Renault Espace VI recurring brake squeal, steering failure
Discussion
I am looking for technical opinions from owners and mechanics regarding my 2024 Renault Espace VI Hybrid, purchased brand new in France in April 2024.
The first abnormal brake squeal appeared approximately two months after purchase, at around 6,000 km.
Over the following 18 months, the vehicle went through numerous inspections and repairs within the Renault network. Brake pads and discs were replaced on several occasions. After some interventions the noise reduced or disappeared, but it eventually returned.
The repair history also records that the noise could occur without pressing the brake pedal.
After repeated attempts to resolve the problem, the matter eventually resulted in a court-appointed automotive expert examination.
During the examination, after warming up the braking system, the expert personally reproduced the squealing noise from the rear brakes. With the vehicle subsequently raised on a lift, the noise could also be heard when the rear wheels and then the hubs were rotated manually.
The expert eventually required:
“Significant chamfers on all brake pads, front and rear.”
The expert report also states, regarding this specific issue, that the:
“Vehicle design can be considered imperfect in this area.”
This leaves me with an important technical question.
If significant chamfering is really considered a normal maintenance operation, why was this not necessary or carried out before the vehicle was delivered new?
More importantly, Renault had already replaced brake components several times. Why was significant chamfering not used during those previous brake-pad replacements to provide a lasting solution?
Why did it take approximately 18 months, numerous workshop visits and finally a court-appointed expert before significant chamfering of all front and rear brake pads was specifically required?
And if the squeal returns as the pads wear, does this mean that future replacement pads may also require significant chamfering to prevent the same problem from returning?
I am not suggesting that Renault manufactures the brake pads itself. My question concerns the braking system as installed and specified on the vehicle, the repeated recurrence of the problem and why so many interventions failed to provide a lasting solution.
I have personally driven other brand-new hybrid vehicles from almost 0 km to around 10,000–20,000 km. In my own experience, I have never encountered a comparable situation where significant chamfering of all front and rear brake pads was required to eliminate recurring brake squeal.
Unfortunately, the brakes are not the only concern.
The same vehicle later suffered a documented permanent loss of power-steering assistance, accompanied by a steering-failure warning on the dashboard.
Renault subsequently carried out significant work on the steering system.
Despite my requests, however, I have not received the complete technical diagnostic report explaining precisely what caused the loss of steering assistance.
This raises another question which, to me, is considerably more serious:
What exactly caused the permanent loss of steering assistance on such a relatively new vehicle, what faults were stored by the control units, and how can an owner assess the possibility of recurrence without being given the complete diagnostic findings?
I fully accept that any modern vehicle can occasionally develop a fault. What I find difficult to understand is the accumulation of brake, steering and electronic problems on a vehicle purchased new, combined with repeated repairs without a lasting explanation or solution.
The vehicle was also purchased as my professional vehicle for private-hire/VTC work, so repeated immobilisation directly affects my ability to work.
I have the repair orders and the final court-appointed expert report and can post anonymised extracts if they would be useful.
I would particularly appreciate the views of mechanics, engineers or other Espace VI owners:
Is major chamfering of all front and rear brake pads something you would regard as normal on a modern vehicle, particularly if it may have to be repeated as the pads wear?
And regarding the steering failure, what diagnostic documentation would you normally expect after a permanent loss of electric power-steering assistance?
Thanks in advance for any technical insight.
The first abnormal brake squeal appeared approximately two months after purchase, at around 6,000 km.
Over the following 18 months, the vehicle went through numerous inspections and repairs within the Renault network. Brake pads and discs were replaced on several occasions. After some interventions the noise reduced or disappeared, but it eventually returned.
The repair history also records that the noise could occur without pressing the brake pedal.
After repeated attempts to resolve the problem, the matter eventually resulted in a court-appointed automotive expert examination.
During the examination, after warming up the braking system, the expert personally reproduced the squealing noise from the rear brakes. With the vehicle subsequently raised on a lift, the noise could also be heard when the rear wheels and then the hubs were rotated manually.
The expert eventually required:
“Significant chamfers on all brake pads, front and rear.”
The expert report also states, regarding this specific issue, that the:
“Vehicle design can be considered imperfect in this area.”
This leaves me with an important technical question.
If significant chamfering is really considered a normal maintenance operation, why was this not necessary or carried out before the vehicle was delivered new?
More importantly, Renault had already replaced brake components several times. Why was significant chamfering not used during those previous brake-pad replacements to provide a lasting solution?
Why did it take approximately 18 months, numerous workshop visits and finally a court-appointed expert before significant chamfering of all front and rear brake pads was specifically required?
And if the squeal returns as the pads wear, does this mean that future replacement pads may also require significant chamfering to prevent the same problem from returning?
I am not suggesting that Renault manufactures the brake pads itself. My question concerns the braking system as installed and specified on the vehicle, the repeated recurrence of the problem and why so many interventions failed to provide a lasting solution.
I have personally driven other brand-new hybrid vehicles from almost 0 km to around 10,000–20,000 km. In my own experience, I have never encountered a comparable situation where significant chamfering of all front and rear brake pads was required to eliminate recurring brake squeal.
Unfortunately, the brakes are not the only concern.
The same vehicle later suffered a documented permanent loss of power-steering assistance, accompanied by a steering-failure warning on the dashboard.
Renault subsequently carried out significant work on the steering system.
Despite my requests, however, I have not received the complete technical diagnostic report explaining precisely what caused the loss of steering assistance.
This raises another question which, to me, is considerably more serious:
What exactly caused the permanent loss of steering assistance on such a relatively new vehicle, what faults were stored by the control units, and how can an owner assess the possibility of recurrence without being given the complete diagnostic findings?
I fully accept that any modern vehicle can occasionally develop a fault. What I find difficult to understand is the accumulation of brake, steering and electronic problems on a vehicle purchased new, combined with repeated repairs without a lasting explanation or solution.
The vehicle was also purchased as my professional vehicle for private-hire/VTC work, so repeated immobilisation directly affects my ability to work.
I have the repair orders and the final court-appointed expert report and can post anonymised extracts if they would be useful.
I would particularly appreciate the views of mechanics, engineers or other Espace VI owners:
Is major chamfering of all front and rear brake pads something you would regard as normal on a modern vehicle, particularly if it may have to be repeated as the pads wear?
And regarding the steering failure, what diagnostic documentation would you normally expect after a permanent loss of electric power-steering assistance?
Thanks in advance for any technical insight.
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