe might do. Did it clear something?

Then it occurred to me that no-one has yet talked about cleaning the fuel filter which is supposed to be under the back end of the car.

If all the electro-management systems are set to a standard setting (good 90 grade for my petrol car), this would not be set to include water or grunge from the forecourt serving tank (it happens!)

This compromised fuel is inefficient and probably electronically unmanageable - or - the grunge has overworked or partially blocked the fuel filter. Has anyone taken this filter out and cleaned or replaced it???

The above is a logic scenario and not (yet) a practical hands-on scenario.

This logic scenario also seems to have direct relevance for the same diesel engined problems.

Thanks to all previous pioneers. I spent a great deal of time on the internet trying to find you guys.

I really thought I had bought the Bee's Knees. Now I may about to be on my knees; fixing or praying for help.

What appalls me, after reading 100 of your comments is that Vauxhall have STILL not offered any help; open hearted or anonymously.

Gordon_tait@msn.com.

I have a 2005 Zafira last Wednesday the battery light came on while driving 20 minutes later all the lights on the dashboard came on and the whole car seized up, I had no power although the engine was still running, there was no acceleration, no brakes and no steering (an extremely frightening situation).

The Opel garage said it was caused by the alternator and have replaced this part, but I'm left confused as to how a faulty alternator could cause everything to seize up like it did.

I received my car back today and although it is running and there are no warning lights it just doesn't feel right, the steering feels sluggish, the car isn't running as smooth as it did and it seems a lot louder than it was, I can now feel the engine vibrating on my feet through the pedals.

Has anyone else experienced this problem or have any advise, I really don't want to risk being on the motorway and this happening again.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help

Michelle.

Our Zafira 1.6 Club Petrol '51' plate has had all the same problems as the previous 100 comments.

We've changed the Ignition Module, ECU and EGR valve and we still intermittently get the Engine Management Light coming on. It stays on for a few days and then goes off again. Sometimes with reduced performance causing the car to stall, occasionally in very dangerous circumstances. My wife had to push the car with the kids in the back across a busy junction when it stalled one time.

The other thing we've noticed is the very strong smell of petrol just before the problem occurs. Has anyone else noticed this?

We wrote to Vauxhall and they replied that it wasn't their fault. They should be ashamed with so many unhappy Zafira drivers having such similar problems. Anyone written to Watchdog or Top Gear yet?

Mark.

I was planing on buying a Zafire for my family. But after reading the comments and problems that follow this car like a smell in a space suit I will be avoiding this model.

To say I will be learning from all of your unhappy experiences is an understatement, and I thank you.

Steve.

I have a vauxhall zafira 1.6 club 2003 and what a nightmare it has been for the last 6 months. When driving at any speed the car starts to misfire, then the spanner light comes on, it then constantly cuts out at junctions, and generally becomes totally undrivable. Vauxhall have replaced the egr valve, coil pack, and engine temp sender, but the fault is still there, and I am £300 worse off. Why can no one fix these cars? It is an absolute disgrace. Vauxhall now want to replace the ecu at a cost of £600 plus vat, and can't guarantee it will sort out the problem. Can anyone help as I am due to take my family on holiday to weymouth in two weeks and I dread the thought of driving this car more than ten miles.

Hi, I have a vauxhall zafira elegance 1800 and the problem I have is that it starts one minute and then doesn't, for instance I will go to the shop in it,get out turn it off and when I come back it won't start (but turns over) I will leave it for about a hour then it will just start again, when it doesn't start the ems flashes, could anyone help? email me on sashabolton@yahoo.co.uk thank you.

Hi everyone! I have had a Vauxhall Zafira for a couple of years now, and since I have had it, it has been dreadful. For example, when I am on the motorway, or when I am just driving around, it works sometimes but then it just cuts out and no lights come on at all. It is very dangerous when I have to carry my kids around with me. It is in the garage now for the 10th time. It is only 6 years old and it has been in the garage for the same thing every time; I can't afford to keep paying out loads of money, as I have got kids.

Hi Happy Zaf owners, I sent an email to Vauxhall and to my surprise I did get a call back from a pleasant lady.

Although she did say that Vauxhall do monitor such feedback of faults and any trends they have no record of any problems with this model. I shared my experiences including having had replaced the ECU at a Vauxhall dealer at a cost of £600 only to have the problem re-occur within 18 months. She said that they only offered a 12 month warranty and therefore this was outside of the period. I asserted that in fact 12 months life for a very expensive component wasn't actually very good. For normal use the 'Mean Time Between Failures' should surely be longer than this unless, their suppliers are producing particularly poor quality goods. Anyway she did say that 'at this time' Vauxhall weren't planning on taking any further action. I note that my wife's 4 year old Peugeot has just been recalled for the replacement of an ABS brake unit, free of charge. So perhaps don't buy a Vauxhall next time, but buy a Peugeot instead!

