2004 Fiat Panda 1.2L Petrol · MW04 RNE

Every Mk2 Panda uses an electric power steering column, and owner reports show the assistance can cut out without warning or the column motor can fail outright. Fault File notes that many cases are traced to a weak 12V battery or corroded battery earth connections rather than the motor itself, so terminal condition has to be checked before condemning the column. Where the motor or torque sensor has genuinely failed, the steering turns heavy or fails completely, which is both an MOT failure and a serious safety issue. Autocar's used Panda buying guide lists 'dodgy electric power steering' among the faults to watch, with cases reported on Mk2 cars from the late 2000s onwards.

The Dualogic automated manual fitted to some Mk2 Pandas is an ordinary manual gearbox shifted by a hydraulic robot. The actuator is the weak point: it cracks and leaks fluid onto the electrics, the pump and accumulator fail, and the car drops into neutral, jumps out of gear or refuses to select at all. Car Advert Check quotes failures from as early as 17,000 miles and repair bills of roughly £1,800–£3,999, adding that a 12-year-old Dualogic with a transmission fault is effectively worth scrap value. Fault File confirms that affected cars can stop selecting in either automatic or manual mode, and that an oil change does not always cure it. Manual cars are unaffected.

The 1.1 and 1.2 FIRE petrols are belt driven, and Fiat's published service schedule for the 1.2 FIRE is a cambelt change every five years or roughly 72,000 miles, with Motorcheck quoting 120,000 km, about 74,500 miles, for the 1.1 and 1.2 units. Autocar's used buying guide recommends replacing the belt every 36,000 miles, so history is what counts. Whether a given engine is interference varies, and some 1.2 FIRE units are non-interference while later versions will bend valves if the belt lets go, so the belt should be changed on schedule rather than gambled with. The 1.3 MultiJet diesel is chain driven and unaffected.