Used Seat Leon Hatchback 2000 - 2005 reliability review
Better than Golf it's based on, the Seat Leon is a fine alternative to mainstream small family cars
- Seat Leon Hatchback (00 - 05)
What should I look for in a used SEAT Leon?
The biggest problem area is the electrics, and Warranty Direct's figures show they account for almost a third of all its claims on Leons. In particular, electronic control units on the 110 TDi diesels are prone to fail.
Otherwise, the most important things to check are that the cambelt has been changed according to schedule time, and that there are no water leaks into the footwell.
That said, the Leon is pretty dependable. In recent JD Power reports, the mechanical reliability and build quality have been consistently rated as average at worst, and Warranty Direct says the car's reliability is better than average.
The Leon has had just a couple of recalls, the largest affecting cars built between March and September 2001, when there was a risk of problems with the anti-lock brakes. A further recall in 2005 arose from problems that could result in a loss of braking power.
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