KNOWN FAULTS · Renault
Renault Clio (III) common problems.
2005–2014 · Petrol / Diesel
Sources are not verified in real time and no entry confirms that your car is affected.
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6 known faults with sources
Engines: 1.2 16V (D4F) (Petrol) · 1.2 TCe (D4Ft) (Petrol) · 1.4 / 1.6 16V (K4J / K4M) (Petrol) · 2.0 16V RS (F4R) (Petrol) · 1.5 dCi (K9K) (Diesel)
Applies if: Weak points of this model from inspections, breakdown statistics and recalls; anything specific to one engine is stated in the sheet.
Suspension, lights, brakes and valve collets on the Clio IIIKnown weak points
- Engine / equipment
- Renault Clio III (petrol and diesel)
- Period mentioned
- 2005–2013
- Symptoms
- Knocks from the front axle and vague steering, broken shock absorbers, failing lights, heavy brake wear and a weak handbrake; up to 2008, flat batteries, crankshaft sensors and coils.
- Possible cause described
- The TÜV flags lights and suspension well above average. There were recalls: faulty valve collets on the 1.2 16V (D4F) and TCe that can wreck the engine, the automatic-gearbox torque converter and a seized A/C compressor that breaks the power-steering belt.
- Check for the garage
- Check the campaigns by VIN (especially the 1.2 valve one); check the front axle, lights and brakes.
- Cost cited in the source
- No verified estimate; ask the garage for a quote.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
View full entryEngines: 1.2 16V (D4F) (Petrol) · 1.2 TCe (D4Ft) (Petrol) · 1.4 / 1.6 16V (K4J / K4M) (Petrol) · 2.0 16V RS (F4R) (Petrol) · 1.5 dCi (K9K) (Diesel)
Applies if: Only cars built from 1/7/2008 to 31/1/2009.
Sudden loss of electric power steering on the Clio III and Modus (2008–2009)Steering
- Engine / equipment
- Renault Clio III and Modus with electric power steering (all versions)
- Period mentioned
- 2008–2009
- Symptoms
- While driving a warning light comes on and the assistance is lost all at once: the steering wheel gets heavier and heavier at low speed.
- Possible cause described
- According to L'argus (July 2013), the terminals of two electronic components of the electric power steering (made by TRW) corrode for lack of protection and wear out early. It affects Clio III and Modus built from 1/7/2008 to 31/1/2009 (about 91,474 cars in France). In November 2011 Renault opened a special technical operation that replaces the steering column, only if the customer asks.
- Check for the garage
- Drive carefully, because without assistance you need much more force on the wheel, and ask the garage for a steering code read-out. If the visual and electronic check confirms the fault, the repair is a new steering column. A car that has already been repaired has a blue label on the front left suspension turret.
- Cost cited in the source
- Quotes of about €1,400–1,800 for the column; Renault paid part of the cost on cars under 5 years old or 150,000 km (in France).A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
View full entryEngines: 1.5 dCi (K9K) (Diesel)
1.5 dCi pump and injectors with Delphi systemInjection / turbo
- Engine / equipment
- 1.5 dCi (K9K) with early Delphi injection
- Period mentioned
- Approx. 2001–2011
- Symptoms
- Injection warning, jerking, rough idle, loss of power, smoke and sometimes a no-start.
- Possible cause described
- In the early years, the Delphi high-pressure pump can shed metal filings that contaminate the circuit and damage the injectors one after another.
- Check for the garage
- 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.
- Cost cited in the source
- Approx. €1,800–3,500 (pump, four injectors, rail and circuit cleaning)A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
CarVerif: Dacia Logan MCV 1.5 dCi 85 reliabilityȘtiință și Inginerie: study of injection faults on a Dacia Logan 1.5 dCiPlanète Renault: the 1.5 dCi, a reliable long-lived diesel
View full entryEngines: 1.5 dCi (K9K) (Diesel)
1.5 dCi timing belt or pulley failureValve timing
- Engine / equipment
- 1.5 dCi (K9K)
- Period mentioned
- 2009–2011
- Symptoms
- Noise or squeal around the belts; if the timing belt breaks, the engine stops suddenly and can be badly damaged.
- Possible cause described
- On 2009–2011 engines, pulleys and timing or auxiliary belts were reported to break.
- Check for the garage
- Keep to the timing-belt interval and always replace the full kit (belt, rollers and pulleys); check the auxiliary belt and its pulley.
- Cost cited in the source
- No verified estimate; ask the garage for a timing-kit quote.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
View full entryEngines: 1.5 dCi (K9K) (Diesel)
EGR valve sticking with deposits on the 1.5 dCiExhaust and emissions
- Engine / equipment
- 1.5 dCi (K9K) with an electric EGR valve
- Period mentioned
- No specific period published
- Symptoms
- Uneven idle, jerks when accelerating, lack of power or the engine going into limp mode, sometimes with the engine warning light on.
- Possible cause described
- Soot and oil deposits leave the EGR valve stiff, stuck closed or not closing fully. According to Pierburg it is rarely a fault of the valve itself: the oil comes through the crankcase breather, a turbo with worn bearings or a blocked oil return, late oil changes or too high a level, and many short trips, above all in winter.
- Check for the garage
- 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.
- Cost cited in the source
- No verified estimate; ask the workshop for a quote for the EGR valve.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
View full entryEngines: 1.5 dCi (K9K) (Diesel)
Applies if: Only if the injection pump is a Delphi (it says so on the pump): depending on the version, the 1.5 dCi has Delphi or Siemens/Continental.
Delphi injection on the 1.5 dCi: air in the fuel, metal swarf, regulator or injectorsInyección
- Engine / equipment
- 1.5 dCi (K9K) with Delphi common-rail injection
- Period mentioned
- No specific period published
- Symptoms
- Hard to start or will not start, stalls, loses power or jerks; sometimes air bubbles show in the clear fuel pipe.
- Possible cause described
- The usual faults of the K9K's Delphi system are air getting into the low-pressure circuit, metal swarf from the pump contaminating the whole system, the pump's inlet metering valve (IMV), injectors with too much return flow and the rail pressure sensor.
- Check for the garage
- 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.
- Cost cited in the source
- No verified estimate; it varies widely, from a filter or the regulator to the whole injection system.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
View full entryEngines for this model
- 1.2 16V (D4F)Petrol
- 1.2 TCe (D4Ft)Petrol
- 1.4 / 1.6 16V (K4J / K4M)Petrol
- 2.0 16V RS (F4R)Petrol
- 1.5 dCi (K9K)Diesel