my vauxall zafira keeps cutting out?

My vauxhall zafira engine management light comes on and off randomly, then started stalling when pulling up to junctions.

It was a build up of carbon of some sort in the channels of the gas exchange plate, where the sensors detect from, cleaned the channels out on this plate and car has been running perfect for four months now and engine management light stayed off

Graeme
December 2017

my vauxal zafira 1.6 life 2008 does not tick over just keeps cutting out. but when you have been driving for about 10 mins its fine and doent cut out at all. but when you turn it off, and try and start it again it cuts out again?? what could be the problem

keith
December 2017

has any body tried changing the fuel filter ( could be blocking up) the little one under car by fuel tank????

dean
May 2017

change mas air flow metre that should do it easy fit

shane
April 2016

Hi, I have a 1.7 diesel Zafira 2011 which looses power. I have fitted a blank in the EGR valve which has a small hole in it which I was told would stop the warning light coming on. The blank does not appear to have resolved the problem and it does appear to be worse after I have filled the car wth fuel.

Ray
March 2015

my zafira 1.8 (51 plate) cuts out randomly with engine management flickering , it restarts after a minute or so , i see lots of people blaming the egr , mine does not have an egr valve so where do i stand

iain
March 2015

I changed my temperature sensor and the radiator as I discover that only one fan was working and this stop it from cutting out

Ayooka
February 2015

Vauxhall are at fault here because cutting out at junctions/roundabouts is potentially life threatening, I have seen this fault in Zafira's old and new and Vauxhall should be made to solve the problem on a recall free of charge by court order if neccessary.

My son has spent £200 so far trying to fix this problem.

Jack
January 2015

DO Not BUY a ZAFIRA WHILST DRIVIING the m 42 in my artic a zifira cut out in the middle lane it was black on a black road stationary with no lights , of course I rear ended it, the driver, after taking care of his 9 months pregnant wife, just kept saying "it just cut out, IT JUST CUT OUT!!! Strangely enough I bought one that did it too when slowing on the motorway it just stopped got rid of it the next day. BE WARNED!!!!!

hazel
December 2014

My 1.8 meriva as had the same problems.
Temp gets to about 90 when running then cuts out.
I have put to lamber sensors on, new air flow meter.
New coil pack.
I'm at my whits end.
The engine management light flickers several times before cutting out then will start again after a few minutes.
Had the aa out who cannot work the problem out.
Time to scrap the car and cut my losses as I have spent £800 trying to rectify the problem.
Vauxhall must know about the problem but will not admit to there being a fault.
Will never touch vauxhall again

Darren
August 2014

Hi whilst travelling on the motorway in our Vauxhall zafira 04 plate it seems to just loose power so we have to pull on to the hard shoulder and then wait a min so it will start again. We thought it was because of the oil as it was low so we topped it up but it still does it can a y body help please Regards Martin

Martin
May 2014

Just had the cutting out and loss of power on my wife's 2001 zafira 1.8. Ended up being the mass airflow meter had blown a hole in itself. Replaced by my local garage and all appears to be fine now.

Fash
April 2014

My vauxhall zafira 1.6 16 v 2004 kept on juddering as I was driving it used to stall every time I started it up then it got to the point after a good run down the motor way I got up to take my kids to school started it up it was over revin then stalling tried to drive it no power kept stalling, I had a mechanic take a look on computer he told me it was the egr valve I bawt a new 1 went to fit it, to find mine was capped off! Then another machanic said it's my coil pack so I bawt a new one put it on no different, I was told it was the throttle body I cleaned it out! No different! I ended up letting the misses dad take it to his garage! He tested my alternator there was the problem it was scrap and not supplying enough power to feed all the cars needs! I got my car bk now it's mint no over or under idle perfect!

austin lester brum
March 2014

I have a Zafira and it keeps doing the same and may need a new head gasket

My advice - NEVER EVER BUY A ZAFIRA as they are rubbish I've had nothing but problems with mine since I bought it and it used and it still has a year on the HP to run so can't even scrap it

