By make

Known Citroën problems at the APK

Over all generations together Citroën has an A-problem about as often than cars of the same age (rank 16 of 33 makes). 63 times a part fails clearly more often than average on a Citroën generation.

Window: Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · Updated: 16 Oct 2026

By part

Exhaust and emissions

Repair: medium
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 8.3% at 11–12 yrs (national 1.4%)
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 7.1% at 9–10 yrs (national 0.8%)
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 7.0% at 11–12 yrs (national 1.4%)
  • C3 Picasso 2009–2012 · 7.6% at 13–15 yrs (national 2.7%)
  • C1 I 2005–2013 · 8.1% at 16+ yrs (national 5.1%)
  • C3 III 2017–2024 · 2.9% at 9–10 yrs (national 0.8%)
  • C4 Picasso I 2007–2014 · 1.9% at 11–12 yrs (national 0.4%)
  • C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer 2013–2022 · 1.1% at 7–8 yrs (national 0.4%)
  • C3 Aircross I 2017–2024 · 0.8% at 7–8 yrs (national 0.4%)

Start the engine cold and watch for smoke and an uneven idle. Listen for blowing noises under the car.

Brakes

Repair: medium
  • C1 I 2005–2013 · 9.1% at 16+ yrs (national 6.1%)
  • C3 Aircross I 2017–2024 · 3.7% at 7–8 yrs (national 1.5%)
  • C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer 2013–2022 · 3.1% at 5–6 yrs (national 1.2%)
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 3.4% at 9–10 yrs (national 1.6%)
  • C1 II 2014–2022 · 2.8% at 5–6 yrs (national 1.2%)
  • C3 Picasso 2009–2012 · 3.5% at 16+ yrs (national 2.1%)
  • C5 Aircross 2018–2025 · 2.8% at 5–6 yrs (national 1.9%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 1.9% at 5–6 yrs (national 1.2%)
  • C3 III 2017–2024 · 1.1% at 3–4 yrs (national 0.7%)

Look through the wheel at the discs: no deep grooves or thick rust edge. Brake firmly on the test drive: the car should stay straight.

Lights

Repair: small
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 24.5% at 7–8 yrs (national 11.1%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 24.7% at 9–10 yrs (national 13.7%)
  • C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer 2013–2022 · 17.9% at 5–6 yrs (national 7.8%)
  • C3 III 2017–2024 · 20.2% at 7–8 yrs (national 11.2%)
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 26.5% at 11–12 yrs (national 17.7%)
  • C1 I 2005–2013 · 26.2% at 11–12 yrs (national 17.5%)
  • C5 Aircross 2018–2025 · 16.5% at 5–6 yrs (national 7.9%)
  • C1 II 2014–2022 · 12.6% at 5–6 yrs (national 7.9%)

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Drive shafts

Repair: medium
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 2.6% at 7–8 yrs (national 0.5%)
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 3.7% at 13–15 yrs (national 1.9%)
  • C5 Aircross 2018–2025 · 1.9% at 5–6 yrs (national 0.3%)
  • C3 III 2017–2024 · 2.1% at 9–10 yrs (national 0.7%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 1.8% at 9–10 yrs (national 0.7%)
  • C3 Aircross I 2017–2024 · 1.5% at 7–8 yrs (national 0.5%)
  • C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer 2013–2022 · 1.6% at 9–10 yrs (national 0.7%)

Look behind the front wheels at the rubber boots: no tears or grease around them. Drive a tight turn: no clicking noise.

Wheels and wheel bearings

Repair: medium
  • C1 I 2005–2013 · 5.4% at 16+ yrs (national 2.3%)
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 4.7% at 16+ yrs (national 2.4%)
  • C1 II 2014–2022 · 3.3% at 11–12 yrs (national 1.0%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 2.3% at 11–12 yrs (national 1.0%)
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 2.3% at 11–12 yrs (national 1.0%)

On the test drive, listen for a humming noise that rises with speed.

