Suzuki Vitara 2000

Model Vitara made in 2000 by Suzuki got 25 consumer complains there is 1 recall as well as 8 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, electrical system and engine and engine cooling. Technical service bulletines regarding electrical system, engine and engine cooling and power train. There was one recall concerning exterior lighting . The car has 2 modeles with engines 1,6, 2.

Vitara year 2000

Model
Recalls
Technical Service Bulletins
Consumer Complaints

Car dealers

Model 2000

Engine [L]	Cylinders	Transmission	Drive	Estimate MPG (city/highway/combined)	Unadjusted MPG (city/highway/combined)	Fuel	Fuel cost	Class
1,6	4	Lockup/automatic, 4 gears	R	25/27/26	27,3/34,9/30,27	Regular	693	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD
1,6	4	Manual, 5 gears	R	25/28/26	28,01/35,87/31,07	Regular	693	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD
2	4	Lockup/automatic, 4 gears	R	23/25/24	25,3/31,7/27,83	Regular	751	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD
2	4	Manual, 5 gears	R	22/24/23	24,6/31,2/27,19	Regular	783	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD
2	4	Lockup/automatic, 4 gears	R	23/25/24	25,1/31,8/27,73	Regular	751	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD
2	4	Manual, 5 gears	R	22/25/23	24,5/31,6/27,26	Regular	783	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 2WD
1,6	4	Lockup/automatic, 4 gears	4	24/27/25	26,6/34,1/29,52	Regular	720	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD
1,6	4	Manual, 5 gears	4	25/27/26	27,89/35,05/30,72	Regular	693	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD
2	4	Lockup/automatic, 4 gears	4	23/25/24	25,3/31,7/27,83	Regular	751	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD
2	4	Manual, 5 gears	4	22/24/23	24,6/31,2/27,19	Regular	783	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD
2	4	Lockup/automatic, 4 gears	4	23/25/24	25,1/31,8/27,73	Regular	751	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD
2	4	Manual, 5 gears	4	22/25/23	24,5/31,6/27,26	Regular	783	SPEC PURP VEH - S.U.V. - 4WD

Recalls

Campaign	Manufacturer	Type	# of units affected	Date Owner notified Mfg	Recall Initiated by	Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products	Report Recieved Date	Record Creation Date	Regulation Part Number	FMVSS Number
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
09E012000	SABERSPORT	E (Equipment)	16270	05/11/2009	OVSC	AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP.	04/07/2009	04/07/2009	571	108
Defect Summary	Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
Consequence Summary	Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Corrective Summary	Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on may 11, 2009. owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
Notes	This recall only pertains to aftermarket replacement equipment and has no relation to any original equipment installed on vehicles produced by the vehicle manufacturer.in order to determine if your aftermarket lamp assembly is affected by this noncompliance, please review the list of model numbers provided to us by sabersport.the list can be found under document search located at the bottom of your screen.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Item no.	Summary	Added
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
0503143	01/01/2003	10001700	Diagnostic trouble code, b1026 flow table. service manual udpate correction. *tt	06/19/2003
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY
SW07	05/04/2000	610525	This bulletin contains the revised claims submission procedures for replacement batteries under warranty. *tt	05/04/2000
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1405175		10015910	Modification of main bearing oil clearance and the bearing selection procedure. 1999-2005 suzuki vitara sq420/sq625l, grand vitara sq625w, and xl-7 ja627 *sc	08/16/2005
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
1410285R		10017455	Modification of main bearing oil clearance and the bearing selection procedure. *tt	11/08/2005
1201074	01/01/2004	10006515	Service manual update for resealing front timing chain cover. *mr	05/05/2004
0903143	01/01/2003	10001698	Oil level reads at low mark on oil level dip stick. 1999 - 2003 vitara/grand vitara/xl-7. *tt	06/19/2003
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
0605227		10021699	Front differential oil seal replacement. *kb	06/15/2007
TS070110230	01/01/2001	618430	A condition may exist on certain models where the front differential housing may leak fluid from the right side oil seal. *tt	04/12/2001

