Common Issues
Coverage reviewedCommunity-reported issues, their symptoms, causes, and fixes. Sorted by severity.
CVT Belt Wear and Slippage
The CVT steel belt and pulleys wear over time, particularly if CVT fluid is not replaced at recommended intervals. High-heat driving conditions (heavy traffic, mountain driving) accelerate wear.
Air Conditioner Not Cold
The most commonly reported Iriz aircond faults split into three groups: low refrigerant from O-ring or hose leaks, a worn compressor with the magnetic clutch slipping or failing (a fault repeatedly covered by Malaysian repair channels for this model), and a dirty or damaged condenser that cannot reject heat in Malaysian traffic. Age matters; units older than 6 years accumulate several of these at once.
CVT Jerkiness in Stop-Go Traffic
The Punch CVT used in the Iriz is tuned for fuel efficiency, which causes noticeable rubber-band behaviour. Low-speed shudder can be exacerbated by degraded CVT fluid or a worn CVT belt. In most cases it's a characteristic of the transmission rather than a fault.
Aircond blower only works on full speed
The blower resistor pack, a small module on the blower housing, controls the lower fan speeds. When its coils or thermal fuse fail, the motor only gets full power, so speed 4 becomes the only working setting. It is a wear item on the Iriz the same way it is on the Saga BLM and Persona, and the parts are shared across those cars.
Engine Mount Wear
The Iriz's rubber engine mounts compress and crack with age and heat cycles, and engine mount deterioration is one of the commonly listed complaints for this model in Malaysian ownership write-ups. City stop-go driving and low-speed CVT torque reversals load the mounts hard. The upper and left-side mounts typically show deterioration first.
Clunk from the front over speed bumps
The front strut mount and its bearing sit at the top of each strut and take the road load into the body. The rubber in the mount perishes, and the bearing dries out, so the strut can move a millimetre or two and knock. The Iriz carries a lot of weight on the front axle for a small hatch, and Malaysian road surfaces speed the process up.
Power Window Failure
Early pre-facelift Iriz models (roughly 2014 to 2018) used a window regulator and motor assembly that wears ahead of schedule, particularly on the driver's door which cycles most often. Owners across Malaysian owner groups and forums report repeated failures on first-generation examples, to the point where Proton covered the power window system (regulator, motor, switches and run channel) under a specific warranty clause in its service booklets and later extended window-side coverage across its range.
Dashboard and Interior Rattles
Early production Iriz models (2014-2018) had fit-and-finish issues where interior trim clips and dashboard panels were not tightly secured. The A-pillar trim is particularly prone to vibration at highway speeds.
Musty smell when the aircond starts
Damp dust and pollen sit on the cabin filter and the evaporator core, and the cool, dark airbox is a good place for mould. Malaysian humidity does the rest. A filter that has been in the car for two years or more is the usual starting point, and the Iriz filter is behind the glovebox where owners never see it.
Manual gearbox busy at highway speed
The five-speed manual was geared for town work, not for cruising. Fifth is short enough that highway speed keeps the engine high in its rev range, which is why the manual Iriz is fun on a back road and tiring on a drive to Penang. Nothing is broken. It is the ratio in the box.
Knock from the rear over uneven road
The Iriz runs a torsion beam at the rear, mounted on two trailing arm bushes. Those bushes take every sideways load and they crack and soften with age, which lets the beam move in its mounts. The noise sounds like a loose spare wheel or a body rattle, which is why it gets chased in the wrong place first.