KNOWN FAULTS · Citroën
Citroën C3 (III) 1.2 PureTech common problems.
2016–2024 · Petrol
Sources are not verified in real time and no entry confirms that your car is affected.
2 known faults with sources
Oil-bath timing belt degradationTiming / lubrication
- Engine / equipment
- 1.0 / 1.2 PureTech (EB2) in the Peugeot 208/2008/308/3008/5008, Citroën C3/C4/C5 Aircross, DS 3, Opel Corsa/Crossland/Grandland
- Period mentioned
- 2012 – approx. 2022
- Symptoms
- Oil pressure warning, hard brake pedal or reduced assistance, oil consumption, blue smoke, squeal at the front of the engine, turbo whistles or loses power.
- Possible cause described
- The timing belt runs in oil and degrades (especially with short trips and fuel dilution). Debris clogs the oil pump strainer, the brake vacuum pump filter, the turbo oil feed and the variable valve timing solenoids. Stellantis announced compensation for affected owners in 2025.
- Check for the garage
- Measure the belt through the oil filler opening with the manufacturer's tool. Confirm whether the vacuum pump campaign was done.
- Cost cited in the source
- Vacuum pump: €500–800; belt with oil system cleaning: considerably moreA rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Sources from the original database
PMM: 1.2 PureTech maintenanceGates Tech Zone: PureTech belt-in-oilCarchecker: Citroën C4 Cactus 1.2 PureTechAu7o: Peugeot 2008 PureTech
View full entryApplies if: Only cars built from 7 to 10 April 2021 (1,279 cars in France). Confirm by VIN.
The engine runs but the car does not move: broken right driveshaft on the April 2021 C3Transmission
- Engine / equipment
- Facelifted third-generation Citroën C3 (all versions)
- Period mentioned
- 2021
- Symptoms
- The right driveshaft can break suddenly: the engine keeps running but the wheels no longer get drive and the car does not move.
- Possible cause described
- Insufficient heat treatment on one of the driveshaft gears. Citroën recalled 1,279 C3 in France built from 7 to 10 April 2021 (and two C-Elysée): it checks the transmission and replaces the right driveshaft if needed.
- Check for the garage
- If the engine revs and the car does not move, do not carry on: call for a tow. Check by VIN with Citroën whether the car is in the recall; outside those dates, the garage checks the driveshafts and gearbox.
- Cost cited in the source
- Free under the recall.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.