TOP 5 DAIHATSU REPAIR PROBLEMS

Within months of purchase, owners of some Daihatsu vehicles complain of vibrations when undergoing light braking. It starts out as a rare occurrence, but becomes more frequent as time passes. This problem is likely caused by brake drums that have been distorted by excessive heat on the breaks. Replacing the brake shoes and brake drums should fix the problem, although there is always the chance of it recurring. Changing the steering rack bushings and maintenance for the brake discs and calipers should help fix and prevent vibrations.

Blown head gaskets lead to overheating. You can determine if the vehicle's head gasket has blown if the radiator bubbles up, then pushes steam and water into the expansion tank. The bubbles should smell like gas or exhaust. In this case, it is best to replace the head gasket. Make sure you have your vehicle's manual with you, so that vital pieces of information such as torque settings are available after you take the head apart. Clean the surfaces before reattaching the head. Keep in mind that leaks will likely reoccur if you don't get the head skimmed before you put it back.

For those experiencing literal "hot wheels," know that this-sometimes accompanied by a ticking noise-is linked to issues with the brakes. The slides of the brake calipers could be clogged with dirt and dust or it could be rusty. This could be the reason why the caliper has difficulty moving on its slides. This can also lead to poor fit of the brake pads. Better clean the slides using a smooth file or a wire brush. If this doesn't work and you feel that the brakes are still too tight on the brake disc, the best option would be to replace the calipers entirely.

Some Daihatsu vehicles may have wiper motors that always seem to blow a fuse. If replacement of the blown fuse doesn't do the trick and the wiper motors still keep blowing their fuse, then there could be a problem with the wiring. One way to assess this is to connect the wiper motor directly to the car battery. If there's no problem with the motor, the cause can be faulty wiring or arcing at the column switch. If the motor functions intermittently while connected to the battery, perhaps you should try a new wiper motor. For those with second-hand or modified units, the blown fuse could be caused by some other accessory involved in the wiper's circuit, and this overloads the fuse and causes it to blow. You should also check if the fuse has the correct rating for your circuit.

Some Daihatsu Rocky owners complain about is a noise from the transmission. The noise actually originates from the gearbox, and is caused by a design problem. It's not very dangerous, but is still quite annoying. Fixing this problem entails replacing a secondary shaft in the lower side of the gearbox. The shaft is imported directly from Japan and entails a long waiting time and a high cost.