Why is the Peugeot 208 considered to be an unreliable car?

The Peugeot 208 was originally a 3-door hatchback in its early production of 2011. From 2012, this super mini became available as a five-door hatchback with petrol and diesel versions and engine size ranging from 1.2 to 1.5.

The 208 proved to be, a popular car among many drivers who enjoyed the road handling and fuel economy, however, the 208 ranks very low in most satisfaction surveys both for new and used vehicles. Having at least ten factory recalls, it also ranks very low in new vehicle reliability surveys.

As with many cars, the 208 frequently develops many minor but irritating complaints, such as Door seals splitting, leaks from screen washer tubing, header fabric discolouration, and faulty switches.

More problems that are serious and have been subject to a recall include the following:

The fittings on the bonnet catch are not sufficient to hold the bonnet in the correct position. This results in difficulty in either opening or closing the bonnet. The only way to rectify this is by replacing the fixings.

The touch screen displays information such as speed, mpg and allows access to music and connected devices. The device can fail to initiate on ignition or sometimes freezes during operation. A software update is normally sufficient to rectify this problem, although sometimes, a replacement unit is required.

If during the manufacturing process the fitters have not correctly bled the braking system, it will be necessary to use more than the normal force on the brake pedal to achieve adequate braking function.

A synchromesh problem within the gearbox can result in difficulty in selecting reverse gear. The temporary solution is to release the clutch and trying to select the gear again. The only adequate solution is the replacement of the gearbox.

Failure of Faulty wishbone mounting bolts in the front suspension assembly can result in steering loss and vibration to the front of the car. To replace the mounting bolts is straightforward if caught before failure otherwise the whole suspension system will require replacing.

The roll-over valve, located in the fuel tank, is to prevent the flow of fuel from the fuel tank in the event of the vehicle rolling over. This is a safety feature, which should prevent the vehicle catching fire in the event of an accident. If the unit fails, it will prevent the vehicle from operating without being involved in an accident. Replacement is a simple solution.

An internal electric relay has a fault that can cause the starter motor to active unexpectedly or in certain circumstances can cause the relay to overheat and catch fire.