AJ
March 2013

if you do the wire from the air mass you will notice you have lots more power and responce

dave hand
February 2013

my zafira 2000 1.8 petrol lack of power on the move but if i push the pedelup and down fine but if i keep my foot on it slows down

alan
February 2013

As for loss of power and cutting out Unplug the air mass sensor then should work fine

Martin
January 2013

When I start my engine and drive to the first junction the engine will stall and cut out and takes about 20secs of turning the engine before the engine restarts. Drive 100yrds to next junction and same happens. After that the car runs without stalling apart from Kangarooing and juddering at low speed. Engine management light comes on and off. removed the EGR valve and it does not appear blocked visually. Even tried a blanking plate but no difference. Engine management light permanently on without EGR valve.
Someone posted running an wire from the air flow meter to earth which solved their issues. The engine only cuts out first thing from cold but does not cut out when at speed like some zafiras. Any ideas what is causing mine to only cut out when I start it from cold and why it judders and kangaroos?

Diezeltruck
December 2012

2000 sorry

dave hand
November 2012

also mine is a 200 model

dave hand
November 2012

after about a year of trying to sort this problem of the engine light and sluggishness and stalling ive sussed it ........i have no photos but its a 2 min job with zero expense .....................
right here goes the mass air flow sensor (witch is the black plug on the air in take)(thick black tube like pipe)under rubber wire housing (second from the right) is a yellow wire. get about 8" of simular size wire and conect to the yellow wire. either cut n join or do what i did and feed it through to the terminal just bear the wire enough so you can still put the plug back on. then if you look to the right and down there is a ten mm nut witch is an earth nut undo slightly bear the wire and clamp it down....... thats it done mine worked straight away it stalled once at first then must of reset the ecu went for about a 6 mile drive light is off feels loads more responsive and strangley even the brakes feel better !!!!!!!! mine is a 1.8 auto petrol but cant see that making much difference ........... many thanks hope it works for you as this as been a thorn in my side for over a year :) :) if you stuck or wanna thank me lol my number is 07562711183

dave hand
November 2012

where is idle valve on zafira 2008 1.6

andy
October 2012

am shore if you get in touch with whatch dog they had a problem that vauxhall could fix because i have the same problem

paul
October 2012

hi i have a 2004 1.6 16v vauxhall zafira. i have a problem with the engine management light being on and i have changed several sensors but i still have this problem also the car is losing power as-well. It hasn't actually cut out and stopped. I telephoned my nearest garage and asked about an air flow meter as on different sites this seems to be the problem. Only his answer was that my car doesn't have an air flow meter! Is this true? would really love some help on this thanks

jackie
July 2012

my zafira is an auto and if the light comes on i find it hard to pull away as it is sluggishi noticed recently the light is staying on longer please someone help my partner goes to addenbrookes alot with her severe epilepsy and i cannot afford a new mpv

dave
May 2012

my 2001 1.6 zafira kept cutting out and the engine management light kept coming on, if i hit 60 miles per hour the engine would cut out all together. I found out the air flow meter was split so i took it off and put a 6 inch piece of garden hose on it and it was perfect, the hosepipe doesnt affect the emissions and it has just sailed through an mot

john
May 2012

i have just purchased a vauxhall zafira 1600 life o7 plate, after a few days it started cutting out at road junctions ,so frustrating, and have decided to place it in a vauxhall dealership surely they should rectify the fault ,will keep you all posted .

mal baker
May 2012

My 2001 zafira has been doing the same, constant juddering and random total power failure, even when driving at speed on the motorway. After much research this seems all too common! Very alarming seeing as the consequences could be life threatening. No confidence left in my car, nor funds to keep trying different things :(

Charlotte
May 2012

hello there i am having the same problem.when i brought my vauxhall zafira v reg 1.8i,the engine management light would come on.but if i left it for like 2 mins it would start straight away,but now i am driving down the road when the management light comes on then it cuts out i mean there is no power at all.i have had a computer pluged on the car and its come up with injectors,so why do it cut out then.

davey boy (triplet trio)
March 2012

I had the same problem with my zafira and it turned to be the mass air flow sensor.

