10th Dec 2001, 07:13

My car also keeps cutting out. I was going around a nasty bend at the time and I quickly had to restart my car before I hit the wall just so I could steer the damn thing.

It's going in for a service soon though so hopefully they can sort it out.

Also, does anyone else have a problem with the airbag light constanly coming on??

7th Jan 2002, 18:22

I bought a Citroen Saxo VTR on 01.06.01 and have experienced no end of problems. Immediately I started the car the rev counter was idling inconsistently. This was followed by the usual experiences of engine cut outs, handbrake being too slack, engine management warning coming on, juddering engine, engine spasms occuring between 200 and 1200 rpm and performance problems. Has anybody experienced the sensation in Citroen Saxo VTR's/VTS's where you feel the engine pulling up - similar to going down a steep hill but actually driving along in 5th gear on the flat. What makes matters worse is that I'm unsure of any legal redress and nobody at Citroen seems to know what the hell is going on. If the computer says it's OK! its OK! duh!!!What a load of crap? Does anybody know of any legal remedy? There's enough evidence of serious manufacturing problems on this site surely??? This vehicle has been a pile of crap and I'm sick of it all I can tell you.

10th Jan 2002, 02:32

I have a Furio and it was constantly misfiring and idling high. But it is all now fixed by changing the coil. To all those in the UK the dealer in Rugby was really helpful on the phone.

19th Aug 2002, 08:21

I have the same problem as you on my Saxo 1.1 Stateside. It stalls while idling and also hesitates while driving (as if someone else is driving my car!).

I have taken it to a Citroen specialist who performed a diagnostic - nothing has shown up - they basically looked at me like I was mad. I have taken it to a local mechanic who has confirmed that there is a serious fault with the electronics. He has recommended I see a another Citroen dealer.

I have contacted the garage today and they have said this is not an unusual fault in the Saxo and have said it's a fault with the Idling Modulator. I have it booked in for replacement of this part, and hope it fixes the problem as I just can't cope any longer with the stalling and hesitations - I feel like a nervous wreck!

Hopefully this will help you with sorting your stalling problems.

25th Mar 2003, 06:57

I bought a Saxo VTS from new in April 2000 - and have only ever had 2 problems with it in the 3 years of ownership.

The first was the fuel gauge kept getting stuck, but this was replaced with a whole new pod on a saturday morning while the car was in for a service - free of charge.

The alarm started playing up after 2 years, but disabling the internal detectors cured the problem. A quick call to the garage got it booked in and the faulty sensor was replaced, again free of charge.

Other than that I've covered 28K miles of hassle free motoring in the car and only just bought a new set of tyres for it, although they were very low!

A new set of brake pads at 25K miles is the only other thing.

Have I been lucky? Remember that the Saxo is Britain's most popular supermini and thousands of them have been sold, so there is bound to be a duff one or two in there.

You must complain, complain and complain more - get Citroen head office on the phone if you have to or go to a different Citroen dealer until you find one that wants to fix your problem.

Would I buy another - yes, certainly from the dealer we used as they have always been very helpful and I've had cars that have been a lot worse!

9th May 2003, 07:25

I do feel very sorry for the guys above who have experienced a lot of problems. I think there is definitely an issue with Citroen customer services. With the large increase in sales a lot of the dealers seem unable to cope with this.

That said, anyone reading these reviews to see whether to buy a Saxo or not please don't stop the above reviews from stopping you from buying a Saxo. They are great little cars, my current one, an 03 reg VTR is fantastic and has run faultlessly. My family are Citroen nuts and have had between us 5 VTR's and a VTS with only one VTR proving troublesome (a 98 MK1, all the rest are MK2's and have been fantastic). I wish the same could be said for the Xsara's we have had, but that's another story...

Anyone out there who wants some cheap, yet still fun motoring I would wholeheartedly recommend the Saxo, though hurry up, the C2 is out soon!

16th Dec 2003, 09:47

Had problems with the engine cutting out and stalling when cold. It was also over reving on tick-over. The problem was something in the throttle control that report back to the engine management system.

The part was replaced and all seems okay now!

24th Oct 2004, 17:59

This car is a heap of crap, had nothing, but trouble with it from the start. Bought a saxo 1.1 x 99 and right at the start the alarm was going off when the wind was blowing too much! the fog lights didn't work and the airbag light came on constantly. Now the damn heater fan doesn't work, the rear window heat bars don't work and the car revs on its own when idle!!! This is when I can get the damn thing to start in the first place! DO NOT BUY THIS CAR! It's a LEMON! BUY A NON FRENCH CAR IF YOU CAN HELP IT!

11th Nov 2004, 12:34

Help!!! I bought a Citreon Saxo VTS and it has an idling problem to the point where it almost stalls at traffic lights whether it's hot or cold. So far I have had the stepper motor/idle control valve changed, spark plugs air filter. I was then told that the exhaust was blowing and that this may be the cause of the hunting/almost stalling problem, so changed the exhaust, but this hasn't helped. I am pulling my hair out over this problem as apart from this it's a great, fun car to drive.

1st May 2005, 13:29

I have a '97 Saxo VTS with idling problems.

So far I've been to 6 different garages (including main dealer) and they have all given back my car not fixed!

Things I've replaced:

Stepper motor, TPS, coolant temp sensor, air temp sensor, crank sensor, speed sensor, MAP sensor, Lambda sensor, coilpack, spark plugs, new exhaust system, had cylinder compression checked OK, injectors checked OK, CAT checked OK, Battery/alternator, I've had 8 diagnostic checks (all show everything is fine) ECU has been checked twice. All parts replaced are from Citroen main dealers.

The result - still cuts out/stalls and has eratic idle!

Plus, this has been on going for around 3 months and the car won't pass its MOT due to the lambda reading being too high (everything else is fine), no MOT means I can't get Tax and leaves me with a car that doesn't work properly and can't drive!

Absolute nightmare!!!