There are three things that van owners want their vehicles to do: carry lots of stuff, do so reliably, and do so cheaply.
And that’s why the Renault Trafic is one of the more popular vans available today – it has built up a reputation for robustness and ease of repair.
But what if we could show you how to keep your Trafic on the road more of the time, and for even less of an outlay? It’s true. All you need to do is invest in the Haynes Trafic Autofix online product, and we can help you to diagnose and repair all those niggling issues that threaten to stop your van from earning you money by taking it off the road.
Pay once, and we’ll be there every time you need us.
What recalls has the Renault Trafic III been subject to?
The Renault Trafic II has been subject to a disappointingly high number of recalls, so if you’re in the market for one it’d be a good idea to make sure that every recall repair has been carried out.
A small number of vehicles were recalled because of incorrectly tightened rear seat belt buckle bolts, and also incorrectly mounted rear seatbelt inertia reel mountings.
A faulty secondary parking brake forced 2475 examples back to dealerships, then 18,486 vans were recalled because of rear axle bolts that weren’t done up tightly enough.
A cracked EGR pipe afflicted 4310 examples, and a faulty parking brake cable was the cause of another recall. Incorrectly tightened front axle wishbone mounting nuts caused a recall, and a faulty front bench seat frame forced another one.
Loose brake servo mounting bolts then demanded another recall.
What common problems does the Renault Trafic III have?
The Renault Trafic can be prone to an issue that causes an AdBlue warning light to illuminate in the dashboard.
Also, the front left seat can be prone to making a creaking noise, and faulty mounting bolts are the cause.
An engine warning light is never a good thing, and the Trafic is prone to it being caused by a faulty exhaust flap actuator.
However, your engine has to be running to generate a warning light, but unfortunately the Trafic can suffer an issue in which it simply fails to start in the first place.
And finally, it is not unknown for the Renault Trafic to suffer turbocharger failure.
Does your Renault Trafic have an AdBlue problem?
A number of Renault Trafic owners have reported that their van can suddenly illuminate the AdBlue warning light. The message says “Reducing agent system error – no engine start in xx km possible!”.
The problem is poor sealing between the AdBlue tank and the reductant control unit, and the solution is to remove the tank and renew the seal.
After that, it’s worth plugging in a fault-code reader to erase any fault codes.
Is your Renault Trafic III seat creaking?
Lifting yourself up onto the passenger seat is all well and good, but then to have the seat emit a loud creaking noise as you sit down – well, that isn’t going to do much for the self-esteem, is it.
However, the issue isn’t that youv’e had one too many bacon and egg sandwiches. Instead it’s that the seat has been incorrectly mounted and that the bolts haven’t been tightened enough.
The solution involves removing the passenger seat, then trimming the carpet around the seat mount before refitting the seat with new mounting bolts. Of course, you must make sure they’re tightened to the correct torque – and that’s where the Haynes Trafic Autofix can assist.
Next stop? The nearest café for a bacon sandwich…
Why is your Renault Trafic engine warning light on?
How depressing. You’re driving along, feeling good about life when all of a sudden the engine warning light comes on in your Renault Trafic. Not ideal.
Your first task will be to plug in a fault-code reader. If this displays the code P1480 it signifies that pressure in the particulate filter is not what it should be.
The cause? The exhaust flap actuator has failed, so you’ll need to check all the wiring first of all. If the wiring is fine, then the actuator itself has failed, so the job will entail accessing the old one and removing it before fitting a new component.
Again, the Haynes Trafic Autofix will be able to help you along the way.
Won’t your Renault Trafic III start?
An engine that fails to start is pretty much useless. And that’s what can happen to the Renault Trafic on occasion.
‘Occasion’ tends to be when there’s a low ambient temperature combined with high humidity. Unfortunately, moisture can accumulate in the air inlet hoses or the engine itself.
So disconnect the inlet hoses and clean them out. Then remove the glow plugs before turning over the engine by hand.
Finally, remove the old oil and oil filter and replace them with new items.
The Haynes Trafic Autofix will be there to help you every step of the way.
Has your Renault Trafic turbo failed?
Turbos have certainly revolutionised engines, because they allow engines to be smaller and therefore more efficient. However, turbos get a hard time, because they have to spin at huge speeds and suffer high temperatures. Failures are not entirely unexpected.
That’s what can happen to the Renault Trafic III, especially if the engine is continually switched off when the turbo is red hot.
However, the Haynes Trafic Autofix can guide you through the procedure to replace the turbocharger, so simply buy the new parts, follow each step and you’ll soon be back on the road.