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
03/04/2007	52000	1
	Airbag failed to deploy despite frontal impact at roughly 550 mph. *jb
11/06/2001		1	07/01/2000
	While traveling 30 mph, consumer rear ended another vehicle that had come to a stop. upon impact, none of the airbags deployed. driver was injured. ak jb
05/26/2000
	While driving 30 mph vehicle had a frontal impact, and driver's/ passenger's air bags did not deploy, which did not protect the occupant in this crash. there was no previous problem with airbag system. ak ml
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH
09/01/2003	35		12/20/2000
	After purchase within the first year, ignition switch locked up and motor went out on the power windows. next problem was a major oil leak. should have known then that i would have more problems down the road. repaired by dealership at approximately 67,000 miles. was told that front and rear oil seals were replaced. now at 77,000 miles am being told that motor needs replacement. no warning lights came on. oil changes were maintained regularly. timing chains in motor have broke. still owe on vehicle and warranty has expired at 72,000 miles. have never had problems like this with the purchase of any other vehicle. i asked dealership why the oil seals would go out, they could not answer that question. have had other vehicles with way over 100,000 miles and have never had to replace oil seals. *nm
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE
10/08/1999		1	03/09/1999
	My problems with my vehicle started right away. i have a 200 suzuki vitara, and within the first months i noticed it wasn't shifting just right. i took it into the dealership and they told me that it was normal. right away also i noticed it was leaking oil and when i took it in the dealership gave the same answer. finally after taking the vehicle in several times and they were forced to to really deal with the issues i was having they told me to bring the car in that next day. on my way to the dealership my vehicle stalled. i called a tow truck and the next day when i called the dealership to find out what was going on they told me that the engine had blown due to the problems they were neglecting. the ended up changing the engine and the transmission. i was without my vehicle for 1 month. when i intially took my vehichle in i pointed out a crack in the windsheild and told them that i had taken my vechile to several window repair shops. the repair shops told me it would be pointless to get a new windsheild because the problem was with the body of the vehicle. the crack had started from the body, but the dealership refused to deal with the problem, to date it's still cracked. now my key is caught in the ignition switch it will go to the accessory position but it will not release my key. each night i have to disconnect my battery, to perserve it. i called the dealership and i didn't even have to tell them my year, make or model they already knew what the problem was and said it happend quite a bit. i just suprised this kind of problem hasn't been put on recall. maybe there are enough customers with the same numerous problems i have had. *ak
09/15/2001		1	10/01/2000
	The right front brake springs snapped while driving, causing brakes to lock while car was in motion, thank god it was not at highway speed! two different dealers with no parts took two months undrivable for repair. next failure was a major oil leak, dealer says can't tell where its coming from as oil is everywhere , caused metal shavings in oil and reportedly needs new engine. no warning lights activated though dealer stated that there was less than a quart of oil left in engine.*ak
10/22/2000		4	05/01/2000
	When sitting idle in or out of gear engine shakes like it is going to shut off.*ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
09/26/2004		1	02/01/2002
	Owner of a 2000 suzuki vitara 2.0l and car is not ever 4 years old yet but has 74,000 miles and catalytic converter already needs to be replaced! now the car is not going to pass smog the first year it is required to pass smog for registration purposes! what kind of bull is that! just a way for ca. emissions to get more money! *nm
OTHER
03/01/2000		7	12/01/1999
	Exterior paint is chipping of all over the lower portoin of the car.minor contact with the paint causes scratches or chipping.there is not any chip resistent material under the paint along the lower rocker panels of the car.the bottom part of the car needs to be repainted right now before any rusting starts. no safety defect listed in the summary. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
01/12/2002		44	07/01/2000
	Dealer said the drive train was out of balance. on one occasion wheel began to vibrate badly, wheel felt like it was pulling wildly to both the left and right and the wheel itself was leaning toward the right. continued to ride over a bridge and almost at the end the driver lost control and the car went careening into the last segment off the guard rail on right hand side, then veered to the left and went spinning across the median, briefly spinning into the east bound lane, eventually coming to a stop in the median.
