Seeking Advice on 2012 Dacia Duster Engine Light and Unsteady Performance Issues

Hey there! I've got some experience with this. Not a car guru, but I've seen a few things. Had a similar problem with my 2010 Dacia Sandero. It appears it was the Activated carbon filter, it was defective. Had to pony up 275 Euro to get it sorted at my local garage. It's possibly the same issue you're dealing with, but that's a preliminary guess. We would need more info about your Duster. Things like are there any additional symptoms, any error codes you got from diagnostics and so on will help to pinpoint the issue. Hope this helps in some way! Cheers.

Thanks for the response! Interesting you mention the Activated carbon filter, I hadn't thought of that. As for additional symptoms, it sometimes feels as if the engine is underpowered - especially on hills. No error codes from a diagnostic yet, but I've only run a basic one at home. My Duster's still shy of 80000 KM, got serviced recently at 79290KM, but the problem's persisting. Guess a proper mechanical diagnostic check at a garage is inevitable now, right? Cheers for the advice!

Hey, always glad to help a fellow Dacia driver! Given the additional symptom you've described, it sounds more and more like it could be an issue with the Activated carbon filter, same as I had. This might be causing your engine problems and the jerking on acceleration. You're right about the mechanical diagnostic check though, I'd strongly recommend you get one done at a trusted garage. Make sure they're authentic and Dacia-certified if you can, they'll have the right tools and knowledge to figure out what's going on. Still not sure why it didn't pop up when you got it serviced recently, it really should have. Between you and me, I'd also suggest you enquire about the Mass Air Flow sensor, just to rule it out. It can sometimes cause similar symptoms but it's more common in higher mileage vehicles. In any case, the diagnostic check should be able to confirm. Don't sweat about it too much, the Dacia is a workhorse and it's fixable for sure. Catch you later and let us know how it goes! Drive safe out there. Cheers!

Thanks, your confidence and recommendations have really helped me calm my nerves a bit! The Mass Air Flow sensor is a solid tip, I'd never have thought to ask about that. I'll make sure to keep all this in mind when I take the Duster to a Dacia-certified garage. Like you said, hopefully, all this is just one proper diagnostic check away from being resolved. Will definitely keep you all posted on how it goes. Drive safe too! Cheers.