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Citroen C5 Aircross wet belt issue

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2024 10:53 pm
by The truth
I would like anyone that is thinking of wasting their hard earned money on a c5 aircross please please please don’t do it citroen themselves are a disgrace of a company.

My problem started February this year when my 19 plate c5 aircross engine failed after doing 54000 miles because of a will knowing issue (of course they don’t tell you this when buying the car tho) because of the wet belt going causing damage to the engine that can’t be repaired and you need to get a brand new engine fitted. Apparently to Arnold Clark manger we were dealing with told us that Arnold garages up and down the country is full of citron c5 with the same problem and it’s all down to the wet belt failing in he’s words wet belts shouldn’t be put into these cars whatsoever.

We contacted citroen with this information and they said that they accept it was down to their wet belt that caused the damage but there willnt be paying for the new engine because the car warranty had ran out in December (typical) what I find remarkable even though they have said they know it’s down to the wet belt so now we have been going back and forth for months and nothing getting resolved in my honest opinion all c5 should be recalled at this rate.

Now it’s September and we still haven’t resolved the problem we are still paying 500 pounds per month for a car that hasn’t been used since February we also had to cancelled our family holiday this year to pay for a second car just to get back and forward to work it’s causing us stress money problems but they don’t care and for me I would never again in my life get a other citroen.

So in all stay well clear of citroens the company is disgrace

Re: Citroen C5 Aircross wet belt issue

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2024 9:18 am
by Juan Sheet
I can understand your frustration to vent this out in public, but there's nothing inherently wrong with the C5 Aircross whatsoever. It is the EB2 1.2 engines with Wet belt systems that are the issue and these are also used in Fords and loads of other vehicles and marques.

I agree it's a terrible design, but with manufacturers pushed by governments that pay too much heed to eco warriors and climate change evangelists, they are forcing them to make engines smaller, lighter, more compact and of course still deliver the same sort of power whilst reducing emissions all the time - so they have to come up with fuel efficient engines like this that run on 3 cylinders and run hotter and faster.

This is another reason why many EB2 petrol engines have an earlier timing belt replacement of about 62k miles - but they must still be checked regularly at each annual service (which is the requirement). These engines also have explicit oil specification requirements because of the wet belt system. So correct oil grade and specs are crucial, as well as annual changing.

If you don't have it main dealer serviced, then an independent garage is not going to have the information or updating requirements to undertake the required checks - they'll just do a basic service. This is where any issues with the belt condition would be checked as it's easy to do visually without any dismantling.

Had the belt been picked up as deteriorating at annual servicing, it would of been changed and you likely wouldn't have had this issue.

Citroen, will only likely intervene if the car has been serviced on time and to the required standards that their dealers undertake. If this is not the case then they are not at liberty to compensate you as they can't be responsible if previous or current owners decide to have it serviced elsewhere.

Sorry that this is not what you want to hear, but this is no reason to bad name the C5 Aircross in general. All cars have their issues and Ford have only just caved into a recall for their wet belt vehicles after class action in the USA and now extending the recalls to the UK. But is took years to do....

So it's the specific engine, not the vehicle to be fair.

Sorry to hear about this situation, but the only thing I can suggest is that if you have documentary evidence of servicing that has been undertaken to the required standards and at least annually, you may have some case as the belt isn't due to be changed as I said until about 62k miles.

Re: Citroen C5 Aircross wet belt issue

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2024 10:17 am
by srperry
Well said, Juan.

Re: Citroen C5 Aircross wet belt issue

Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 6:33 pm
by ckracer76
This is very interesting.

My Ford Ecosport 1.0 Ecoboost wet belt failed and the car had to go back to Ford. Engine ruined so we rejected the car and thankfully got our money back.

I am looking at buying a Citroen C5 Aircross and came across this forum and specifically this post while researching the best model to choose.

Following on from the OP and responses, can you recommend the best engine to go for in the Citroen C5 Aircross range?

Preferably dry belt or chain drive. I’d like to avoid all wet belt engines.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Citroen C5 Aircross wet belt issue

Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 8:35 pm
by BlackEdition
Get the PHEV 1.6 engine auto variant.

Re: Citroen C5 Aircross wet belt issue

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2025 10:27 am
by Jbglasgow
Hi just joined this forum after reading up on issues with citreon aircross c3 wet belt. Just had my 19 plate citreon serviced and at approx 41000 miles.the mechanic I used fed back to me that there were shavings of the belt and recommended that I gt it changed as soon as I could.i was actually taken back with this as the model says it was advisable at around 60000 mile. So to save further damage I have put it in today . The mechanic I use is first class and told this was common in this vehicle. The estimate cost involved is a max£800 so for peace of mind I'm happy to go ahead with this . I've had no other probs with this car so I hope this preview helps others when looking at buying one of these models