Dacia Duster Radiator: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

Confirmed: a genuine, widely-documented thermostat housing fault — plus a real consumer grievance where a dealer denied warranty claiming a well-known issue "has never happened."

Generation covered: this guide is for the first-generation (2010–2017) and second-generation (2017–2024) Duster — not the brand-new third-generation Duster launched in late 2023/2024, which is too recent for this guide and uses different parts throughout. Check your logbook or VIN if you're unsure which generation you have.

Illustration for editorial purposes

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OEM Part Number: 214104225R (as quoted in catalogue listings — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket radiators Nissens 606845 / NRF 550240

Accuracy note: Covers the Dacia Duster (Mk2 2018-) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Radiators are sold by engine, gearbox and air-conditioning fitment, and one model usually has two or three different cores — a thicker core for diesels and automatics, a thinner one for small petrols — with different hose positions, so a radiator for the wrong engine will not connect up. The references below are UK aftermarket listings whose fitment lists name this generation, labelled by brand with the core size in mm; genuine numbers are those quoted against the listing. Check your engine code and whether the car has air conditioning against your VIN, and replace the coolant and bleed the system after fitting.

Radiators (aftermarket)	NRF 550240 (510 x 405 x 26 mm, soldered aluminium core, fits 1.5 dCi 95 and 1.5 dCi 115 2WD and 4x4, engine codes K9K 872/874/876/878, plus the Renault-badged 1.5 dCi 110); Nissens 606845; Van Wezel 15012700; Magneti Marelli 350213218800. Nissens 606793 (448 x 83 x 26 mm, soldered aluminium, plastic tanks, 19 mm connections, listed for the Renault Duster HM 1.5 dCi 110) is a small supplementary cooler rather than the main radiator; NRF 550318; Ava DA2024; Hella 8MK 366 304-641; Van Wezel 15012702
Core sizes & variants	The 1.5 dCi diesels take the 510 x 405 mm main core. The 1.0 TCe, 1.3 TCe and 1.6 SCe petrol radiators were not confirmed and need a VIN check.
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	214104225R (main radiator); 214108831R (supplementary cooler)
Fitment notes	the Nissens cooler has 19 mm connections. Dacia and Renault list the same OE numbers for the Duster HM, so Renault-catalogued parts fit.

Accuracy note: genuinely worth knowing: whether a Duster has air conditioning or a larger optional engine can change radiator sizing on some variants — fitment guides that only ask for model and year can still get this wrong, so cross-check the engine code where possible.

Confirmed: A Genuine, Widely-Documented Thermostat Housing Fault — And a Real Consumer Grievance — Dacia Duster Radiator

If your Duster has a TCe petrol engine, this is genuinely worth knowing: the plastic thermostat housing on these engines has a well-documented tendency to crack or lift away from its gasket over time, causing coolant loss that can escalate to a serious leak. One genuinely alarming documented case saw a 3.5-year-old Duster's thermostat housing crack severely while driving on a motorway, emptying the entire cooling system and producing a cloud of steam — the driver had only a few seconds' warning before pulling over. When the dealer diagnosed the cause, they refused warranty coverage, charging over €700, and reportedly claimed this kind of failure "has never happened" — despite it being a widely reported, well-documented issue across owner forums for this exact engine. If you're facing a similar denial, it's genuinely worth pointing to the wider documented pattern rather than accepting a dealer's claim that your case is unique or unprecedented.

A genuinely useful, free diagnostic technique worth trying first: rather than removing the engine undertray immediately, shine a torch up through the gaps in the undertray toward the thermostat housing and look for visible staining, crusting, or wetness — this can often confirm a leak's presence and rough location without needing to remove anything at all.

It's also worth knowing about a genuine false positive: air conditioning systems naturally produce condensation as a normal part of their operation, and this can drip onto the ground under the car in a way that's easily mistaken for a coolant leak. If you're seeing occasional wet patches under the car but the coolant level in the header tank isn't actually dropping, it's worth checking whether this is simply normal AC condensate before assuming a genuine cooling system fault.

Dacia Duster Radiator: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: Démontage et montage du radiateur sur Renault Duster : guide étape par étape (non-english)

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French; Renault-badged Duster, generation not stated in title (may be Mk1).

Dacia Duster Radiator: The Part That Keeps Everything Else From Cooking

It's an unglamorous part, but on the Dacia Duster, the cooling system is behind almost every serious non-wear engine failure that could have been prevented. Spotting trouble here early is about as cheap an insurance policy as exists against a genuinely expensive repair bill.

Before you buy: radiator size and design vary significantly by engine size, transmission type, and whether your car has air conditioning. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Dacia Duster Radiator: What It Does

On the Dacia Duster, heat from the engine coolant is shed to the surrounding air through the radiator, keeping engine temperature in a safe range. On automatic gearboxes, it often doubles up, cooling transmission fluid through a separate internal circuit too — which is why getting the exact part number right matters more here than on a simple heat exchanger.

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Dacia Duster Radiator: Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Radiator Guide for the three common failure modes, confirming fitment against your VIN, and OEM vs aftermarket guidance.

More Dacia Radiator

The same part, covered across other Dacia models.