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Before you buy a used Renault Kangoo (I).

2000–2008 · Petrol / Diesel · 3 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Renault Kangoo (I), real photo of this generation
Rudolf Stricker · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

All versions

Sheets the catalogue links to all 3 of its engines.

  • Turbo, injectors, brakes and exhaust on the Kangoo IKnown weak points
    Period mentioned
    1997–2009
    Mileage mentioned
    The sheet does not mention a mileage.

    Applies if: Weak points of this model from inspections, breakdown statistics and recalls; anything specific to one engine is stated in the sheet.

1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 16V · 1.9 D / dCi (F8Q / F9Q)

1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 16V (Petrol) · 1.9 D / dCi (F8Q / F9Q) (Diesel)

We have no faults specific to this engine, only those common to every version.

1.5 dCi (K9K)

Diesel

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Renault Kangoo (I)
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 16VPetrolFewest documented11 with conditions3
1.5 dCi (K9K)Diesel52 with conditions3
1.9 D / dCi (F8Q / F9Q)DieselFewest documented11 with conditions3

According to the data we have, the engines with the fewest documented faults are: 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 16V (Petrol), 1.9 D / dCi (F8Q / F9Q) (Diesel).

By fuel type, the one with the fewest documented faults is: Petrol.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Renault dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Renault airbag, seat-belt and pretensioner recalls (2000–2012)Airbags and seat belts

How to check it: Check the recall by VIN; inspect and replace, reprogram or correct the part named in the recall.

View full entry
Renault steering, suspension and axle recalls (2001–2014)Suspension and steering

How to check it: Check the recall by VIN; inspect and replace, reprogram or correct the part named in the recall.

View full entry
Other Renault recalls: tyres, body, gearbox and electrics (2000–2014)Bodywork

How to check it: Check the recall by VIN; inspect and replace, reprogram or correct the part named in the recall.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 5 checked

Engine (rod bearings)

  • Look out for: Engine knocking, especially when cold; low oil pressure; at worst, engine failure.

    Ask them to check: Listen to the engine from cold, measure oil pressure and check the oil-change history. If it knocks, do not keep driving.

Injection / turbo

  • Look out for: Injection warning, jerking, rough idle, loss of power, smoke and sometimes a no-start.

    Ask them to check: Read the codes (e.g. P0087, low rail pressure) and look for filings in the diesel filter. If the circuit is contaminated, replace pump, rail and injectors and clean the tank and lines.

Exhaust and emissions

  • Look out for: Uneven idle, jerks when accelerating, lack of power or the engine going into limp mode, sometimes with the engine warning light on.

    Ask them to check: At the workshop: read the codes with diagnostic equipment (EOBD P0400 to P0404 or P0172; Renault DF077, DF084 or DF241), test the valve electrically and its opening with the engine warm, and find where the oil comes from (breather, turbo, level). Pierburg advises against cleaning it, as it can be damaged: it is replaced if faulty, and an engine ECU update sometimes solves it.

Known weak points

  • Look out for: On diesels, turbo and injectors failing with mileage; fast-wearing brakes (rear drums, leaking wheel cylinders), rusty exhaust, worn lights and headlamps, interior rattles and occasional rust.

    Ask them to check: Test the turbo under load and the injectors; check brakes, exhaust and suspension.

Inyección

  • Look out for: Hard to start or will not start, stalls, loses power or jerks; sometimes air bubbles show in the clear fuel pipe.

    Ask them to check: At the workshop, in this order: look for air and leaks in the low-pressure circuit and prime it; check the fuel filter bowl for metal swarf (if there is any, the whole injection system is replaced); measure the rail pressure, the IMV regulator's resistance (4.8–5.8 Ω) and each injector's return flow (25 ml at most in the test). A new injector's code must be written into the ECU.

OBD codes worth looking for

If they let you read the fault memory with an OBD reader, these are the codes mentioned in this model's sheets:

P0087P0400P0401P0402P0403P0404P0172DF077DF084DF241

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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