Vauxhall Corsa (2006 – 2014) Review

Quality faults emerging: steering, 1.4 automatic transmission leaks, generally slap-dash assembly from Zaragoza factory. This could be responsible for a heater blower switch problem that puts the fan on max whatever thr driver tries to select.

Seems to be a problem with driver's seat height adjusters.

Rivets holding handbrake base to the floor break away. Known fault. Requires new handbrake base to be bolted in place with strengthening plate.

With the 1.3 CDTI (FIAT 1.25 Multijet) engine fitted with a diesel particulate filter, what can happen is that excess diesel fuel that was supposed to burn hotter and regenerate the dpf does not and instead seeps into the sump, gradually raising the level of sump oil to the point that the engine starts to run on it, cannot be stopped and therefore self-destructs. Vital to check sump oil level regularly.

Seems to be a problem of wiper motors failing in cold weather, blamed on drivers trying to use them when stick to the screen by frost, or trying to use them to shift snow, so Vauxhall dealers are under instruction not to repair them under warranty.

One report of a "breather pipe" on a 1.2 16v being violently torn apart and the dealer having none in stock because it's a common problem. Further information sought.

Small batch of cars suffer from body creaks, but it seems they were put out to the trade and sold via discounters so Vauxhall will not fix under warranty.

14-3-2011: Problem reported of 1.4 torque converter auto shift quadrant locking in 'Park'. It can be released by lifting the rubber boot over the mechanism and inserting a pencil in the locking mechanism.

20-6-2011: Oil cooler of 1,248cc diesel is integral with oil filter mount, using engine coolant to cool the oil and these sometimes fail. Check header tank for any sign of oil in it.

4-9-2011: Poor and erratic driving of 1.0 litre petrol version may be due to a failed Mass Airflow Sensor.

10-10-2011: Corsa-D - Rear Axle - Wheel Bearing - Noisy Vehicles: Corsa-D 2007-Onwards All Engines Note: Only vehicles with five bolt wheel hubs affected. Complaint: Customer complaints noises from rear axle. Cause: Penetration of water and dirt. Remedy: In the event of bearing replacement the seal must be treated with special grease prior to fitment. Please ensure the entire surface of the seal area is coated sparingly with grease. (Special Grease - part no.: 09163334/catalogue no.: 19 48 613)

17-5-2012: Several reports of heater box control knob spindle shearing off and, because of the amount of dismanting involved, costing £1,000 to rectify. So worth checking when buying used.

25-8-2012: 1.4 seem to suffer from squeaky brakes. Probably surface rust on the rear discs.

23-2-2013: 'Hunting' of engine of 1.0 Eco probably caused by failed coil pack.

14-7-2013: Timing chain of 3300 mile 62 reg 1.2 (9 month old) Corsa snapped.

16-9-2013: Recurrent problems with a 2008 Corsa 1.4 auto. Recalled at 1910 miles. More problems in 2010, gearbox replaced and Vauxhall made contribution. Now same problem (won't move out of park) and another replacement - cost £530 and Vauxhall contributing half. Car had done 26,800 miles.

18-9-2013: On 2012 Corsa, parking brake repeatedly failed.

29-9-2013: DPF failed completely in Corsa 1.3 CDTi bought new on 7-9-2012. Before then had been back 5 times due to DPF problems and has now been waiting 8 weeks for the new DPF which is in short supply. Many similar problems in Corsa Vans and in Fiat 500 with the same engine.

19-11-2013: Some 2013 Corsa seem to have been supplied without the side curtain airbag system shown in the brochure.

12-1-2014: ECU failed on 2009 Corsa 1.3 CDTi because rainwater from screen drains directly onto it. Not a problem of flooded vent well because drains to that were clear. £950 to replace, but Vauxhall offered 25%. Car had been serviced independently so no TSB to address this could have been carried out.

28-1-2014: Report of repeatedly "sticking rear drum brakes" on 8800 mile 2012 Corsa 1.4 SXi.

6-2-2014: DPF light coming on every 2 weeks and every 150-200 miles in a 2011 Corsa 1.3 CDTi Multijet diesel. Driving in low gear for 20 minutes seems to regenerate it.

20-3-2014: Report of head gasket failure of 4 year old Corsa 1.2 engine.

14-4-2014: Another ECU failure, this time on a 2008 Corsa, because the bulkhead vent well drains became blocked and the vent well became flooded. Cost £1200 to replace. (See: 12-1-2014). Wise of all Corsa owners to check that their vent wells are draining properly or they could suffer the same problem.

1-12-2014: Report of failed fuel tank breather pipe in 2011 Corsa SXi.

2-1-2015: Complaint that independently serviced 2012 Vauxhall Corsa would have failed first MoT in December 2015 if strut top bearing issue for which 2014 Corsa were recalled was not addressed.

