Owner No. 25. Air con & wind noise problems.
Owner No. 24. Delivered with rattling exhaust, door pin switch problems & paint blemishes.
Owner No. 23. Only just delivered.  More to follow.................
Owner No. 22. Poor running, cutting out & misfire.  Paint finish.  Brake squeal.   Indicator buzzer too loud.  Trim problems.  Door problems.  Diff or shocker knock.  Poor radio reception.  Tacho takes a while to register.   Rusting bolts.  Dash rattles.  Switchgear falling off.  Poor heater blower.  Wind noise.  Condensation in headlamps.  Poor service from AA.   Not enough info in handbook.  Poor cold starting.
Owner No. 21. Squeaking passenger seat.  Indicator buzzer too noisy.  More to follow.....................
Owner No. 20. 3 windscreens in 6 months.  Alternator belt.  Bonnet rubbing.  Window shutting problems.  Heater fan not working.
Owner No. 19. Oil leaks.  Noisy rear shock absorbers.   Windscreen cracked.  Poor radio reception.  Water leaks.   Intermittent operation of driver's door.
Owner No. 18. Problems with boot opening when it shouldn't or not opening when it should.  Oil pressure sender failed causing leak.  Steering wheel replaced due to ill fitting cover.  Steering wheel badly aligned.  Odometer reading low by 50%.  Indicator stalk fell off.  Knocks through steering wheel.   Instrument illumination dim or missing bulbs.  Dented rear silencer.   Drivers door rattles.  Rusting engine bay bolts.  Passenger door drops.  
UPDATE   Knock through steering wheel when turning left at slow speeds - had steering column replaced and is now fine.   Passenger door seems to drop slightly overnight - door was realigned.  Some engine bay bolts have started to rust - replaced.  Locking wheel nuts missing - fitted.  Driver door rattles - half fixed. One of the rattles has gone but one remains.
Owner No. 17. Rear shocks replaced twice,  Away for 5 weeks getting the jack shaft in the gearbox replaced requiring the engine to be rebuilt and run in again,   Oil pressure sensor caused total failure,  2 window motors, Noisy windows & propshaft,  Baffle in exhaust rattling,  Brake judder,  Air con failed 5 times,  Front number plate cracked 3 times,  Oil leaks,  Anti roll bar came loose,  loose air intakes.
Owner No. 16. Failed door pin switch.  Cracked windscreen.
Owner No. 15. Repeated stalling.  Both blown front indicator bulbs.
Owner No. 14. MIL light comes on when restarting from hot.  Trip odometer fails to reset.   Passenger door does not spring open.  Tickover too low, 400 rpm or less, when hot.
Owner No. 13. Air con outlet connector snapped twice.  Problems with door opening system.  Noisy diff replaced.  Paint damage due to boot & bonnet misalignment.  Oil leak from front crankshaft seal.  Extensive rattles from suspension & boby.  Water leak to drivers footwell.  AA recovery twice for faulty electronics.  Regret not ordering Hydratrak diff.
Owner No. 12. Poor radio reception.  Water leaks through drivers door.   Stalling when hot.  Windscreen mists up when raining - No Air con.   Squealing brakes.  Unstable on heavy breaking unless warm discs up by applying left foot first.  Drivers door not opening - Had to use secret entry method !   Misfire.  Gearbox entry seal went causing carpets to be soaked with water.

