Broken Coil Spring

[navi]

VOSA have informed me that they have no incidents of Citroen C3 front suspension springs breaking whilst the cars have been travelling on the road. They say all have broken whilst standing still or instantly whilst pulling away. Now from my chassis number to last chassis number issued to VOSA by Citroen it leaves some 980,000 cars not recalled for modification to suspension leg to stop broken spring travelling down leg and dropping body work. Has anyone had a spring break whilst travelling????

[Guest porcupine]

Probably all dead!! 2 years ago I drove from Scotland to near Cambridge with Cruise on my C3 set @ 75 down M74/M6/M1 etc and when I stopped outside my daughters house there was a clunk. Front o/s dropped, investigated it and suspected broken coil spring. Could only then move it 10yards onto driveway with major noise until Greenflag arrived, and confirmed coil gone. Then I speculated about this happening on Motorway at Speed!!! Probable roll over through crash barrier into oncoming traffic!!!! :(

 

Car taken to Mrashall of Cambridge who were brilliant. (Car 3 months out of warranty of course). They confimred some C3's had recalls on this fault but not on my VIN number. After 2 days Citroen agreed to replace both front springs FOC, even out of warranty. Result!!!!

 

1 year later, wife hears funny noise from rear when driving solo. Car slighly down at rear on near-side. Small piglet of coil spring had snapped off. Local Citroen dealership told about front spring episode, they contacted Citroen, and again both rear springs replaced FOC.

 

Too many co-incidences here. methinks. Suggestions of crap third world steel manufacture of these springs?? Can' still believe that I survived what could have been a killer situation with the coil springs. No problems since, but again, it's not 3 years since the new ones were fitted!!!!! :)

[StuartB]

Just over a week ago, I suffered a broken O/S front spring on my 2009 (late) C3. It caused a blow out of the front tyre. Luckily I was driving at low speed at the time and not driving on the motorway going to work.

 

I've seen information on the web about earlier recalls, but I have never received a recall for my car.

 

I took the car to the local Citroen dealer who called me four days later to say that Citroen gave them the go ahead to fit two new front coils springs and there would be no cost to me as it was a goodwill gesture because I have the car regularly serviced by the dealer and have had it since new. I'm not impressed by those comments, nor for the fact that if I have been driving the car at high speed when the spring broken. That could have been fatal. 

 

This isn't the first safety issue I have had with the car. The first was a loose steering wheel nut.

 

I expect to get the car back from repair today and I am going to report this to VOSA.

[paul.h]

Front and rear coil spring failure is quite common on cars these days, the springs may be thinner to save weight/cost and there are lots of bumps on roads. We had a front one fail on a 2003 C3 and a rear one on a 2010 C3. In both cases they were replaced at no cost to us for both sides by  the Citroen dealer. They said Citroen replace them up to about 80k miles, whether or not it is called a goodwill gesture and on the second car it had not been serviced by Citroen. On the 2003 C3 there were cups fitted at the bottom of the springs to catch it if it failed and prevent damage to the tyre and brake hose - there may have been a recall to fit these on early cars but I would have thought they would then be standard. The AA site lists recalls.

 

Have a look on the C3 Technical section Common Problems pinned topic for a few things to check http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/20273-common-problems-rev-1822015/