Are you familiar with Dacia Duster problems and recalls?
Dacia Duster is a subcompact crossover SUV that started production in 2010. This model has gone through a few body styles throughout its life. These include a 5-door SUV, 4-door pickup, and 2-door pickup versions that all fulfill the crossover SUV purpose despite different designs.
The first generation of Dacia Duster vehicles had a large choice of petrol powertrains and a single diesel one. Petrol ones go from 1.2 to 2.0 L while diesel powertrain has a 1.5 L K9k I4 engine.
The second generation maintained the same diesel powertrain but had fewer options than petrol engines. However, these petrol engines went from 1.0 L up to 2.0 L though fewer engine types remain.
Dacia Duster won multiple awards in 2011, 2012, and 2013 for its practical and price-effective nature. Dacia Duster’s second generation hasn’t had as good of a reception. Generally being criticized for loud motors, unimpressive interior, and poor range of equipment. However, the rest of its design was considered decent with accessible seats and height-adjustable steering wheel being some of the standout features.
Dacia Duster Problems
Dacia Duster may be a reliable vehicle for the road but it does have some common enough problems to pay attention to. Fuel injection issues, rusting paint, fire hazards, and heat damage are all possible malfunctions that can occur during the lifespan of our Dacia Duster.
- Fuel injection problems
The Dacia Duster was affected by a recall that affected about 1,800 cars a few years ago. This recall was tied to the poor function of fuel injection systems. However, it’s mostly cars with the identification number with the format of “UU1YYYYYXXXXXXXX” that had to undergo the recall. [1]
Your vehicle may have not gotten the recall and can still have these problems. The fuel injection problems from this recall require recalibration of the fuel calculator and their problems could result in the loss of the Stop&Start system.
- Paint rust
Since 2013, the Dacia Duster models have experienced paint rusting. This issue was addressed with recalls multiple times, however, it kept appearing.
This led to the paint warranty being extended to 7 years but it didn’t stop the problem from appearing. If the paint starts to rust on your Dacia Duster, pay close attention to its spread. If it gets bad, it’s time to use the warranty. [2]
- Risk of key jamming
The ignition switch can disengage incorrectly. Though not likely, this can cause a thermal incident in Dacia Duster. This problem can happen when a key jams in the start position.
Something that’s quite simple and can eventually happen with the car that suffers from this issue. If the thermal incident happens, our starter motor could get damaged. This damage can spiral into further issues. [3]
- DPF Problems
Your DPF, Diesel Particulate Filter, will generally clear out the most harmful particles from exhaust gas. However, driving for a prolonged period of time across long distances may cause clogs in your DPF in your Dacia Duster.
Though it’s a manageable problem that we can deal with at the first stop, it is something to keep in mind. DPF can cause a number of internal problems as soot accumulates in the car instead of being properly filtered out. Making this a problem worth keeping an eye out for.
Solutions to Dacia Duster problems
DPF problems in Dacia Duster are best solved by consistently cleaning the filter. This filter can be found inside the exhaust system. It’s just ahead of the NOx trap and exhaust pipe itself, before the temperature sensor.
Once you find it, open the DPF and clear the filter itself. Keep in mind that unless DPF gets overloaded and clogged it will clear out the particles itself in a process called regen. Regen involves DPF burning off the particles passively as the engine reaches high temperatures.
Key jamming problems are probably best addressed by making use of the recall that may still be in function. Otherwise, making sure to diagnose if our key or its slot has any physical deformations is important. That way, we’ll know if the problem is directly physical or something deeper within our car.
Rusting cannot be solved necessarily if your car is already suffering from it. But we can always take some extra care by covering the entirety of our car with a coating that’ll keep it safe for longer. That way, the general area that rusts can be cut down.
Dacia Duster problems
Warranty and recalls are two things we can rely on if the above solutions do not help. Warranty may be prolonged for specific issues such as the paint rust issues noted above.
Recalls have similar benefits for certain issues. Certain recalls have infinite duration so no matter how far ago the recall was initiated you can make use of it to fix the vehicle.
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Conclusion
Dacia Duster is a vehicle that demands varying amounts of care. As you can assume, the rusting issue takes up the most time. Especially when we find ourselves with larger parts of the car affected.
However, other issues demand our attention too as leaving them unattended can spiral into other problems. Thankfully, the warranties and recalls provided can generally lessen the impact the malfunctions will have on the car, making the time we spend with it more carefree.
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