Peugeot Partner (2008–2018)
What's good
Supple suspension gives the Peugeot Partner a cushioned ride and keeps cargo from being bashed about, yet there is little body lean when cornering.
The 1.6-litre turbodiesel engines pull well around town and the 92PS version is well suited to driving to further afield destinations.
The Partner offers a large, well thought out cargo bay with masses of space and, in all but the base model, easy access with a standard sliding side door.
What's bad
Recall 17-06-2008: Fuse box may cause equipment operational failures
Recall 08-06-2009: Left-hand seat may become detached in a collision
Recall 24-12-2009: Tailgate may not operate correctly
Recall 10-09-2010: Passenger airbag may not work correctly
Recall 11-10-2010: Roof flap may detach
Recall 08-03-2012: Seat belt fixing bolts may loosen
Recall 10-05-2018: Peugeot recalls Partner vans over airbag problem after it discovered an internal component within the airbag triggering ECU may have been damaged which could result in the airbag not inflating in the event of an accident.
Gong' sound means that car battery is failing to hold sufficient charge and needs to be replaced.
The base S model is quite poorly equipped as standard and it does without a sliding side door.
Peugeot’s semi-auto EGC (electronic gear control) transmission offers the option of an automatic gearbox but it’s slow to use and mars the driving experience.
Small buttons for the stereo controls make it fiddly to use and distracts the driver’s attention away from the road ahead.
11-7-2017: Report of dog teeth on 5th gear assembly breaking up on a 2004/63 Citroen Berlingo (same as Peugeot Partner). Requires a complete transmission rebuild.
30-5-2019: Report of turbo failure in 2010 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDI DV6 TED4 engine. The Peugeot/Citroen warranty fix (when done properly) is not just a replacement turbo, but a revised turbo lubrication system with larger feed and return pipes and a higher capacity oil pump. The common out-of-warranty repair is just a new turbo and feed pipe (of original design) because this is about half the cost of the proper fix. The 'cheap' fix will work, but only with regular oil changes and always letting the turbo cool by idling to ensure a flow of fresh oil through the bearing before switching off.