Mark.

Zafira dashboard & rear side lights cutting out. I had this on my DTi 2.0 '04 - Vauxhall after sales about as helpful as ever, blessed are they for they deny to obvious, - in the end my local garage put an in line fuse into some circuit in the back of the car - I believe the circuit that handles the number plate lights - anyway - never gone wrong since - love your car - yeah right.

Guys the best advice here is Don't BUY VAUXHALL AGAIN!

I have read all your comments over the last 2 years and have the same old problems yet absolutely NO intervention from Vauxhall at all.

I owe a 2.0 DTI Elegance and can remember the day I went to the showroom to buy it. A guy came by from no where (With his family) and said, "Great car, Shame I had to trade-it in but would definitely recommend it". I chose to ignore him on account of it being somewhat weird and did the usual of test driving it etc. But my god, it is only now having had so many glowplug, EMS, Cat problems that I wondered if this guy and his kids was just a set up?

Guess what... This was at a Vauxhall showroom!

My advice is, use an indepedent garage when buying cars, use an independent garage when fixing cars and steer well clear of vauxhall cars.

Happy hunting guys, i'll join you in the queue!

I last commented on here on 6th May about my X reg Zafira and seemingly never-ending EMS and spanner light problems. I last had the car in the garage on 12th May where they diagnosed the spanner light as being in need of oil, despite the fact we had topped up with oil a week previously!! When I mentioned this to the girl at the "service" desk she just clammed up on me, maybe Vauxhall's train their staff to say nothing so they can't be implicated in any problems?!! Since then, we have to check the oil once a week. Also, during one of my five or so visits to Vauxhall in April and May one of their staff said "you seem to be spending a lot of time here lately, and you are still so cheerful!!" "Well I'm not, I'm putting on a brave face" I said, at which point he went quiet and said no more. Anyway, I have had no problems at all until this evening, 5 miles into a 40 mile trip with a three year old in the back when the EMS light and traction control light come on again - aagghhhhh!! Anyway, I made it home with seemingly no problems - the car doesn't seem to be losing power at all just sounds a little bit rougher, and I am now looking forward to another visit to the garage, maybe my local one though and not Vauxhall's! But I am tempted to print off all these comments and take them to Vauxhall's anyway.

I have a Vauxhaul zafria, 2002 plate, which was bought brand new.

Last year the maintenance light came on... had someone look at it and a part replaced. sorry have no idea what it's called think it was to do with the airflow.

All was well for a few Months, the the maintenance light came on again, on a windy county road, and car was 'jumping'. bit scary I tell you! That was in dec 2007.

Found myself a good mechanic through reccomendation, and he replaced one of the sensors. Whilst he was driving it back to me the light came on again, and it was a wire needed replacing.

All well again up to now, although have lost my confidence in driving it to be honest, and hoping to trade it in. Whilst driving on the motorway 5 weeks ago, well just as I was coming off it. the light came on, car very slow at busy spot, (south mimms)... managed to get to where I was going by pulling over every so often and turning engine off. Continued to use it for very local journeys and then a couple of weeks ago, it went on me again, was 5 minutes away from home, thankfuly managed to get it home. Is now with Mechanic and he has told me it's the EGR valve - cost to replace aprox £460. At the moment he has it soaking to see if that will work, if not will have to replace. EX Hubby gonna look out for one at scrap yard, but not sure I should go down that route or not.

I'll put my trust in the mechanic, as he is very good, and I know he won't rip me off.

After that, I am considering trading it in, and getting a motorbility car, as my daughter is disabled and receives motability, so at least then I will be able to get her around and if anything does go wrong, I can just send the car back.

One thing for certain, I will NEVER buy another vauxhaul again! sure that's like a lot of you.

My last entry on this site was on the first of july. I did take my zafira to weymouth, much to my wifes dismay. It did play up half way loaded with suitcases, bags, wife and two children. I limped on and took it to an independant garage for a miracle. Guess what they performed one. Zafiras suffer from sticking inlet valves they added some fuel system cleaner to the fuel, changed the oil and filter and told me to take it on a vigorous road test. Two hundred miles have since passed with no problems. I will keep you posted.