04/18/2000		2	02/01/2000
	The first problem i had was the 3rd gear shaft grinding, then transmission, heater didn't work, turn signals don't work half the time, and steering belt had to be replaced.*ak
			08/01/2000
	Since date of purchase, while driving vehicle developed severe vibration presumed from transmission lasting approx. 10 miles, afterwhich vehicle resumed somewhat normal performance. dealership could not determine cause. it is now 2,000 miles later and vehicle constantly vibrates and worsens as speed increases. dealer rebalanced tires - test drove and told me vibration was still there. mechanic cannot determine cause of vibration. was told vehicle is safe to operate. still awaiting a diagnoses from dealership.*ak
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
04/18/2000		2	02/01/2000
	The first problem i had was the 3rd gear shaft grinding, then transmission, heater didn't work, turn signals don't work half the time, and steering belt had to be replaced.*ak
SEAT BELTS - FRONT - ANCHORAGE
09/29/2000		3	03/01/2000
	I had the vehicle looked at several time and the belts were changed 3 times. i am starting to expierience the same problems. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
01/01/2000
	Consumer was driving and she applied the brakes and vehicle pulled from left to right. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC
09/15/2001		1	10/01/2000
	The right front brake springs snapped while driving, causing brakes to lock while car was in motion, thank god it was not at highway speed! two different dealers with no parts took two months undrivable for repair. next failure was a major oil leak, dealer says can't tell where its coming from as oil is everywhere , caused metal shavings in oil and reportedly needs new engine. no warning lights activated though dealer stated that there was less than a quart of oil left in engine.*ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - HYDRAULIC
05/07/2002
	Power assist booster failed while applying brakes and caused brake pedal to go to the floor. feel free to provide any further information.*ak
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP
04/18/2000		2	02/01/2000
	The first problem i had was the 3rd gear shaft grinding, then transmission, heater didn't work, turn signals don't work half the time, and steering belt had to be replaced.*ak
STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS - UNDERBODY SHIELDS
03/28/2007	29000	1	01/01/2000
	Tl*the contact owns a 2000 suzuki vitara. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle began to shake and lose steering ability. the mechanic stated that the subframe rotted at the point where the lower control arm attached. as a result, the front control arm detached from the cross member. the mechanic replaced the cross member and there had been no further occurrences. the failure mileage was 29,000 and current mileage was 31,300.
SUSPENSION
04/10/2000		2000	04/01/2000
	Suv has a vibration that dealer and suzuki refuses to fix or give our money back!
SUSPENSION - FRONT
02/15/2000
	Vehicle experiencing problem with front end vibration commencing at 45 mph or up. dealer notified, and was unable to correct the problem. *ak
SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM
05/29/2002			05/01/2001
	The lower connector on the left front tire snapped in half causing the tire to fall off. auto body shop and insurance company both feel that it was installed wrong which is why in snapped. car is still under warranty and suzuki will not honor warranty claming that it is not a mechanical error. i have the other half of the piece that snapped off and you can clearly see that it is a defected part.*ak
05/29/2002
	While driving at 15 to 20 mph felt a thump and pulled over, got out. consumer noticed that front driver's side wheel was almost off vehicle. took vehicle to a mechanic, mechanic stated that lower control arm that holds wheel in place snapped. cause unknown. please provide any further information.*ak
TIRES
			08/01/2000
	Since date of purchase, while driving vehicle developed severe vibration presumed from transmission lasting approx. 10 miles, afterwhich vehicle resumed somewhat normal performance. dealership could not determine cause. it is now 2,000 miles later and vehicle constantly vibrates and worsens as speed increases. dealer rebalanced tires - test drove and told me vibration was still there. mechanic cannot determine cause of vibration. was told vehicle is safe to operate. still awaiting a diagnoses from dealership.*ak
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE
04/18/2000		2	02/01/2000
	The first problem i had was the 3rd gear shaft grinding, then transmission, heater didn't work, turn signals don't work half the time, and steering belt had to be replaced.*ak

Car dealers selling

State	City	Zip	Name	Phone
FL	LAKELAND		MICHAEL HOLLEY
MD	TIMONINUM	21093	NATIONWIDE AUTO WORLD