Common Issues
Coverage reviewedCommunity-reported issues, their symptoms, causes, and fixes. Sorted by severity.
Radiator fan motor failure
The radiator fan motor seizes or slows with age. At speed the airflow through the radiator hides it, so the car behaves normally on the highway and overheats the moment it sits still. This is the fault Gen-2 owners mention most often when they talk about overheating, and it is cheap compared with a head gasket.
4-speed automatic thump and slip
The four-speed automatic's fluid and clutches wear with heat and age. A car that has towed, sat in traffic for 200,000 km or missed its fluid changes will show it first as a delayed engagement, then as a flare between gears. Old fluid turns the shifts harsh before the gearbox actually fails.
Air-conditioning not cold
Three faults look the same from the driver's seat. A low refrigerant charge from a slow leak cools poorly. A tired compressor loses output when it is hot. A blocked condenser or a fan that is not working makes the system give up in traffic. The Gen-2 is old enough that any of the three is plausible, and the radiator fan fault on this page produces the same symptom.
Engine mount wear at idle
The rubber engine mounts harden and tear with heat and age. Once one mount collapses, the engine moves further than it should, which loads the remaining mounts and sends vibration straight into the cabin. The S4PH's idle is not especially smooth to begin with, so worn mounts make it feel much worse than it is.
Power window failure
The switch pack in the driver's door and the window lift mechanism both wear. The master switch carries every window's current, so a tired contact there can kill one window while the others still work. A window that is slow before it stops is usually the regulator or motor, not the switch.
Water in the rear lamp and spare wheel well
The rear lamp seals and the panel seams around the tailgate let water past as the car ages. It collects in the spare wheel well, where nobody looks, and the smell is usually the first thing the owner notices.
Flat spot below 3,000 rpm
The fixed-cam S4PH makes its torque at 4,000 rpm, and there is a well-documented dip below 3,000 rpm. This is how the engine was built, not a fault that appeared with age. Proton addressed it in the 2008 facelift with the IAFM and CPS engines, which is why later Gen-2s feel stronger in town.