UPDATE - 2 starter motors.  Gearbox replaced.  Rear shockers replaced.  Crack on roof.   Boot & footwells flooded.  Wind noise after door hinge update.   Throttle cable ceased & then snapped.  Heater broke.  Rear drive shaft broke.  Exhaust holed twice.  Window problems.  No handbrake.   Condensation in rear lights.  Brake squeal.
Owner No. 11. Wiper motor failure - twice.  Dampers faulty.  Water leaks from windows and from door into drivers footwell.  Problems with windows opening & closing when operating door buttons.  Faulty bearing in alternator causing rattling.  Fault with alarm.   Oil leak.  Handbrake not functioning.  Numerous ECU replacements.
Owner No. 10. Door pin switch. Oil leak from front pulley.  Brake fluid leak @ junction block. 
UPDATE - Air con pipe fractured.   Door pin switch failed.  Window seals don't.  Tappets or timing chain sound rattley.
UPDATE 2 - I now have rain water leaks through the brake master reservoir silicone seal (They all do that sir), graunchy starter motor and severe judder/ misfire at steady low throttle.
Owner No. 9. Door pin switch failure, Clunking rear shocks / diff, Number plate cracked twice, Aircon switch contact snapped.
Owner No. 8. Windows, doors & wipers have a mind of their own.  Knocking from rear dampers.  Air con freezing up.  Air con failure.  Misfire & stalling.   Excessive oil consumption. 250 - 300 miles per litre. I get 3,000 miles per litre.
Owner No. 7. Faulty throttle pot, Burst t-piece in cooling system, Burst shocker, Water leaks into footwell, Poor radio reception, Air con problems.
Owner No. 6. Paint finish, Air Con not cold enough, Knocking rear shocks, Excessive play in diff - To be replaced, Sticking passenger door, Oil leaks, Wind noise > 70 mph, Sticking wipers, Stalling at idle when hot.
Owner No. 5. Oil pressure gauge pipe leaking over carpet. Radiator leaking. Air Con pipe broken twice. Knocking rear shockers replaced.
Owner No. 4. Speedo failed. Replacement has non functioning digits. Clutch pedal too close to transmission tunnel. Problems opening passenger door. Problems closing passenger door. Rear shockers are early ones allowing bottoming out and rattling. Brake squeal - Don't they all !. Drivers door window seal problem. Pitiful radio reception - It's an amplified Zendar Aertronic affair (£28 from Ripspeed) stuck to the headlining behind the drivers sun visor. Engine stalling - hot and cold. Driveline shunt. Bonnet catch rubber grommet split. Spurious alarm soundings.
UPDATE - Alarm sounding.  Air con pipe fractured.  Water flooding behind drivers seat after cill kick plates fitted.   Radio reception poor.  Windows being sucked out of seals at speed.  Stain on hide on rear of seat.  Air con thermostat faulty.  Rear window hold in strip allowing water to pass.  New rear shockers are quieter but still bottom out with only the driver on board.  OSR tyre rubs on outer wheel arch & rear silencer grounds out.
UPDATE Rear anti roll bar mounting failed.  Magnetic proximity switch failed.  Air con compressor connectors cracked again.  Air con compressor failed.
Owner No. 3. Cracked breather and windscreen, Oil and PAS fluid leak, Stalls from hot and cold, Jumping out of reverse, Knocking from behind dash, Roughness around 3,500 to 4,000 on the overrun, Cracked rear anti roll bar, Water leaks into footwell. Returned to factory to cure water & oil leaks.
UPDATE 2 - Faults so far:
Cracked screen, Lots of oil leaks, PAS fluid leak, Coolant leak, Water leak to footwell, Stalling, Snapped roll bar brackets (4), 2 starter motors, New gearbox, Cracked oil breather (2), New rear shocks, And again, now 4.5 version, Aircon pipe fracture plus freezing/dripping symptoms, Loose exhaust, Bottoming out - now cured, Wiper motor, Split exhaust, Incorrect ride height, Worn/noisy cams - now replaced with 'soft' ones - much better, Piston slap (!), Snapped exhaust bracket, Worn front tires due to incorrect alignment.
Owner No. 2. Odometer, Alternator seized, Speedo replaced, Air Con pipe fracture, ECU failure.
Owner No. 1. Driveline shunt, Knocking rear shock absorbers, Difficulty opening passenger door, Overheating, Excessive brake squeal, Problems with drivers window seal, Stereo cuts out if lights are switched on, Intermittent operation of wipers and windows, Oil leaks, Stalling, Paint problems, 2 porous sumps, Jumping out of gear, Loose door seals.
Miscellaneous. Throttle cable snapping at linkage end. Driver's door window stopped dropping when door is unlocked. In order to turn on the wipers owner has to sound the horn first. Tacho wavers between 0 & 1,200 at idle - Drops to 0 if lights are turned on. Windscreen wipers failing. Revving to limiter upon starting. Overheating. Oil leaks.

