American Suzuki Motor Corp.: Visibility › Windshield
American Suzuki Motor Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 16, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 5,319. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
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.
The risk
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.
The 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.
7 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Suzuki Aerio | 36 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2003 Suzuki Grand Vitara | 29 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2002 Suzuki Aerio | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 Suzuki Esteem | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 Suzuki Grand Vitara | 47 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 2002 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 03V223000.
Full record for the 2003 Suzuki Aerio → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →