If ever a car was the motoring equivalent of a Swiss army knife, then the Citroen Berlingo is that car. It’s a great expression of simple, flexible, robust transport. And it’s even a little bit cool. Better still, if you’re not a Citroen fan, then you can have the self-same car with a Peugeot badge – it’s called the Peugeot Partner. The Berlingo and Partner are proper multi-purpose vehicles, because they’re the sort of cars that tradesmen can fling all their work stuff into during the week, then at the weekend they can raise the seats so that the family can travel in comfort. Of course, that means they sometimes endure a hard life, so if you’re looking at purchasing one, you’ll want to ensure it’s in good condition above all else. The Berlingo and Partner are also prone to a few common glitches, but all you need to do to keep your motoring costs on the down-low is invest in the Haynes Berlingo manual and we’ll help you sort out any irritating problems yourself. It’s easy, and gives you a great sense of satisfaction along with the joy of saving huge sums of money by not shelling out on garage labour charges.
What recalls has the Citroen Berlingo been subject to?
The Citroen Berlingo Mk2 has seen the inside of Citroen workshops on a few occasions, so it’s worth making sure all the required work has been carried out.
Some cars were recalled because of faulty bolts on the front-seatbelt return rails. Faulty welding on rear seats caused another recall, as did suspension damper securing bolts that weren’t done up tightly enough.
Dodgy tailgate support struts had to be replaced on 157 examples, then 336 cars were recalled because of airbag wiring connectors that weren’t to the required spec.
Citroen recalled 6031 cars to have the engine relay unit replaced because it could cause the electrics to play up, then 21,211 cars with the 1.6-litre diesel engine fitted were recalled because debris from the timing belt could damage the brake vacuum pump.
Faulty bonnet catch fixings were replaced on 767 cars, while 744 cars had to have the handbrake mechanism checked and if necessary, replaced.
What common problems does the Citroen Berlingo Mk2 have?
The Citroen Berlingo is designed to be unburstable, but its 1.6-litre diesel engine can suffer an oil leak between the cylinder head and the camshaft housing.
And some owners have reported a vibration from the steering on their Berlingos. This isn’t an out-of-balance wheel, it’s air in the power steering system.
The ABS/ESP warning light can suddenly come on, at the same time as the brake lights and cruise control systems play up, but it’s an easy issue to sort.
Similarly, an overheating engine is going to be the cause of some worries, but it’s likely the fan control unit at fault. And finally, the engine can suddenly drop into limp-home mode, and it's a faulty EGR valve that’s the cause.
Where’s that oil leak coming from on your Citroen Berlingo?
All engines need oil to keep running smoothly, and one of the fundamental parts of having oil in the engine is that it needs to stay inside the engine.
However, the 1.6 HDi engine can sometimes give the oil and escape route from the area between the cylinder head and the camshaft housing.
The solution is easy enough – you’ll need to remove the camshaft housing, clean off all the old sealant, then apply new sealant before refitting the camshaft housing to the cylinder head.
All this is covered in the In-Car Repair Procedures chapter of your Haynes Berlingo manual, so just read up on what to do, gather together the tools you’ll need, and off you go.
If you want to know how to change the engine oil and filter on your Citroen Berlingo, just watch our FREE video below.
Is your Citroen Berlingo steering shuddering?
A vibration through the steering wheel is a deeply annoying thing, because you absolutely have to hold the steering wheel for every metre of your journey, which means you feel the shuddering for every metre of your journey.
Most often the cause of this is a wheel that has shed a balance weight along the way, but not always.
Indeed, the power steering system in the Citroen Berlingo can also be the cause, because the fluid can become contaminated with air. This causes the system to work intermittently, setting up a vibration.
The solution is to remove the old power steering fluid and replace it with new fluid, before bleeding the system completely.
As ever, the Haynes Berlingo manual will be able to help you through every stage of this process.
Why is your Citroen Berlingo ABS warning on?
Driving along and suddenly seeing the ABS/ESP warning light aglow in the dashboard is going to cause some concern. That concern will only be heightened if the brake lights start to do random things, and the cruise control refuses to operate. It appears that bad things are afoot.
First things first, you’ll need to connect a fault-code reader to your Berlingo’s OBD socket. This is likely to display one of three codes: C0040, C1384 or B181C. All of these signify a problem with the car’s brake light switch.
The only solution is to replace the switch, which is easily found behind the glovebox. The Haynes Berlingo manual will show you exactly where it is and how to replace it.
After that, you simply need to delete the fault codes from the car’s ECU, and all will be well again.
Does the Citroen Berlingo have overheating problems?
You’re driving along on a lovely sunny day and all is right with the world. But then the traffic ahead slows before coming to a halt. Ah well, just got to wait it out. Hang on, why is there suddenly a hot smell in the car? You might also notice that the cooling fan is strangely silent.
When you get home, plug in a fault-code reader. If this displays the codes P0483 or P0118, then the fan is inoperative. Next up, you’ll need to check the cooling system for leaks, then make sure that the cooling fan has power. If everything seems fine, then the fault lies with the cooling fan control unit/resistor, which you’ll need to replace.
Again, just look up the Cooling, heating and ventilation systems chapter of your Haynes Berlingo manual, and you’ll see that changing the unit is a relatively simple affair.
Is the Citroen Berlingo in limp-home mode?
The Citroen Berlingo is no road-burner, but nevertheless you expect a certain level of performance when you put your foot down.
Unfortunately, the Berlingo can sometimes fail to deliver the required pace because it’s dropped into limp-home model. You’ll know because in addition to the sluggishness the engine warning light will be glaring at you.
Again, a fault-code reader is your friend because it can show you where the issue lies. If it displays the codes P02ED or P00BC then the component at the heart of the issue is the EGR valve, which will need to be removed and replaced with a new one.
The Emissions control systems chapter of your Haynes Berlingo manual will guide you through exactly how to carry out the procedure, so you’ll soon have full performance once more.
