Hi, I have a problem with my Citroen Saxo vtr .
The battery light comes on and power steering cuts off about 5 minutes into every journey. Restarting the engine seems to remedy the problem but it occurs again 5 mins thereafter.
I bought a new battery to be on the safe side but the problem persists. I read the answer to a similar problem on here and checked my drive belt to see if it was slack but its fairly tight..Im not a tech headed person when it comes to cars, so is there anyone who could advise me the way i can check whether the alternator is at fault? does anyone have any other ideas?

nick, August 2007

My 2001 vtr has a similar problem , basically alternator went and battery died that caused it to loose power steering and all interior electrics bar the electric windows and interior light , on replacing the alternator with a brand new one the live cable snapped , even with the wire together and on the alternator it still won't charge the battery and cuts out after 5 minutes of running although the battery light has it's own mind and goes off but the car still cuts out and no electrics come back to the inside of the car , any ideas on that one ?

Aiden, December 2013

Mine has had a flashing battery light and lost the power steering intermitently! Its the alternator as its also making a noise! I have a new battery and a new pump and belt fitted last week! Pain in the ar8e! I have also been told there are about 7 different types but there is not a label with the information on mine so I am unable to get a part at the mo as we are unsure if its the pully system or pin one! I am just charging my battery at night to get to the train station - LOL!!!!

EJG, March 2009

Electricor P/steering must have a good supply from the alternator (12-14.5 volts). If the light comes on, it can mean the alternator is on its way out

Dave, March 2009

My saxo vts has the same problem. It sometimes cuts out when idling and more often cuts out while driving, steering locks up and i have to restart. Some tell me it may be the fuel pump, others tell me it may be one of the sensors although im unsure what one.

Kev, August 2008

ignition switch is a possible and inherent fault to saxo's.
My 1.1 is in the garage at the moment with battery light on and faults on the fan heater and steering... I suspect the ignition switch which runs to alternator hence triple problem!

Paul, January 2008

Hi,
it was me who had a similar problem. Is your fan and rear window demister also broken? all three are on the same circuit. My drive belt was fine as well - it was the alternator that was the problem and needed replacing. Mine was a little different to yours as it started as soon as I turned on the ignition, not five minutes in. This sort of thing is evidently a common problem with saxos (friend at work had a similar problem on the same day - in his case, was a relay causing it). look at http://www.saxperience.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27609 for more info and some possible causes.

ben, September 2007