1.3 TCe engine: faults and reliability

• 1.3 TCe / 1.3 DIG-T 109-163 (H5Ht / HR13DDT / M282, first series 2018-2020)

  2018–2020 · 109–163 hp · H5Ht, HR13DDT, M282

  With caution

  It accumulates several manufacturing defects (injectors, injection calibration, turbo clip) documented by L'argus, all already corrected at the factory between 2019 and 2020; check that the specific car has already had those corrections or does not show their symptoms.^[1]

• 1.3 TCe / 1.3 DIG-T 109-163 and Mild Hybrid (H5Ht / HR13DDT / M282, corrected production from 2020)

  since 2020 · 109–163 hp · H5Ht, HR13DDT, M282

  Buy

  The reliability record is clearly better than that of the 1.2 TCe and PSA's 1.2 PureTech, according to L'argus: no oil consumption or chain problems have been documented. The only known outstanding issue is the fuel pump fuse failure on the Captur II and Clio V, with no confirmed factory fix at the date of the latest source consulted.^[1]

Buy: No known serious faults, or they have already been corrected, in this version. With caution: Worth buying if something specific is verified: history, a replaced part or a completed campaign. Avoid: High risk of a serious fault that is hard to check for or prevent.

1. 1High severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalTurboTurbo actuator (wastegate) faultOn 1.3 TCe/DIG-T engines built up to 19 June 2020, the clip that holds the turbo wastegate valve rod may be missing or come loose, causing a loss of power with the injection warning light on. If the rod is left with too much play, the whole turbo has to be replaced.Repair (garage): €400–€700
2. 2High severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalFuelBlown fuel pump fuseOn the Renault Captur II and Clio V with the 1.3 TCe engine, a 20-amp fuse can blow and leave the car without an engine. According to L'argus, in April 2021 this fault still had no factory fix; the official service centre's diagnosis includes checking, and sometimes replacing, the catalytic converter.
3. 3Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalInjectionUnstable idle, juddering and stalling caused by the injectorsOn 1.3 TCe/DIG-T engines built before April 2019, the injector seal may be missing or its housing incorrectly sized, which causes an unstable idle, juddering and stalling. Renault-Nissan corrected it at the factory in 2019; the repair involves replacing injectors or, in serious cases, the cylinder head.
4. 4Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalEmissions controlEmissions warning light on because of a calibration faultA fault in the injection calibration can turn on the emissions warning light or the engine fault light on 1.3 TCe/DIG-T engines from 2018-2020. Renault-Nissan fixes it by reprogramming the control unit; production after 2019-2020 already includes the corrected calibration.Repair: €100
5. 5Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalTimingTiming phaser faultA fault in the camshaft phaser can turn on the injection warning light and sometimes cause a loss of power in the 1.3 TCe/DIG-T. Renault-Nissan corrected it at the factory in February 2021; the repair involves checking the solenoid valves and, if necessary, replacing oil control valves.

Severity colours: low, medium, high, critical. How we rate them

Manufacturer

Renault-Nissan / Daimler

Family

H (Alianza Renault-Nissan), co-desarrollado con Daimler/Mercedes-Benz desde 2017

Fuel

Petrol

Displacement

1,332 cm³

Cylinders

4

Fuel system

Turbo

Injection

Direct injection

Timing

Chain

Power

109–163 hp

Peak torque

270 Nm

Production

since 2018

Makes

Renault, Dacia, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz

Technical data^[3][4][5][6]

1. 2018–2020

   1.3 TCe / 1.3 DIG-T 109-163 (H5Ht / HR13DDT / M282, first series 2018-2020)

   The engine's first production run, unveiled in December 2017 and fitted as standard from 2018. In these years several manufacturing defects appeared that Renault-Nissan has since corrected: injector sealing (corrected on 9 April 2019), injection calibration that turned on the emissions warning light (corrected between June and July 2019, with later episodes until 2020) and a clip on the turbo wastegate valve rod (corrected on 19 June 2020).^[1][7]

2. since 2020

   1.3 TCe / 1.3 DIG-T 109-163 and Mild Hybrid (H5Ht / HR13DDT / M282, corrected production from 2020)

   Incorporates the 2019-2020 factory corrections and, from 2020-2022, the 12 V Mild Hybrid versions (Nissan Qashqai III, Renault Arkana and Austral). In April 2021 L'argus documented a timing phaser fault corrected that same month (21 February 2021) and, with no confirmed factory fix at that date, a fuel pump fuse failure limited to the Renault Captur II and the Clio V.^[1][9][10]