John Evans is a long-time motoring journalist and editor from titles such as What Car?, AutoCar and Practical Caravan.
The Peugeot 206 is a popular, small family hatchback, offered in three and five-door forms and a convertible called the CC. There are loads to choose from on the used car market, with prices slightly lower than those asked for Ford Fiestas and VW Polos.
It’s powered by a wide choice of economical petrol and diesel engines. The 1.1-litre petrol is suitable for low-mileage, urban motoring while the 1.4 has the legs to do longer drives.
The 1.4 diesel engine is an efficient all-rounder. The larger petrol and diesel engines are strong, the 1.9 diesel especially good for long-distance cruising. The pick of the engine range, though, is the 1.6 HDi.
Even today, the 206 remains a good-looking car. Controls are light, visibility is good and it’s easy to drive. The sporty 2.0 GTi 16v handles and grips really well, and offers plenty of performance for the money.
Unfortunately, the 206 doesn’t feel that well built (metal panels and interior plastics are flimsy), the manual gearbox feels loose and unconnected, and it’s noisy but cabin space is reasonable and the car is generally quite practical.
Value for money is the 206’s appeal. Find a well-cared for example at a sensible price and you won’t go wrong.
Common problems with the Peugeot 206
Our records indicate the Peugeot 206 has more than its fair share of problems and indeed, for a while it languished at or close to the bottom of owner satisfaction surveys for reliability.
However, the beauty of buying a used car like the 206 at this time in its life is that many issues will have been dealt with by previous owners.
Find a tidy, one-owner car (its not difficult; the car was very popular with fastidious owners who made sure they were regularly serviced) and it’s likely any teething troubles were sorted out long ago.
All versions have experienced serious, official safety recalls [check the government recall website here]. If you’re buying from a dealer, check they are aware of any recalls and whether they have attended to them. If you are buying privately, check whether the seller knows if the work has been carried out.
If they don’t, contact VW customer services (0800 042 2422) and ask if they have any records of the work having been done. Note that often, only specific build dates are affected by a recall notice.
Peugeot 206 Recall Notices
Recalls Model build dates
Rear spoiler may detach 28/11/01 – 02/10/03
Starter motor wiring loom may be wrongly positioned 01/06/04 – 13/07/04
Possible erratic operation of throttle body n/a
Diesel fuel return pipe leak n/a
Front right-hand seatbelt mount may fail n/a
Windscreen wipers may fail 01/12/05 – 31/05/06
Fuel pipe may leak 03/07/08 – 16/07/08
Engine
Our contacts have identified lots of issues with all Peugeot 206 engines. Most versions suffer power loss problems (fault code P0300 indicating misaligned timing marks), and occasional engine cut-out when driving, a problem blamed on a faulty fuel level indicator (the fuel tank is empty).
A fluctuating idle speed is another common issue (the canister purge solenoid may not be not functioning correctly).
Versions of the 1.4 petrol engine (up to 2006) could be particularly troublesome with problems ranging from poor starting to delayed engine response (faulty injectors). A noise from the engine management double relay indicates a faulty ECU.
We rate the 1.6 HDi diesel but that, too, has its problems, many originating from the diesel particulate filter (DPF). On all diesels fitted with one, it’s worth investigating the PDF where you have engine running issues.
Engine overheating and excessive smoke could be a faulty turbocharger, while jerky engine responses are possibly caused by a faulty fuel rail pressure sensor.
A thudding noise in certain versions of the 1.9 HDi engine could be the air inlet duct (two screws may have dropped out). Poor engine start could be water ingress in the air filter via the front left wheelarch liner.
Engine judder when driving the 1.6 16V petrol could be faulty engine control unit software. The CC 1.6 16V could occasionally run on three instead of four cylinders (the leakage rate of the exhaust valve hydraulic tappets is too high).
Most versions of the 206 were recalled to fix a sticking ignition key (where it occurred, the steering cowling or clamp were renewed). Another recall concerned a faulty starter motor wiring loom that could cause a short circuit. It was refitted correctly.
Transmission
Potentially, most 1.4 petrols and diesels, 1.6 petrols, 1.9 and 2.0 diesels and the 2.0 16V share the same transmission problems.
There’s the possibility of an oil leak from the automatic gearbox (a faulty gearbox output seal or torque converter seal), engagement problems and slippage affecting first and second gears (metal filings in one of the brake supply channels) and the gearchange is snatchy when moving off (a faulty automatic gearbox oil sensor).
If the engine goes to limp home mode, the automatic transmission control unit may also be at fault.
Brakes
All versions were recalled for a faulty brake pedal (renew the two clevis pins).
Exterior and interior
Most versions can experience central locking problems, traced to the central locking control unit (it has most likely suffered lost adaptation values). All versions can suffer reversing light failure caused when the control body unit is damaged when renewing the timing belt.
If the airbag warning light fails, check for fault code 0A0 which indicates a faulty passenger seatbelt pretensioner.
The front right-hand side seatbelt mounting was the subject of a recall (an incorrectly fitted spacer) on all versions. There was another recall for all models from launch to October 2003 to tackle the alarming possibility of the rear spoiler detaching (the four bolts were renewed and two safety straps fitted).
A third recall concerned possible failure of the windscreen wiper mechanism. It was simply renewed.