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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Suzuki Aerio | 2002, 2003 |
| Suzuki Esteem | 2002 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara | 2002, 2003 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 | 2003 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 | 2002 |
Components: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suzuki Aerio | 2002 | 13 | 2 |
| Suzuki Aerio | 2003 | 36 | 2 |
| Suzuki Esteem | 2002 | 5 | 1 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara | 2002 | 47 | 4 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara | 2003 | 29 | 4 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 | 2003 | 13 | 3 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 | 2002 | 18 | 1 |
Other visibility recalls in 2003
19 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the visibility; AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. filed 75 campaigns in all.
| 03V497000 23 Dec 2003 | SETRA OF NORTH AMERICA |
| 03V461000 11 Nov 2003 | LIBERTY BUS INCORPORATED |
| 03V429000 3 Nov 2003 | MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 03V222000 12 Jun 2003 | FORETRAVEL, INC. |
| 03V210000 2 Jun 2003 | ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED |
| 03V191000 5 May 2003 | INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY |
| 03V160000 29 Apr 2003 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| 03V161000 29 Apr 2003 | INTERNATIONAL TRUCK & ENGINE CORPORATION |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003