11th Nov 2008, 04:47

How so familiar all the stories on here are. I have a Zafira Elegance 2L DTI 52 Plate imported brand new from Holland. To date I have had 4 EGR valves, an inlet manifold, new starter motor because the ignition barrel turned and caused it to jam ETC ETC. Scared to add up how much I have spent in repairs. Vauxhall main dealer has been less than helpful and do not acknowledge that there is a major design fault with these engines, and Gen Motors Customer service are loath to admit the fault. Wish Watchdog would get hold of this.

I have two kids; one is an eight month old and I worry every time I take him out.

Been OK for 4/5 months, but it is inevitable it will happen again.

Do Vauxhall care? NO THEY DON'T.

18th Nov 2008, 15:58

Have got Y reg Zafira 75000 2.2 petrol drives OK, but with mis-fire mostly at 2000rpm, and the main problem when driving and depressing the clutch; the car gains 3-400rpm before slowly dropping off for a gear change, very unpleasant uphill as nearly all speed is lost due to waiting for the engine to drop revs, otherwise it slams into gear. Have had the EGR valve replaced, but no management light displayed. Can anyone please tell me what it is? As most of you have said, the main dealers are useless.

21st Nov 2008, 18:49

I have just spent the last 30 minutes reading about the Zafira's misfiring problems on here and I can now add to the ever growing list. The same problem on an X reg Zafira 1.6 Club, 56,000 miles, started last week. Engine management light came on one evening, loss of power, falling revs at idle and threatening to stall. It is dangerous when power suddenly dies at a junction!!!

I have taken it to a main Vauxhall dealer for the last three days. Each time they have plugged it in to their handheld computer and diagnosed the problem as misfiring. They have checked the coil pack and but it reads with no problems, they have changed the spark plugs too. Each time resetting the engine management light, but later when I drive it the light returns! grrr... (The dealer wants me to bring it to them when it is actually misfiring which makes sense but not very practical. I might be 10 miles away when it happens).

Like others have reported, the misfiring disappears when the engine is switched off (light still stays on though) but returns some time when driving is resumed. There's no pattern to it. I can have the light reset by the garage and drive it for 20 minutes and no sign of the light, park it up then drive it a few hours later, only to have the light come on when sat in traffic at 1mph.

I will try the EGR valve as mentioned, also maybe different fuel and some fuel additive along with checking the catalytic converter. I will consider all solutions before forking out large sums of money for main dealer parts especially from reading here that Vauxhall don't really know what the problem is?

If I ever find a solution I will post it!

27th Dec 2008, 06:16

I have a 2001 Zafira 2.2L engine, which we bought as a used vehicle, and I have had the engine management warning show up for the last month, a major pain in the butt. It would go away for a little while then come back, and did this for a month.

In Australia I took it to my mechanic who said the electronic diagnostics was pointing to the EGR valve, and it would cost AU$400 to replace.

I didn't have the money to replace it before Christmas, so I got a full service done, replacing oil and fuel filters and top up of usual fluids. He also cleared the computer of the EGR error.

Picked up the car from the service, and yep that night the engine management light appeared - the fact it kept popping up annoyed the hell out of me.

We were nervous about the warning still showing up, but it had been running OK for the last month with it going on or off intermittently, so we went on our trip from Brisbane to Rainbow beach, a total return distance of 350km. At points it was revved pretty hard negotiating hill climbs etc. and doing on average 115km/hr during the trip.

Funnily enough on the way there and back and ever since (one week now) the engine management light has not reappeared once!!! Amazing but true and I haven't spent a dollar to fix it yet - touch wood. I think the guys comments in the very first post is true that you need to "blow the cobwebs" out of the engine to clean out the valve, as it is mainly used for suburban driving by my wife and isn't driven hard at all in general.

I will keep an eye on it and see how long our good luck continues without seeing that damn light appear, and keep you updated.

28th Dec 2008, 17:47

I bought a Zafira 2.0L DTI in January 08. It's an 04 plate, and the 1st time it cut out on the motorway after a small chug and complete loss of power, it started again so I put it down to a bit of dirt in the fuel tank.

I have now been towed off the motorway 3 times, and have only had the vehicle for 11 months.

After taking it back to the dealership twice, I have now taken it to my own independent garage who are baffled. It chugs twice, then loses power and cuts out and won't restart. Sometimes the engine management light comes on, sometimes it doesn't.

The first time the dealership replaced a glow plug, and the second they tried to say I was out of diesel, which I know I wasn't.

My own garage is unable to find a fault, as there is nothing on the diagnostic reading at all. They've stripped the fuel pump and checked the injectors. The dealership just say it might not be the same fault, even though it does the same thing every time.

I'm afraid I'm going to be killed on the motorway, and have just been plain lucky the motorway hasn't been busy.

I have now decided to sue the dealership, the HP company and Vauxhall as this fault is obviously experienced by a lot more than me.

Only other problem is that I can't work without a car, and the garage have now had it for 2 weeks!! Does anyone have any idea what could be the fault?

G from Scotland.