Vauxhall Grandland X problems, reliability and years to avoid
If you are considering buying a used Vauxhall Grandland X, these are the common problems worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 2 known faults for this model, 2 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 Grandland X reliable?
The Vauxhall Grandland X has 2 known faults in our database, 2 of them rated high severity. The most serious are engine (wet timing belt degradation leading to oil pickup blockage, low oil pressure) and engine (wet timing belt degradation leading to oil pickup blockage, oil starvation). 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 Grandland X 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
2019 to 2023, 1.2 PureTech (PSA Engine): wet timing belt degradation leading to oil pickup blockage, low oil pressure
2017 to 2021, 1.2 Turbo petrol (PSA 1.2 PureTech EB2, belt in oil; the same engine as the Peugeot 3008): wet timing belt degradation leading to oil pickup blockage, oil starvation
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 · 3 owner reports · 3 good notes
Vauxhall Grandland X (2017 to 2021) problems
Engine/EmissionsHigh severity📝 Editorial
Wet timing belt degradation leading to oil pickup blockage, low oil pressure, and engine failure
Rough guide
£800-1500
Typical symptoms
low oil pressure warning light
engine management light
brake servo assistance failure
engine stalling or seizing
Affected vehicles
Engines:
1.2 PureTech (PSA Engine)
Typical mileage:
40000-65000 miles
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
Engine/EmissionsHigh severity📝 Editorial
Wet timing belt degradation leading to oil pickup blockage, oil starvation and brake vacuum pump failure. This is the same 1.2 PureTech petrol engine, with its belt running in oil, that the Peugeot 3008 and the Corsa F use; Vauxhall extended cover on these engines in 2024.
Rough guide
£800-1500
Typical symptoms
low oil pressure warning light
engine management light
hard brake pedal (loss of servo assistance)
engine stalling or seizing
Affected vehicles
Engines:
1.2 Turbo petrol (PSA 1.2 PureTech EB2, belt in oil; the same engine as the Peugeot 3008)
Typical mileage:
Unknown miles
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
What owners report on the Grandland X
3 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.
Electrics · January 2020Information on the car's screens was difficult to read, and the clock required manual adjustment for daylight saving changes every six months.
Electrics · November 2019The stop/start system and battery failed on a February 2018 Grandland X 1.2 Puretech, leading to ECO mode and intermittent keyless entry.
Interior · February 2019A 2018 Grandland X SE 1.6TD automatic model lacked a standard load area light in the boot.
What owners like about the Grandland X
3 notes
The Grandland X offers a quiet, comfortable, and easy driving experience for owners.
The interior of the Grandland X is noted for being very spacious.
The Grandland X offers a roomy interior, making it a practical and comfortable choice for families on longer journeys.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
We track 6 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Vauxhall Grandland X 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 Grandland X buying questions
Which Vauxhall Grandland X years should I avoid?
No Vauxhall Grandland X year is a write-off, but the Grandland X (2017 to 2021) carries the most serious faults: engine. 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 Grandland X?
Ask the seller about the engine faults on this page and whether they have been fixed, with invoices. On the test drive watch for low oil pressure warning light. 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 Grandland X advert →
What is the real MPG of a Vauxhall Grandland X?
Owners report 40.2 mpg on average across the Vauxhall Grandland X engines with data, about 74% 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 179 owner submissions. Vauxhall Grandland X Real MPG by engine →
Where this Vauxhall Grandland X fault data comes from
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 Grandland X 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 Grandland X 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.