1.2 16v engine (D4F): faults and reliability

• 1.2 16v 75/76 (D4F, 2001-2020)

  2001–2020 · 75–76 hp · D4F 706, D4F 712, D4F 714, D4F 722, D4F 728, D4F 772, D4F 780

  Buy

  This is the version with the most data available and, overall, a good reputation: the reliability pages for the Clio II, Clio III, Kangoo I, Sandero I and II and Logan I and II document no catastrophic failures and no oil consumption; the most repeated issues (coils, sensors) are low-cost, and Caradisiac rates the reliability of the Twingo II with this engine as "excellent".^{[1][2][3][4][9][10][11][12]}

• 1.2 16v 60 (D4F 708, Twingo I, 2004-2007)

  2004–2007 · 60 hp · D4F 708

  Buy

  We have found no specific reliability data for this minority, short-lived calibration (2004-2007). As it shares its block, head and architecture with the rest of the D4F family, there are no documented reasons to expect it to behave differently from the other versions.^[7]

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 severityFrequency: OccasionalCylinder head and blockDamaged head gasket and coolant lossOn higher-mileage 1.2 16V engines, cases of a damaged head gasket are documented, with coolant loss and a risk of overheating; it appears on the Clio II, the Kangoo I and the Dacia Sandero I, but not in the pages for the Clio III or the second generation of Logan and Sandero.
2. 2Medium severityFrequency: CommonIgnitionIgnition coil failure (misfires, engine warning light)The ignition coil is the engine fault that recurs most on the 1.2 16v: it appears independently on the Renault Clio II and Clio III, with misfires, jerking or the engine warning light coming on.
3. 3Medium severityFrequency: OccasionalElectronicsProbe and sensor faults (crankshaft position, throttle body)The 1.2 16V can fail because of specific probes or sensors, above all the crankshaft position sensor (TDC sensor) and the throttle body, with the engine warning light on or difficulty starting. Documented on the Clio II, Clio III and Kangoo I.
4. 4Medium severityFrequency: RareTimingTiming belt: preventive maintenance and the odd failureThe 1.2 16v has a timing belt (not a chain), a wear part that has to be changed as preventive maintenance. Documented failure cases are a minority: under 4% of the owner reports analysed on the Clio II and Clio III.
5. 5Low severityFrequency: RareLubricationOil consumption (no documented pattern on this engine)Unlike other small direct-injection turbo engines, the reliability pages consulted for the 1.2 16v (Clio II and III, Kangoo I, Twingo II, Logan I and II, Sandero I and II) document no pattern of excessive oil consumption.

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

Manufacturer

Renault

Family

Familia «D» de Renault, evolución del bloque Cléon-Fonte: el D7F (8 válvulas, desde 1996) es el motor 1.2 del que deriva el D4F (16 válvulas, desde 2001); ambos convivieron durante años en los mismos modelos, con el D4F como opción de mayor potencia o como sustituto directo del D7F en las gamas de entrada.

Fuel

Petrol

Displacement

1,149 cm³

Cylinders

4

Fuel system

Naturally aspirated

Injection

Indirect injection

Timing

Timing belt (dry)

Power

60–76 hp

Production

2001–2020

Makes

Renault and Dacia

Technical data^[5][6][7][8]

1. 2001–2020

   1.2 16v 75/76 (D4F, 2001-2020)

   16-valve version of the D block, with 75-76 hp depending on the model, compared with the 54-60 hp of the 8-valve D7F it derives from. It is the main D4F variant: it was fitted to the Clio II (from mid-2001), Clio III, Clio IV, Twingo II, Modus, Kangoo I and the Dacia Logan and Sandero of both generations.^{[5][6][7][8][15]}

2. 2004–2007

   1.2 16v 60 (D4F 708, Twingo I, 2004-2007)

   Lower-output calibration of the D4F, with the same 60 hp as the D7F it replaced as the entry-level engine in the final years of the Twingo I, now with a 16-valve head instead of 8.^[7]