If you’re someone who has a couple of kids and who mainly drives in traffic-clogged urban streets, then there’s a good chance you might drive a Vauxhall Meriva. It’s one of those cars that’s bigger on the inside than its footprint would have you believe. And it’s cheap to run. But it isn’t perfect, because glitches are not unknown.
However, we can help, because we can guide you through repairs of some common faults that afflict the second-generation Meriva. And the added benefit of that is the fact that you avoid expensive garage labour charges altogether.
What recalls has the Vauxhall Meriva been subject to?
Given that the Vauxhall Meriva is built for families with small kids, it’s a shame to see it being recalled for faulty seatbelt pretensioners. In addition, a little more than 1000 examples were recalled because the wiring loom could chafe against the transmission, eventually causing a warning light to illuminate.
Then the Meriva was recalled because it was found to have a faulty passenger airbag, which had to be replaced.
A full 1436 cars were then recalled because the bolts attaching the passenger seat to the rails were of the wrong specification, and could fail in a crash.
What common problems does the Vauxhall Meriva Mk2 have?
The Vauxhall Meriva has been known to illuminate its malfunction indicator light (MIL) because of a fault with the accelerator pedal position system.
Unfortunately, all Merivas have also been known to suffer an oil leak from the area where the engine and gearbox meet.
Your Vauxhall Meriva could also fail to start, but turns over normally and there are no warning lights. The problem? The power steering pump. Go figure.
Some owners have also reported a rattling noise from under the front of the vehicle while driving along, which is due to faulty anti-roll bar nuts.
An issue where the front daytime running lights operate sporadically but the rears stay lit is down to a faulty headlight unit.
Does the Vauxhall Meriva have accelerator problems?
The Vauxhall Meriva occasionally illuminates its malfunction indicator light (MIL), and at the same time you’ll notice the car losing power.
First things first, you’ll need to plug in a fault code reader. If it displays the code P2138 then you’ll know that the problem is a faulty accelerator pedal position sensor.
So, you’ll need to get down on your hands and knees and check all of the connections behind the pedal. If you can’t see anything wrong, you’ll need to replace the pedal assembly, which is covered by the Haynes Meriva Autofix.
Are oil leaks an issue on the Vauxhall Meriva?
No matter whether your Vauxhall Meriva has an automatic gearbox or a manual, you might come out one day to find a puddle of oil under the vehicle.
This is the sort of thing that it's best to fix sooner rather than later, because an oil leak is not only really bad for your finances (you need to keep topping it up), but it’s also somewhat poisonous to the environment.
The problem lies with poorly tapped holes for the flywheel/drive plate, and the fix is a bit laborious but is nothing that a confident home mechanic couldn’t do.
So you need to remove the flywheel/driveplate, clean everything up, and reassemble it with new bolts, making sure to apply thread-locking compound to the bolts.
Does the Vauxhall Meriva have starting problems?
On rare occasions, yes, the Vauxhall Meriva does have a starting problem. And the source is not something that you might immediately think of.
So you turn the key, the engine turns over but it won’t fire. And, oddly, there are no warning lights. Weird. So what’s the source? The power steering pump. Obviously.
To make sure, disconnect the electrical connectors from the power steering – if the engine then starts, the pump is at fault.
You’ll need to remove and replace the pump, but the good news is that your Haynes Meriva Autofix will have you covered. Just get the spanners out and away you go.
What’s that rattling noise coming from on my Vauxhall Meriva?
It’s fair to say that roads are rarely smooth. In fact, in many urban environments, the roads can often resemble the surface of a quarry after a blasting session. Which makes it all the more annoying when your Vauxhall Meriva emits a rattling noise from the front as your drive along on the daily trip to work.
The problem lies with the front anti-roll bar, which can work loose over time due to some faulty nuts.
Fortunately, replacing the nuts is simply a case of raising the car safely, then getting under it and replacing the nuts (part number 93193825) one at a time, and ensuring that you do them up to the correct torque setting.
Again, your Haynes Meriva Autofix will help you out here.
Does the Vauxhall Meriva have daytime running light problems?
If you encounter a scenario with your Vauxhall Meriva in which the daytime running lights are inoperative (or work only sporadically) while the tail lights work fine, then the problem is the headlight unit.
The solution? Disconnect the battery, then remove the old headlight unit entirely and replace it with a new one. Not cheap but at least you’ll be saving the cost of labour on the job.
Haynes will be with you every step of the way, so just look up the procedure in your Haynes Meriva Autofix and all will be well (and illuminated).