Vauxhall Antara problems, reliability and years to avoid
If you are considering buying a used Vauxhall Antara, these are the common problems worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 2 known faults for this model, 1 of them rated high severity. Every one below is a repair bill a seller has good reason not to mention.
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Is the Vauxhall Antara reliable?
The Vauxhall Antara has 2 known faults in our database, 1 of them rated high severity. The most serious are gearbox (the transfer box on four-wheel-drive Antaras fails violently) and engine (the diesels are noted for DPF regeneration problems). None of them makes the car a bad buy on its own; the risk is a seller who knows and says nothing.
That is a count of the faults we hold, not a reliability score. Popular cars get written about more, and a newer generation has had less time to show its faults.
Which Vauxhall Antara years should you avoid?
No year is a write-off on its own. What matters is which serious faults a given year and engine can have, and whether the car in front of you has had them fixed.
Years and engines with a serious known fault
2007 to 2015, Four-wheel-drive models (2.0 CDTi and 2.2 CDTi diesels, 2.4 petrol); manual gearbox bearing failures also reported: the transfer box on four-wheel-drive Antaras fails violently
Each one is set out in full below, with the symptoms, the typical mileage and a rough repair cost.
Generation 1 of 12 known faults · 11 owner reports · 5 good notes
Vauxhall Antara Mk1 (2007 to 2015) problems
Transmission/DrivetrainHigh severity💬 3 owner reports, 2017 to 2018
The transfer box on four-wheel-drive Antaras fails violently: one owner's bearing exploded and cracked the casing, and the dealer quoted £4,100, blaming a difference in tyre wear between axles and refusing the lifetime warranty claim; another 2012 car's transfer box blew up with a £2,500 quote. A 2012 car also lost the main bearing of its manual gearbox at 50,000 miles, needing a gearbox, clutch and flywheel, and the report describes that as a commonly reported fault. Whatever the real cause, uneven tyre wear is the reason a dealer gave for refusing a claim, so the tyres are part of the inspection.
Rough guide
£2500-4100
Typical symptoms
whine or rumble from under the centre of the car that rises with road speed
clunk or vibration on take-up or when the four-wheel drive engages
oil leak from the transfer box or gearbox casing
gearbox noise in neutral that changes with the clutch pressed
Affected vehicles
Engines:
Four-wheel-drive models (2.0 CDTi and 2.2 CDTi diesels, 2.4 petrol); manual gearbox bearing failures also reported
Typical mileage:
50000+ miles
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
Engine/EmissionsMedium severity📝 Editorial
The diesels are noted for DPF regeneration problems, and on this car an interrupted regeneration is more than an inconvenience. When the filter needs an active regeneration the DPF warning light tells the driver to keep driving at a steady speed until it goes out; DVSA recall R/2015/137 (22,373 cars built from November 2010 to May 2015) covers the risk that, if the light is ignored, the filter and exhaust overheat and set fire to the lower engine compartment cover, which the recall removes and later replaces.
Rough guide
£800-2000
Typical symptoms
DPF warning light asking for a steady run
reduced power or limp mode
frequent regeneration with a hot smell from under the car
Affected vehicles
Engines:
2.0 CDTi (VM, to 2010) and 2.2 CDTi (from late 2010) diesels
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
What owners report on the Mk1
11 single reports, unconfirmed
One owner each, in their own words rewritten as a line, and not counted in our risk scoring. A fault joins the list above once a second report or an editorial source backs it.
Gearbox and clutch · February 2019A 2.2 CDTi 4x4 Antara experienced stiff gear changes when selecting second, fourth, and sixth gears.
Gearbox and clutch · January 2019A 2012 Antara 2.2TD automatic lost drive on the motorway at 40,000 miles, with revs increasing; a transmission solenoid valve issue was diagnosed.
Engine · November 2018A 2.2 diesel Antara showed diagnostic code P200A, leading a dealer to propose replacing the manifold for £1,100.
Gearbox and clutch · September 2018The main bearing of a 2012 Antara's transmission failed at 50,000 miles, requiring a new gearbox, clutch, and flywheel.
Gearbox and clutch · August 2018The transfer box of a 2012 Antara failed, with the owner quoted £2,500 for replacement.
Engine · August 2017The engine of a 2013 Antara 2.2 CDTi failed, with the dealer quoting £5,600 for a replacement unit.
Gearbox and clutch · March 2017The transfer box of an Antara failed due to a bearing exploding and cracking the casing, costing £4,100 to replace.
Fuel system · January 2017A 2012 Antara 2.2 diesel CDTi entered limp mode at 29,000 miles, with error codes indicating injector issues.
Engine · July 2016A 2014 Antara had a leaking sump at 22,900 miles; both sump pans were removed, re-sealed, and re-tested for £593.64.
General · July 2014The 2007 Antara was rated as the least reliable new 4x4/SUV in a 2014 survey, with a reliability score of 75.8%.
Electrics · August 2010A 2009 diesel automatic experienced intermittent ESP lights and an unresponsive throttle, which a dealer traced to a faulty throttle pedal sensor.
What owners like about the Mk1
5 notes
The Antara provides generous room for passengers, including ample leg and head space in the optional sixth and seventh seats.
The revised Euro-5 compliant engine range offers increased performance, along with reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
The Antara offers improved efficiency across its range of manual and six-speed automatic transmissions, available with front or all-wheel drive.
The vehicle's handling on and off-road is enhanced by a revised chassis, featuring updated spring and damper settings.
The cabin features a redesigned centre console with additional storage, new materials, and clearer instrument graphics and lighting.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
We track 6 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Vauxhall Antara advert and we check it in seconds.
Repair costs are typical UK ranges, not quotes. Actual cost depends on condition and garage.Data last verified: October 2026
Vauxhall Antara buying questions
Which Vauxhall Antara years should I avoid?
No Vauxhall Antara year is a write-off, but the Mk1 (2007 to 2015) carries the most serious faults: gearbox. Year matters less than whether the specific car has had the known fixes, so check the history for them.
What should I check when viewing a used Vauxhall Antara?
Ask the seller about the gearbox and engine faults on this page and whether they have been fixed, with invoices. On the test drive watch for whine or rumble from under the centre of the car that rises with road speed and DPF warning light asking for a steady run. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories, then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against its known faults before you travel. Check a Vauxhall Antara advert →
What is the real MPG of a Vauxhall Antara?
Owners report 29.3 mpg on average across the Vauxhall Antara engines with data, about 78% of the official combined figure. The gap between official and real-world economy varies a lot by engine, so the Real MPG page lists every engine and generation separately, from 233 owner submissions. Vauxhall Antara Real MPG by engine →
If you used to check the Honest John “Good & Bad” section before the site closed in 2026, this page is where that information now lives. We rebuilt the Vauxhall Antara owner-report history from the archived Honest John dataset, added our own research, specialist and owner-club sources and DVSA recall data, and we keep it free. Each fault above is badged with its source. The same data feeds our free advert check, which reads a listing against every known fault for the exact engine and year.
Knowing what a Vauxhall Antara goes wrong with is half of it. The rest is reading the advert and checking the car's history before you hand any money over.