General Multijet Recall

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Well i'm surprised -the saga continues. We have a 4-year old panda multijet with only 16k miles on the clock. The other day we could smell fuel but were unsure of the location of a possible leak. After some investigation, I discovered that the fuel pipie feeding the common rail had been rubbing against the side of the airbox. This plastic pipe had worn through and a fine jet of diesel was being sprayed across the top of a hot engine! Our panda was not one of those recalled but I view this design flaw extremely seriously. It is a danger to life!

When I contacted Fiat customer services I got the typical response: take it to an authorised Fiat garage - in our case some 12 miles away with fuel leaking over a hot engine! What planet are these people on?

Finally, to add insult to injury, the relevant pipe can only be purchased as part of a set costing close to £100 - for a plastic pipe!

I would urge all those with a panda diesel to check just under the airbox near the battery to see if the fuel is in contact with the airbox in anyway. If it is you may literally be sitting on a time bomb.

How is it a danger to life. It's diesel. You can extinguish a cigarette in the stuff practically without issue. If you had that much of a concern you'd have tried to tape it up of had the vehicle recovered by recovery wouldn't you??!

 

[ivantate]

I found ours rubbing years ago before the recall, iirc I bent a bracket or slid the pipe along in a clamp and it was fine.