Slipping clutch: symptoms, causes and affected cars
By Rédaction Quelle Occasion · updated on 30 October 2026
A slipping clutch no longer transmits all the power: the revs rise without the car accelerating as much, especially uphill or when accelerating hard in a high gear. A Mazda CX-3 owner describes a clutch slipping under acceleration in the mountains (Fiches-auto). It is wear that gets worse: plan for a replacement.
The causes
Normal wear
The clutch disc wears with mileage. On the 2005-2006 Honda FR-V 2.2 i-CTDi, the clutch slips after 180,000 km (CarVerif); a Ford S-Max 2 owner is on a second replacement at 110,000 km (Fiches-auto).
Premature wear
Some clutches fail much earlier: an Opel Zafira Tourer owner reports a clutch slipping from 29,000 km (Fiches-auto).
Oil on the disc
Fresh oil traces between the engine and gearbox, with a slipping clutch, are a reason to walk away (CarVerif, Hyundai i10 II).
Dual-clutch automatic gearboxes
They can slip too: on a Ford Focus II with a PowerShift gearbox, the problem was solved by gearbox fluid changes (Fiches-auto). See automatic gearbox jerking.
Before buying a used car
A slipping clutch is a reason to walk away, or at least to negotiate a costed discount (CarVerif, Dacia Duster II; CarVerif, Toyota RAV4 IV). During the test drive, accelerate hard in a high gear at low revs: engine speed should follow road speed.
Cars where the clutch is a known problem
In our guides, these models have a sourced fault linked to the clutch:
- Dacia Duster I : Early clutch wear on diesels
- Fiat Tipo II : Premature wear of the clutch and flywheel (1.6 MultiJet manual)
- Ford Mondeo III
- Kia Venga I
- Peugeot 2008 I : Jerks from the ETG6 automated gearbox
- Renault Mégane III : EDC gearbox failures (control unit or dual clutch)
See also: engine judder.
Sources
- Essai Mazda CX-3 2015 — fiches-auto.fr
- Honda FR-V Diesel 2.2 i-CTDi 140ch : fiabilité & conseils — carverif.fr
- Essai Ford S-Max 2 2015 — fiches-auto.fr
- Fiabilité Opel Zafira Tourer (2011-2019) (108 témoignages) — fiches-auto.fr
- Hyundai i10 II (2013-2019) : fiabilité, que vérifier — carverif.fr
- Moteurs FORD Focus 2 (2004-2010) — fiches-auto.fr
- Dacia Duster II 2018-2024 : fiabilité à vérifier avant achat — carverif.fr
- Toyota RAV4 IV XA40 : fiabilité et points à vérifier — carverif.fr
Before you buy: check and equip
Check the history
Before paying, check the administrative status (lien, objection, declared claims) and the mileage recorded at the roadworthiness test.
Read fault codes
An OBD scanner plugged in under the steering wheel shows stored fault codes, even with warning lights off: useful during the test drive.
Parts and maintenance
Compare prices of car parts (timing, brakes, filters) to estimate the repairs to plan for.
Insure the car
Insurance prices vary widely from one model to another: get a quote before signing.