I have had my citroen saxo for just over a year now and am experiencing problems with my immobiliser. I have a Saxo VTR 2001. (X Reg) It doesn't have a key code imobiliser but i understand from my own research that citroen upgraded the key code immobisier in their older models to a transponder built into the ignition key. (I assuming that this is what i will have in my 2001 model)

My problem: Three times now in the last 2 months i have come back to my car after it being parked and not been able to start the car. The orange key symbol on the right hand side of the dashboard flashes. The maunal tells me that this is an error with the immobiliser and to contact a citreon dealer.

What i do: I have RAC cover who i contact in hope that they can reset the immobilser and let me go on my normal day. They arrive, test the battery which seems to be low and connect their laptop to find no answers. They tow to local citreon garage. The first time this happened the garage didn't look at the car for a few hours and when they came to it it startes foirst time. The second time again it was left over night and it started first time in the morning. Citreon told me that my fuse board was rusty by rain wet so advised me to replace it; which i did. They also told me that rain water was collecting under the bonnet and they would re direct it else where away from the engine. With all this costing just under £200 as they advised me to get another battery too i was hoping we had sorted the probelm.

Today it happened again! With our previous experience in mind we left the car parked for about an hour and a half and guess what once again it started first time.

Now as you can imagine this it beginning to become very annoying and tiresome espceially with the worry of becoming stuck in the middle of nowhere without being able to start my own car!

It seems like the immobilser is resetting itself after a certain amount of time, if anyone can tell me the exact/approx time a citroen immobilser takes to reset this would help. If anyone has any suggestions of what the next step i can take i would also appreciate any small piece of help.

The car does also have a clifford alarm fitted with uses a key fob. Once the car is unlocked after 1 minute the clifford immobilser needs to be turned off. I turn the key to light up the dashboard (couple lights come up like battery) and then press the unlock key. This then turns all the electrics on in the car before i can turn the ignition fully to start the engine. The key says Clifford on it and is the only key i have. I did not fit the clifford alarm and do not have the manuals for it either. The key fob is at times stiff and takes a couple presses to unlock the car. Could this be a problem??

Please help!!

Claire Payne

Claire Payne, July 2007

The problem is with the transponder ariel on the ignition barrel. You can pick one up from a Citroen dealership for approximately £18.00 and fit it approx 10 minutes.
I have had the same problem, and have also read other quiries with the same solution offered.

Marty, December 2008

Hello...seen your car problem and this is a nuisence but the problem is with the immobilizer which needs it's frequency setting changed which is a jhob for Citroen and will cost a couple of hundred-but talk to the service Manager and tell him that you have spent a lot trying to rectify this problem and that that could have b

simon, October 2007