Leaks

Repair: medium
  • C4 Picasso I 2007–2014 · 16.5% at 13–15 yrs (national 5.5%)
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 9.6% at 13–15 yrs (national 5.6%)
  • C3 Picasso 2009–2012 · 8.3% at 13–15 yrs (national 5.5%)
  • C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer 2013–2022 · 5.2% at 11–12 yrs (national 2.6%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 3.4% at 9–10 yrs (national 1.5%)

Look under the engine and where the car was parked. Open the bonnet and look for wet, greasy spots.

Steering

Repair: large
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 7.7% at 16+ yrs (national 1.6%)
  • C3 Picasso 2009–2012 · 6.8% at 13–15 yrs (national 1.2%)
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 5.7% at 13–15 yrs (national 1.2%)
  • C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer 2013–2022 · 2.8% at 11–12 yrs (national 0.8%)

Turn the wheel while stationary: no play, knocking or heavy spot. On the test drive the car should keep running straight.

Springs and shock absorbers

Repair: medium
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 6.2% at 9–10 yrs (national 0.8%)
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 6.0% at 13–15 yrs (national 2.3%)
  • C4 Picasso I 2007–2014 · 4.0% at 16+ yrs (national 2.7%)

Push each corner down firmly: the car should rebound once. Look for oil on the dampers and whether the car sits level.

Control arms / ball joints

Repair: medium
  • DS3 2010–2024 · 5.3% at 13–15 yrs (national 1.9%)
  • C3 Picasso 2009–2012 · 5.1% at 13–15 yrs (national 1.9%)
  • C3 II 2009–2016 · 4.9% at 13–15 yrs (national 1.9%)

Listen for clunks or knocks over speed bumps on the test drive. The car should not wander when braking.

Windows and visibility

Repair: small
  • C1 II 2014–2022 · 7.5% at 5–6 yrs (national 3.3%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 6.8% at 5–6 yrs (national 3.4%)
  • C1 I 2005–2013 · 8.0% at 13–15 yrs (national 5.3%)

Look for chips and cracks especially in the driver’s field of view. Test the wipers and washers.

Tyres

Repair: small
  • C1 II 2014–2022 · 19.2% at 3–4 yrs (national 12.8%)
  • C4 Picasso I 2007–2014 · 11.0% at 13–15 yrs (national 7.3%)

Check the tread and look for uneven wear: that points to an alignment problem. The DOT code on the tyre tells its age.

Engine and drivetrain

Repair: large
  • C3 Picasso 2009–2012 · 1.6% at 16+ yrs (national 0.9%)
  • C4 Cactus 2014–2021 · 0.6% at 11–12 yrs (national 0.3%)

Start cold and listen for ticking, watch for smoke and jerks when shifting.

Warning lights

Repair: medium

Switch on the ignition: all lights come on briefly and go out after starting. If one stays on, ask about the cause.

Body and doors

Repair: small
  • C4 Picasso I 2007–2014 · 1.9% at 11–12 yrs (national 0.2%)

Open and close all doors and the tailgate. Uneven gaps and colour differences point to accident repair.

Brake lines

Repair: medium
  • C1 I 2005–2013 · 2.6% at 16+ yrs (national 1.3%)

Use a torch to look along the lines near the wheels and rear axle: no thick rust or wet spots.

All Citroën generations in a row

GenerationA-problems vs. the same ageKnown problemsInspected
C1 II2014–202236% less often528,204
C3 III2017–202422% less often417,035
C5 Aircross2018–202520% less often33,387
C3 Aircross I2017–202418% less often36,719
C4 Picasso I2007–201416% less often56,841
C1 I2005–201313% less often673,667
C4 Cactus2014–2021about as often814,677
C4 Picasso II / SpaceTourer2013–2022about as often710,903
C3 Picasso2009–201210% more often64,688
C3 II2009–201629% more often727,553
DS32010–202468% more often98,024

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Frequently asked questions

Which problems are common on Citroën cars?

At the APK exhaust and emissions stands out for Citroën: on 9 of 11 generations it is clearly more common than on cars of the same age. Source: RDW Open Data, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026.

Source: RDW Open Data (CC0), analysis CarXray.nl. 6,857,004 inspected passenger cars aged 3 years and older, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Each car counts once. How we know