1-7-2015: Two broken front springs reported on 4817 mile 2010 Corsa 1.2, closely followed by loud noise from chamshaft. Dealer bill says cured by replacing camshaft cover gasket. Turned out that what failed was the breather diaphragm which is built into the cover and they only sell it as a complete assembly. Probably gummed up with condensation emulsion from the car's short run use.

17-9-2015: Yet another failed ECU reported, this time on a 2007 Corsa automatic.

28-8-2016: Report of failed glowlug on 2013 Vauxhall Corsa diesel, presumably no longer under warranty. Replaced by local garager, but then a few weeks later the glowplug warning reappeared.

21-9-2016: Report of electric windows of 2012 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE 3-door dropping overnight after some rain. The previous week the car had been fitted with a new coil pack by local Vauxhall dealer. Otherwise unexplained (probably water getting into the windows ECU inside the driver's door).

6-6-2017: Report of oil pump of 2013 Corsa engine failing.

11-8-2017: Report of i ntermittent fault with Vauxhall Corsa D 1.4 torque converter automatic. Won't change in Auto; works in manual; engine service light comes on. Stop switch off ignition, restart and sometimes fault has gone. Tried changing Gearbox ECU for used unit, Worked fine for weeks then same problem. ECU buzzes with ignition on.

23-9-2017: All four coil springs of 2009 Vauxhall Corsa were broken and failed MoT.

23-11-2017: Report of engine management light coming on in Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi, but going off when driven on the motorway. (Reason will be DPF getting full of soot and not passively regenerating until take on the motorway, where it may also be actively regenerating.

30-4-2018: Report of waterpump and timing chain of 2012 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 failing at 28,000 miles.

23-6-2018: Report of driver's side front coil spring failure on used 2008 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 Design at 30,000 miles. MoT history showed passenger side front coil spring had failed 3 years previously.

10-9-2018: Report that 25k mile 2013 Vauxhall Corsa SE 1.4 petrol auto, last serviced October 2017, has developed a judder from the engine at 55-60mph and 2100-2300rpm in 4th. Feels like it is misfiring. No acceleration. O nly way to accelerate properly is to floor it, so the ‘box drops a gear or even two, and the required 70 mph is achieved without the juddering. If accelerating firmly from any other speed, there is no juddering while going through the 55-60mph bracket. In all other respects the engine and ‘box appear to be working as intended.

31-10-2018: Report of problems with 2010/60 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 Eco Energy. Previous owner had cam timing sensor replaced before selling it after the car had broken down. Since then it has broken down twice. Each time the computer blames the sensor, which has been replaced. Although it runs, it's sometimes more difficult to start and runs quite roughly.

22-11-2018: Report of oil pump failing on 2013 Vauxhall Corsa at 4 years old. Replacement oil pump then also failed a year later in November 2018.

7-2-2019: Report of front coil spring failure on little used 2012/62 Vauxhall Corsa D at 1,200 miles.

18-9-2019: Report of Electric Power Assisted Steering of 89k mile 2012 Vauxhall Corsa D ECOFLEX 1.0 occasionally failing. Turn off ignition, re-start and it works again. New battery fitted but still happens. We think it is a relay opening because of resistance somewhere; maybe from holding the steering on full lock, maybe because the rack has lost its fluid, maybe because the rack is faulty. Or a poor negative earth from the battery to the car body.

10-10-2019: Report of 2012 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 automatic intermittently cutting out whilst driving without any warning. No EML, no fault codes. Local garage had it in twice and whilst there works fine. Nothing back from diagnotics, however have changed crankshaft sensor and got a new battery. Worked again for one or two days then problem returned. If not a coil pack, may be fuel system related and needs a fuel system cleaner then running on Super. Similar fault reported 10-9-2018.

7-11-2019: Report of problems with 'Easytronic' autpomated manual transmission of 2013 Vauxhall Corsa Exclusiv auto at 73,000 miles. Three months previously an engine warning light appeared (picture of an engine and handbook saying get attention asap) and car became very sluggish, it had no power and pulling away from a stop was a struggle. It was taken to a competent local garage. They took it for a test drive and diagnostics found there was a fault with the link between the speedometer and the gearbox so that in the absence of a speed input, it defaulted to 4th gear. As a precaution, they changed the gearbox oil and checked for any metal fragments but none were found. The car was driven in semi-automatic mode using the gearstick with no problems. On changing back to full automatic again, it was fine, the engine/gearbox performed properly. The light and symptoms reappeared, the garage checked again but were unable to pinpoint the cause. Driving in semi-automatic for a few miles and then reverting to full auto once again cured the problem. The garage were of the opinion that as the `fix` was easy to carry out owner should live with it rather than try various expensive solutions. When the fix no longer worked and the fault was stable they could better identify the faulty part and replace it although they warned it might prove costly. We would guess trouble with the actuator.

