9 Common Renault Clio Failures: Problems, Solutions And More
The Renault Clio is a supermini that was launched by a French manufacturer in 1990. Since then it has been one of the best-selling cars in Europe thanks to its quality engineering, elegant design and front-wheel drive system. If you want to know what are the problems that you could present with this car, stay and read more about the common faults of the Renault Clio .
Interestingly, this car, along with the Opel Astra and VW Golf, is one of the only vehicles to have been awarded European Car of the Year twice.
How good is the Renault Clio?
The Renault Clio has surpassed the Volkswagen Golf as the most popular vehicle in Europe in 2020. The figures do not lie, so there must be something good about the model. The Clio scores well on the Reliability Index.
Renault in general has a reputation for fairly average reliability. So while the Clio doesn’t seem like a disaster in terms of reliability, it’s not spared from some common issues, either.
Common failures of the Renault Clio
Buying a used car can be a process fraught with difficulties. The trading process is hard enough to deal with, so we’ve put together a handy guide to walk you through common Renault Clio failures.
1- Idling problems – ECU (Engine Control Unit)
One of the known problems with the Renault Clio is with the ECU, which can cause various failures while on the road, especially when the car is idling, causing malfunctions . Fortunately, a good test drive should uncover any faults in this electrical computer system.
2- Ignition coil problems
Another common problem you should pay attention to on your test drive is engine sputtering and misfiring. The most likely culprit in this situation is the ignition coil, which is known to cause malfunctions and can even lead to a complete blackout. The only remedy in this case is to change the defective part.
3- Failures with the ABS
Does the ABS light come on on the Clio’s instrument panel? If so, it is likely a faulty ABS sensor. Another symptom that may accompany the light is a pulsing sensation coming from the brake pedal. This will obviously require a trip to the mechanic to fix and could turn out to be quite an expensive repair.
4- Problems with the brake light
Does the brake light of the Renault Clio that you are going to buy seem to be always on? Does the owner tell you not to worry about it? This could be due to a frequent failure of the Renault Clio, which could be a grease problem in the circuitry, which could cause the electrical connection to the switch to have blown, leaving it in the active position.
5- Fault in the servobrake
Check the brakes. Does there seem to be a delay between when the pedal is depressed and when the brakes come on correctly? This could be due to a known power assist failure, which occurs due to the incorrect position of an air pressure sensor in the intake manifold. Fortunately, this problem can be easily rectified with a little mechanical attention.
6- Problems when accelerating
Next up is the throttle. If the car does not seem to respond as normally expected, then the likely cause is a faulty contact in the sensor, which will need to be replaced to ensure full control over the forward motion of the vehicle is obtained. This problem is most likely to be discovered during the stop-start nature of city driving.
7- Suspension failure
When you hit the road for your test drive, be sure to take this little Renault over rougher terrain. If the car bounces, it could be a break or crack in the left or right suspension.
If you suspect this is the problem, press the hood of the car when it is stopped. If the car doesn’t return to its normal position within a bounce or a bounce and a half, then you have a suspension failure.
8- Gearbox problems
If the Renault Clio that you want to buy was manufactured between November 2005 and May 2006, pay special attention to the operation of the gearbox. There is a known issue with automatic systems where it may suddenly go into manual mode or third gear without warning.
9- Problems with brake hoses
The Clio has been recalled on two occasions due to possible problems in the assembly of the brake line protectors. In the worst case, this could lead to wear on the lines that would cause fluid to leak, ultimately reducing brake performance (you’ll also see a warning light on the dash). This could affect any Clio Mk4 made up to April 2015.
To end
Buying a Renault Clio is a sound investment and with the vast number of used cars available, there’s no excuse for settling for a problem car. If there’s a problem that makes you uncomfortable, especially if you’re not satisfied with the seller’s explanation, just walk away. You should be able to find the exact Clio to suit your needs and your budget without difficulty.