 

My own car has had the following warranty work at the mileage indicated
3,600  Radiator core was leaking. Modified door pin switches fitted. They are now a sealed unit. Fuel Filler neck was rusted up underneath. Drivers window motor replaced as it was slow.
3,900    Leaking union from oil filter take-off tightened.
4,650  Battery replaced as it wasn't holding sufficient charge.
5,500  Modified steering wheel mounting boss fitted. Windscreen cracked out in sun.
5,800  Oil pressure switch failed. Windscreen washer fluid hose melted in two by the expansion tank outlet pipe.
6,000  Changeover to Mobil 1. Windscreen replaced - 3.5 hours to get it out & 5 hours to get it back in. Oil pressure switch replaced.
6,700  Second radiator fitted. Leaks from thermostat boss repaired. New passenger door top & bottom hinges fitted to alleviate stiff opening but it was worse ! Air con temperature adjusted.
8,400  Second windscreen ordered.  2 top rear wishbone bushes replaced.  Resealed offside cam cover.  Resealed brake & clutch covers & wiring grommets.
8,800  Has begun to stall after restarting the engine after it has been stood for 20 to 60 minutes.
9,750  Had second windscreen & magnetic proximity door switch kit fitted.  Rear shockers have begun to knock.
10,120  Rear shockers, rear anti roll bar mounts & ice warning thermistor replaced under warranty.
10,450  Back to the factory for the 3rd replacement screen, carbon fibre a-post covers & a set of later, Double Bubble, door seals.  The early aluminium air-con fittings were replaced as a precaution with the later steel versions.  Air con re-pressurised & the anti-ice valve set to 3 to 8 degrees.  Many of the rusty fixings under the bonnet were replaced with shiny stainless versions.  Driver's magnetic proximity switch adjusted.
11,050  Back again.  Both rear wishbones replaced as one of the ARB drop link supports which are welded onto the wishbone had cracked.  Crank oil seal replaced.  Wind noise & door problems still there.
12,500  NEWNEW  Still having problems with the doors not shutting properly

 

Problems I have experienced
Air Conditioning Icing up. On a hot day with the air con on full blast after say 30 minutes it can be noticed that there is no more cold air coming through the vents. Whether the fan is on or off the temperature or speed of air flow doesn't change. Then, the pipe under the drivers scuttle ices up with the melting water dripping onto my legs. I have to switch the air con and fans off & open the windows for 10 minutes for it all to thaw & begin to work again.
See TROUBLESHOOTING for cure.
Passenger door flying open whilst driving. It also is very stiff to open and seems to be tight on the hinge.
Replacing the bearings had no effect other than making it even stiffer.
NS headlight reflector rusting. This is to be replaced under warranty.
MIL light coming on and storing various fault codes - usually after stopping for a few minutes after a long run. This is so frequent I have bought my own fault code reader !
Seems to have been cured after replacing ECU chip with latest 273 version.
Problems with door pin switches.  Closing the doors sends a pulse to the control unit which may or may not put the courtesy light out.   The internal door lock button is inoperative because the control unit thinks the door is open.  The problem is that the switches are too high and they are riding up over the sill top.  I will try a set of kick plates to see it that cures it.
UPDATED - These problems have now disappeared after the fitting of the magnetic proximity switches
Water ingress into drivers footwell.  This must have been happening for some time as there were clumps of white mould everywhere.  I had to remove the toeboard carpet and rip up the glued sound deadening from the floor to try & dry it all up.  It is coming from the seal between the main door seal around the aperture & the P seal on the leading edge of the door.
UPDATED - The carpet seems to have suffered being constantly wet.  The tufts of wool can be picked out quite easily.
UPDATED - The door shut after the fitting of the modified seals is pitiful.  Early headlamp bezels were siliconed on.  This means that if you are unlucky enough to smash a lens you'll also have to pay to have the old bezel smashed off & pay for a new one to be painted & fitted.
Do you have any problems to recount. Let me know and I'll keep a list of possible batch problems. Don't forget to give me your VIN and engine number or at least the last 8 digits.

 

Problems reported by magazines in their Road Tests :
Magazine Date Registration Comment
Top Gear July 96 N244 KCW Both windows raising and lowering at will. Alarm sounding at frequent intervals. Drivers door wouldn't open electrically.
CAR M515 RCW Broken timing chain tensioner @ Snetterton.
Autocar 5th June 96 N244 KCW Rear window blew out. They now have a retaining strip bonded on at the base.

 

Copyright © 1997-2005 J D Hunter. All rights reserved.

Page last updated : October 16, 2000