07-02-2007: R/2007/024: VAUXHALL CORSA steering control may be lost. Steering arm to be replaced. Shortage of components delayed first 6 months sales of car. March 2008: Same TSB on 1.3 CDTi as for Fiat 500 Multijet. A number of these Indian built engines were fitted with the wrong cylinder head gaskets.

October 2009: ABS units of 1.2 16vs routinely being replaced FOC as a TSB when the cars are in for a service.

Unknown date Field Remedy: 2512 Subject: Brakes - Get hot without pushing Brake Pedal Models: Corsa 2007...2009 All. Complaint: Rubbing brakes, permanent brake light illumination, poor engine / driveaway performance. Cause: Hard movement of brake pedal bearing at pedal block, brake pedal does not fully return to basic position. Remedy: "In case of customer complaint please check brake pedal for free movement on the pedal block. Brake pedal must return to basic position. Note: At increased legroom temperature it might occur that the brake pedal does not return to its basic position. This leads to a permanent pressure on the hydraulic brake system, rubbing brakes and permanent illumination of the brake light. This failure occurs sporadically and is rarely reproducible. In case of a hard moving or sticking-, not to basic position returning brake pedal replace the complete pedal block. Lubrication of the pedal block is no effective and durable fix, disassembling of the pedal block is not allowed. Note: A replacement of components of the hydraulic brake system is not required! Please promptly return replaced pedal blocks to ETAC.

07-02-2007 R/2007/024 VAUXHALL CORSA steering control may be lost

20-12-2007 R/2007/166 VAUXHALL Corsa steering may fail VIN: 00000000076021542 to 00000000076087940

20-12-2007 R/2007/166 VAUXHALL Corsa steering may fail VIN: 00000000074029534 to 00000000074233663

10-06-2008 R/2008/068 VAUXHALL Corsa braking performance may be reduced

10-06-2010 R/2010/056 VAUXHALL Corsa handbrake may fail. The mounting end of the handbrake cable may move in its support bracket. This might result in the loss of the handbrake function. Recall affected vehicles to either have a washer installed or the replacement of the cable. Build dates 1/9/2009 - 25/5/2010

19-09-2011 R/2011/110 VAUXHALL Corsa braking performance may be reduced (Opel/Vauxhall finally recalled all Corsa (405,690 in total) to have the brake pedal bearing replaced.) VIN:76000002 to B6080236. Build dates 01/09/2006 to 15/03/2011

19-09-2011: R/2011/128 Corsa handbrake may fail. The parking brake may not hold in the applied position as a result of a nonconformity in the manufacturing process which affects the hardness of the ratchet and pawl material. Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to check the production date of the handbrake lever assembly and replace if necessary. VIN: A4253100 to B4005814 build dates: 01/08/2009 to 23/08/2010 Also VINs A6114350 to B6005096 build dates: 01/08/2009 to 23/08/2010

29-9-2014: Vauxhall has issued a recall for Corsa, Corsavan and Adam models registered since May 2014, over issues with the steering system. Vauxhall has warned users not to drive their cars prior to an inspection being carried out, but no accidents or injuries related to the problem have been reported so far. Vauxhall says the issue is with a part that “did not meet specification” and was discovered during a quality control test. Customers can check whether their car is affected by visiting the Vauxhall website or by calling 0800 026 0034 0800 026 0034 between 9AM and 5.30PM.

25-2-2015: Recall of Corsa models build mid 2014 because strut top bearings can wear prematurely

Recall: R/2017/021 10-2-2017 Vauxhall Corsa D SHORT CIRCUIT MAY OCCUR. There is the possibility of water penetration into the vent hose resulting in water ingress into the vacuum pump, over the wire harness and into the relay box. In the worst case a short circuit may lead to a risk of fire. Fix: On affected vehicles, add a spray deflector to avoid water ingress into the vent hose, replace the electronic vacuum pump/relay box assembly and apply special grease to the electrical terminals. VINS: W0L0SDL08D6000098 to W0L0SDL08E6125110. Build Dates: 3-7-2012 to 3-9-2014.

Recall R/2016/292 13-2-2017 Vauxhall Corsa D STEERING RACK MAY FRACTURE Due to a manufacturing process deviation, the toothed rack of the steering gear might break under extensive force application i.e. when manoeuvring at slow speed. Fix: Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and check the build date of the steering rack. Where the steering rack is proved to be from the affected batch, the steering rack will be replaced. VINS: F6011081 to F6011081; F6009505 to F6030604; E4328115 to E4341162; F4035887 to F4065026. Build Dates: 18-10-2014 to 28-1-2015.

27-03-2017: R/2017/111: Handbrake may disengage: Due to a possible contamination of the tooth segment the handbrake pawl may not latch correctly. This may cause the handbrake to disengage. Fix: On affected vehicles Replace the parking brake lever assembly. VIN: H6002365 to H6034907; H6002464 to H6035061. Build dates: 26-08-2016 to 23-01-2017.