Ryan
December 2011

my 02 plate Zafira Comfort started cutting out at junctions intermittently. But would start again straight away and be fine for a week or so before doing it randomly again. Topped the oil up as it was very low, but still does it. Lately its not been so easy to start again after an 'episode'. And a couple of days ago it just lost power on the motorway. Luckily I was able to get the car and my family to the hard shoulder safely. And it did restart after a couple of tries and so far not happened again. But I'm fairly sure it will. Whether this is connected I dunno but sometimes when i first start it up at any point in the day the ABS light is on until i switch off the engine and restart it, this hasnt come on for a while now tho. Debating whether to sell on and get something different (only had this car 5 months) or just deal with problems as they arise. Really don't know :s

Sarah
October 2011

Hi everyone back again to keep you up to date took my zafira in mine is a 1.8 16v on a V plate well the throttle unit was cleaned and the pipes and the ERG was taken off and cleaned out to .
And what do you know take the corner away from the garage starts to happen almost straight away . So now I am at a complete loss The garage is going to get in touch with a friend and see what else we can try as the erg was in good nick spending £80 upwards for a new 1 may not fix the problem so i will be back an keep you all posted

Tracey
April 2011

I have a V reg petrol zafira and having problems had the coil pack changed . had new sparks put in an also a full service and still this problem .
I bought my car with a engine management light on and never any problems until guy at the garage took it off with a computer an then wow did all the problems start I used to pray for the light to come on because it by passes the problems and allows the car to drive but now it comes an go's I am about to put it in for an (E,R,G) valve clean and check over of the problem because it is now cutting out at stops and juddering like mad will keep you informed

Tracey
March 2011

I have a zafira 1.6 club, i had the EGR valve change last year, it took a while for a garage to find the problem because no codes were showing. It used to judder all the time then cut out at junctions when i slowed down, its now been a year and its started again, this time its cut out and im having problems even starting it...the revs just drop and engine cuts out, the AA had to take me and my car home! ive now decided its to unrealiable and its costing to much money yearly to be fixed (thats not the only problem with it) scrap yard for it!

louise
February 2011

hi my 02 zafira keeps cutting out at junctions you know its going to happen the car judders before you stop had new coil pack fitted and throttle body cleaned out still no good could it be the egr valve had one fitted 2years ago could this be worn now.

trev
March 2010

I have just sold my 1.6 petrol Zafira 55 plate after an endless problem with engine loss of power on motorways and various other roads. I got 5 or 10 second warning light on dashbord then Nothing -complete loss of power.I have had 2 coil packs,a new ECU,replaced EGR valves,spark plugs.
The CURE or partial Cure....
What I have discovered is this-take the Plug out the coil pack and plug it back in it.
THIS will keep the car going for another 50 to 60 miles. I have done this numerous times now and it has enabled me to sell the car on so it is someone elses problem now.
unplugging the plug in coil pack and putting it back in temporarily breaks the fault code in the software.
I have spent over £800 on garage repairs trying to get this right on my Zafira and I was not prepared to spend more money of new car software .
Previously my 51 plate Zafira 1.6 petrol Zafira went to 190 thousand miles with No problems At all-Not even a clutch replacement.
It seems this problem is with Zafira 55 reg plates.

Ian
February 2010

30,000 cars at risk from engine power loss cut out on Zafiras..........

