American Suzuki Motor Corp.: Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
American Suzuki Motor Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 2, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 4,325. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THE FUEL TANK ON THESE VEHICLES CAN BECOME PUNCTURED BY A FUEL TANK FLANGE ATTACHMENT REINFORCEMENT DURING REAR-END COLLISIONS. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 301, "FUEL TANK INTEGRITY."
The risk
CONSEQUENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE: IF AN IGNITION SOURCE WAS PRESENT, FUEL LEAKAGE RESULTING FROM THIS PUNCTURE COULD RESULT IN A POST-CRASH FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL TWO NEW SHIELD GUSSETS BETWEEN THE FUEL TANK AND ATTACHMENT BRACKETS TO PREVENT THE REINFORCEMENT FROM PUNCTURING THE FUEL TANK WALL.
1 model year covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Suzuki Sidekick | 59 | 2 | 3 | 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 96V121002.
Full record for the 1996 Suzuki Sidekick → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →