2002-2014 Opel Agila Problems: 10 Known Issues

Agila A cars built between 21 June 2003 and 30 April 2007 were recalled in the UK because insufficient paint adhesion to the fuel tank sheet metal surface allows corrosion to develop. Left unaddressed, the corroded tank perforates and leaks fuel, a direct fire hazard. This is an age-related defect that gets worse rather than better, and on cars this old many will have changed hands several times without the recall ever being carried out.

The 1.3 CDTi in the Agila is the Fiat 1.3 JTD/Multijet derivative, and its injection system is its single biggest weakness. Failing injectors and leaking injector seals produce power loss, difficult cold starting and rough running, sometimes at relatively modest mileage. Leaking copper seals let combustion gases past, which carbonises the injector wells and can seize an injector into the head, turning a seal job into a much larger repair. The 75 hp version fitted to the Agila attracts the largest share of negative reports of any 1.3 CDTi variant, with injector faults appearing repeatedly in owner testimony alongside high oil consumption.

The 1.3 CDTi is marketed with a maintenance-free timing chain, but reports for this engine family document abnormal chain noise, worn tensioners and outright chain failures at moderate mileages, contradicting the expected chain longevity. On a small interference diesel a chain that jumps a tooth or breaks destroys valves and pistons, so the rattle stage is the only cheap moment to intervene. The pattern is strongly linked to extended oil intervals and short-trip use, which degrade the oil the tensioner depends on.

Turbocharger complaints are documented across 1.3 CDTi versions, presenting as whistling, loss of boost pressure and premature turbo replacement. On this engine the turbo rarely fails in isolation: a clogged EGR valve and carbonised intake, common on the short-journey town cars the Agila typically leads, raise back-pressure and exhaust temperature and shorten turbo life, while high oil consumption reduces the quality of the oil feeding the turbo bearing. The 75 hp version fitted to the Agila is the variant with the heaviest concentration of negative reports.

Agila A cars built between 8 March 2002 and 3 September 2003 were recalled because the driver's airbag may fail to deploy in a frontal collision; an EU alert (21/2014) for cars produced December 2001 to August 2003 described the airbag triggering mechanism as liable to malfunction. A separate defect on the same family concerns the passenger airbag cover, where the laser-cut split line may be absent, in which case the passenger airbag cannot open through the trim in an accident. Neither fault produces any warning to the occupants during normal use.

Agila A cars were recalled in the UK over a potential soft brake pedal and reduced brake performance caused by water-induced corrosion of the brake master cylinder. Water ingress at the master cylinder corrodes the bore, the seals then fail to hold pressure and the pedal travels further with less braking effect. The failure is progressive, so a pedal that has gradually become longer over months is the warning sign rather than a sudden event.

The Agila B and its Suzuki Splash twin share a rear suspension design in which the strut top mounts and dampers wear quickly. Owners report clonking or knocking over small road irregularities long before the car is old, and used-car guidance for the Splash is explicit that a knocking noise from the rear on a test drive is a reason to walk away, because the rear struts are awkward and expensive to replace. Front strut cups and dampers are reported to wear rapidly on the same cars.

The Agila B uses the Suzuki electric power steering system also fitted to the Splash and Swift, and the EPS unit is a known failing component. Symptoms are heavy steering in one or both directions, loss of assistance at idle, a steering warning lamp, fault codes that will not clear, knocking from the column and excessive play at the wheel. A confounding factor is charging system condition: the EPS motor draws well over 40 A when the wheel is turned, so a weak battery or an alternator that is not charging properly will drop system voltage and shut the assistance down, lighting the EPS lamp without the steering unit itself being faulty.

Across French owner reports for the 2008-2014 Agila, gearbox and clutch complaints outnumber every other category. Owners describe the manual gearbox as noisy, baulking on selection or failing outright, and the clutch as short-lived, with the 1.0 65 hp cars logging a clutch failure at 38,000 km, a gearbox failure at 180,000 km and clutch noise present from new on some examples. The 1.3 CDTi 75 hp version records four separate clutch failures in a sample of thirteen owner reports, and the 1.2 94 hp cars also show gear selector cable failure at around 42,000 km, which presents as an inability to select gears even though the gearbox itself is sound.

Paint and corrosion complaints are a recurring theme in owner reports for the 2008-2014 Agila, with owners describing the paint on the bumpers and impact zones as fragile and rust appearing quickly wherever the finish is chipped. On a small city car that spends its life in tight car parks the chip count is high, and because the Agila is a low-value used car the rust is very often left untreated until it becomes structural at panel edges and wheel arches.