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/motoring/article-1119262/Vauxhall-engine-fault-leaves-30-000-cars-risk-losing-power-suddenly.html

Ian Stuart
January 2010

I thought I would give my advice if I can be of help to anyone all the better. I have a 53 plate Astra 1.6 sxi which I had the same problem. Juddering after a certain time during a journey, then it would stall at junctions. I read up online and went ahead and changed the EGR valve myself. It is so simple to do. I would say however do not buy a cheap ebay part. Get a direct replacement part as they are better quality.
I also recently bought the wife a Zafira 1.8 (2000 plate) petrol engine.
I noticed the engine started pinking while driving steady.
On both cars the engine light never came on.
I changed the coil pack which didnt solve the problem. So I decided to try the EGR valve from the astra on the zafira before buying a new one.
Low and behold it solved the pinking straight away.
I would recommend changing it yourself. There are step by step guides on some forums with pictures.
Save yourself money and dont go to the "Vaux Stealership!"
Something that will take less than 5 minutes to do!

Jason
December 2009

I have a fairly old Zafira (2000) and my car has juddered and cut-out repeatedly every 12 months for the past few years. It always appears to be the EGR valve. It happened again last week and I told the garage what I thought the problem was - lo and behold I was right. A couple of mechanics have said that Zafira's are prone to this problem. On newer models you can get the EGR valve capped-off with a blanking gasket and telling the engine management unit to bypass the valve. I can't do this on mine, so I'm resigned to changing the valve each year or changing the car.

deewak
June 2009

my zafira is only 2009 and has multi problems first is it does not slow down when i take my foot of the gas pedal. also it cuts out on low gears, and is very thirsty. !!!!! any clues idears would be helpful

michelle Selcuk
June 2009

my Zafira kept cutting out while cruising and had to keep bumping it while driving, had EGV valve changed last year and it worked a treat, but low and behold a year later its doing it again

Jan
May 2009

1.6 vauxhall 8v,16v, single and multi point injection from 99/00 onwards. If it has the newer (no seperate idle control valve/sealed unit/fly-by-wire) throttle body and cutting out at junctions and bunny hopping with lack of power is occuring intermittently then this is the possible reason and cure;

When the engine is cold or the weather is cold then the ECU allows extra throttle via the (fly by wire) throttle stepper motor. On reaching normal operating temperature, and especially in warmer weather, then the ECU shuts the throttle butterfly completely and the idle relies on warm air coming from the smaller pipe connected to the cam cover. While all the pipes clog slightly, and are easy to remove and clean, the one area that is overlooked is the actual idle nozzle into the throttle itself.

REPAIR/FIX: 1:remove all pipes from throttle housing +clean them out.
2:remove throttle housing. REMOVE IT! (it can all be refitted with the existing gasket if you lightly seal both sides/faces with a non hardening gasket paste) clean the housing and all pipe junctions out.
THE IMPORTANT BIT 3:Take a small drill bit (1.5/2mm) and using pliers gently wind the bit through the tiny pipe hole under the butterfly (mine was completely solid and in the end i just drilled it out!) inserting the bit from the outside of the throttle housing and working inwards. This is the nozzle that connects to the pipe from the cam cover housing and is the smaller of the 2 pipes. (the other larger one goes to the air inlet). You will probably find that this tiny nozzle is blocked rock solid (like mine was), or just gunked up. Cleaning this nozzle is the clincher and is why the engine cannot idle. No need for ECU reading, replacing all the purge and EGR valves!!! if this doesnt work THEN you can safely go down the route of replacing valves and software etc...
any queries then you can email me on daell(at symbol)hotmail.co.uk - written on april 1st (after 12pm!) 2009.

ALIAS the 3rd
April 2009

i know this question is on a while but it may help future surfers. car cuts out because the egr valve needs to be replaced common fault with zafira its called kangarooing

john
February 2009

it could also bo the C.I.M unit at the steering wheel, this gives problems some times.

ryan
September 2008

I have only just seen this page but have added this comment for future referrence.
This problem happened with my Zafira and the problem was the temperature sensor. This is easy to spot as the temperature gauge falls to minimum.

Tim
June 2008

Check the oil and water, I cut out the other day and the engine management light come on. When I checked, I had no oil. Once I had topped up, it was perfect again!

Apparently, if you have no oil or water. the car cuts out.

Kelly
June 2007