2001 Suzuki Vitara: problems, recalls and reliability

“Owned vehicle for 3 years had oil changes every 3 months no problem til on the march 14th, 2005 I was driving through a neighbor going around 10 mph and all of the sudden the engine makes a horrible noise and stops. All the dashboard lights came on. Did not start the vehicle up. Had it towed to a mechanic. Mechanic had trouble getting it started and once he got it started he told me that he did not know what went wrong but he advised that my engine had gone bad. I then had vehicle towed to my nephew's whom I can trust. And they found out the the timing chain apparently jumped stopped and caused major damage to my engine which the engine had to be replaced.*ak”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Mar 2005

“At 48,000 miles the timing tensioner went out in my suzuki grand vitara. This has caused complete damage to the entire engine requiring a complete rebuild because of a part that was defective. Suzuki has denied responsibility and would not help fix this issue even though they say that their vehicles have zero-maintenance and self-adjusting timing chains. The part clearly failed long before it's rating and need for replacement (60,000miles) and I have found many other people on the web with the same issue (around 500 similar complaints). Suzuki has a part or manufacturing issue and this really needs to be looked into for the sake of all consumers out there. *jb”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jan 2005

“Whenever the vehicle runs over a bump it causes the engine to stall. Vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer replaced the fuel line. Within a few weeks the problem recurred.*ak”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Dec 2004

“It is very difficult to remove the key from the ignition of my 2001 suzuki vitara. I was told by the local suzuki dealer that this happens to all of them. I feel that if this is happening to all of these vehicles, suzuki should recall the defective part and replace it with one that will not wear out.*ak”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2004

“2001 grand vitara 4 door r235-60-16 tires; vehicle dramatically swerves suddenly to the side at highway speeds; forces constant control of vehicle; experienced by at least 2 other drivers of the vehicle; tires replaced; alignment done; no change; vehicle appears to be unsafe on te highway; if tires encounter an imperfection in the road such as an indentation where the asphalt meets, it will hit that spot and jump to the side; several near accidents; reported to dealer who said there is nothing out of the ordinary; however, it appearded in the last year; acts as if something is wrong with steering mechanism; had this problem once before on a differnt vehivle & it was the steering column *ak”Owner report · Suspension · Apr 2004

“Driving at night I have been stopped on numerous occasions for faulty rear taillights. It seems the light bulbs will work their way out of the sockets and light up some of the time but usually not at all. *nm”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Feb 2004

“The left rear door came open while moving and without warning! There is no door ajar warning light on dash to alert driver that a door is open. *jb”Owner report · Structure · Feb 2003