2002 Suzuki GRAND VITARA XL7: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
18 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
8,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: . 9 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Tires is the most frequently named component, appearing in 4 of 18 complaints (22.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Steering behavior | 5 | 27.8% |
| Braking behavior | 3 | 16.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Tires | 4 |
| Suspension | 3 |
| Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal | 3 |
| Electrical System | 2 |
| Engine | 2 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 2 |
| Tires:Tread/Belt | 2 |
| Electronic Stability Control (Esc) | 1 |
Tires: 4; Suspension: 3; Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal: 3; Electrical System: 2; Engine: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 2; Tires:Tread/Belt: 2; Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 8 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 1 |
Under 25,000: 8; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 1
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (8). 9 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 6 |
| 2004 | 5 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
2002: 2; 2003: 6; 2004: 5; 2005: 1; 2007: 1; 2015: 1; 2016: 1; 2018: 1
Pattern summary
Tires leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 5 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10009534 · 2003-02-27 (February 27, 2003)
THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE FLUCTUATED, THE VEHICLE RAN OUT OF ANTI- FREEZE. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THE VALVE HEAD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. 20,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10009534 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10016954 · 2003-05-03 (May 3, 2003)
WE PURCHASED 2 NEW SUZUKI'S XL7 2002 WITH BRIDGESTONE DUELER HT687 P235/60/R16. STARTED VIBRATING ALMOST FROM THE START. TERRIBLE PULSING WHEN USING THE BRAKE. HAD TIRES FORCED ROAD BALANCED 3 TIMES. NO CHANGE. 4 WERE REPLACED ON ONE CAR AND ONE ON THE OTHER. PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. WE WERE TOLD BY FIRESTONE DEALER THAT IT WAS NOT THE TIRES. HE SAID THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, SUCH AS BRAKES OR SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE FRONT END. WE HAD AN INDEPENDENT DEALER CHECK ALL THE ABOVE AND COULD ONLY FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES. AFTER FEE…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10016954 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10023688 · 2003-06-24 (June 24, 2003)
VEHICLE WONDERS LEFT AND RIGHT ON ROAD. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER , AND THEY PERFORMED A FRONT END ALIGNMENT. VEHICLE STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. 8,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10023688 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10025920 · 2003-07-11 (July 11, 2003)
I PURCHASED A VEHICLE IN FEB. 2002 FROM CORPORATE MOTORS DBA SUZUKI OF HAYWARD CA. THROUGH ADDISON AVENUE CREDIT UNION HELD AT HP CORPORATE IN PALO ALTO, CA. ON MAY 17TH 2002 MY NEW SUZUKI XL7-4WD BLEW A HEAD GASKET @ 4,057 MILES. IT WAS TOWED TO THE SAN JOSE BOB LEWIS SUZUKI DEALER. WOULD NOT PROVIDE A CURTSEY LOANER AND DUE TO PARTS NOT IN STOCK IT TOOK THREE WEEKS BEFORE I RECEIVED MY XL7 BACK.ON MAY 15TH 2003, I TOOK IT IN FOR A MAINTENANCE INSPECTION AT SUNNYVALE FOREIGN CAR SERVICE. AT THIS TIME THE MILEAGE WAS 17,956. ALL WENT WEL…
Owner-reported narrative. 4,057 miles reported. Look up ODI 10025920 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10036812 · 2003-08-28 (August 28, 2003)
TIRES WEARING OUT FAST WITH LOW MILEAGE ON THEM, BRIDGESTONE P235-60-16 DUELER H/T. BEEN COMPLAINING TO SUZUKI DEALER ABOUT TIRES AND STEERING ON THE CAR. IN ONE MONTH FROM LAST VISIT HAD TO REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES BECAUSE OF CUPPING ON ALL FOUR TIRES. STEERING WAS SHIMMING AT 60 MILES PER HOUR BAD ANDALSO MAKING STEERING GO FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. DEALER WONT DO NOTHING. BUT SERVICE MANAGER AT TIRAPELLI SUZUKI STATED SUZUKI KNOWS OF A PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES BUT THE DEALER DOESNT WARRANT THE TIRES. ALL THEY SUGGESTED WAS REPLACE TIRES. IF YOU LOOK A…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10036812 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10048795 · 2003-11-29 (November 29, 2003)
I HAVE A 2002 XL7 WITH 11,000 MILES TIRES ALREADY HAVE NO TREAD, I ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MAKING AN AWFUL NOISE. SOMETIMES WHEN I GIVE IT GAS IT DOESN'T RESPOND AND WILL JUST PLAIN GIVE OUT ON ME... I SUGGEST NO ONE BUY ONE PLEASE IT GIVES SUV'S A BAD NAME. IF ANYONE HAS INFO ON MY PROBLEMS PLEASE CONTACT ME.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 2,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10048795 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10061649 · 2004-03-09 (March 9, 2004)
CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER REGARDING THE CABLE ACCELERATOR CASING CAP. DEALERSHIP STILL DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS AVAILABLE TO CONDUCT RECALL REPAIRS. NO DEALERSHIP IN PUERTO RICO HAD THE PARTS ON RECALL. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10061649 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10061879 · 2004-03-10 (March 10, 2004)
BRIDGESTONE DUELER 687 P235/60R16 TIRES PREMATURE WEAR, UNSAFE TO DRIVE, SUZUKI HAS 21,000 MILES, STEERING SHAKES, TIRE DEALER STATES IT MAY BE CAR ALIGNMENT WILL NOT REPLACE. TIRES HAVE BEEN ROTATED AT STATED INTERVALS, HOWEVER, MAINTENANCE HAS FAILED TO HELP THE PREMATURE WEAR. I HAVE SEARCHED THE WEB AND CANNOT FIND ANY RECALL ON THESE TIRES. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANY CARS FOR OVER 30 YEARS, AND I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A WEAR PROBLEM THIS BAD. I WOULD LIKE THE MANUFACTURER TO NOT ONLY REPLACE THE TIRES BUT LOOK INTO THIS MATTER BEFORE ANY …
Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10061879 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
03V223000 · Visibility:Windshield
Reported: 2003-06-16 (June 16, 2003)
CERTAIN PASSENGER (111 MY 2002 ESTEEM, 777 MY 2002 AERIO, 2,368 MY 2003 AERIO) AND SPORT UTILITY (324 MY 2002 GRAND VITARA, 274 MY 2003 GRAND VITARA, 684 MY 2002 GRAND VITARA XL-7, AND 781 MY 2003 GRAND VITARA XL-7) VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, 'WINDSHIELD MOUNTING." THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SECURED TO THE VEHICLE BODY DUE TO INSUFFICIENT ADHESION BETWEEN THE PAINT APPLIED DURING THE SECOND-STAGE PAINTING PROCESS AND THE PAINT APPLIED DURING FINAL-STAGE PAINTING.
Consequence: IF THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT PROPERLY SECURED, IT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE DURING A CRASH WHICH COULD RESULT IN THE EJECTION OF UNBELTED OCCUPANTS, INCREASING THE RISK OF SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES. VEHICLES THAT ARE FOUND TO HAVE INSUFFICIENT PAINT ADHESION WILL EITHER HAVE THE PROBLEM REMEDIED BY REPAINTING, OR WILL BE REPLACED, OR REPURCHASED AND DESTROYED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUZUKI AT 1-800-934-0934.
NHTSA campaign record ↗