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Suzuki Aerio Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    Every time I read one of these messages, I have this urge to wonder out loud why anyone in their right mind would want an AWD car. Ninety percent of the advantage of AWD is found in FWD. When those rear wheels start pushing, most of what happens in bad conditions is bad. The only real use of AWD is to distribute excess horsepower to more drive wheels. The Aerio really doesn't and can't qualify in that aspect, so the AWD is mainly a cause of reduced mileage for gas, tires, etc., and reduction of the overall life of the car. Now, as to that shudder, the Aerio engine has a little crowhop surge to it at low speeds in any case. Since I have a standard transmission, I can either gas it or put in the clutch to stop the problem, but the problem is there. The problem is an oversensitive throttle response, which could probably be resolved by loading a different profile into the engine chips, but nobody has offered one of which I am aware.
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    Thanks for the informative reply.
  • mesxmesx Member Posts: 7
    I bought a 2005 Aerio AWD from Brantford Suzuki ..... while I was initially impressed with the service I received , as I continually brought it back for repairs, it was eventually replaced by extreme disappointment and disgust in Suzuki. I had the following happen in 15 mnths of ownership and 27,000 kms
    -front sway bar bushings fell out 4 times before finally getting a permanent fix.
    -styrofoam on rear bumper (under outer plastic) fell off and was never repaired properly.
    -Viscous coupling for AWD was defective and had to be repaired.
    -Lower control arm bolts came loose and almost fell out...that had to be fixed by myself because of the dealerships refusal to acknowledge the clunking noise in the front end.
    -power door lock failed and took 4 mths to get the part.
    -had 8 tires destroyed after 3 alignments at 2 different places
    -It rattled and shook from the day I drove it off the lot.

    My disgust in the incompetence of Suzuki Canada's morons lead me to persue CAMVAP...(Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Process). Little did I know it is funded by the manufactures who participate in it, as a result it is a useless "fast, friendly and free" process designed to strip you of you rights too go to court (were you are likely to win) After repairing the piece of crap several times after I lost arbitration....(Suzuki convinced the arbitrator, that all the defects were inherent to the design of the car and didn't qualify for a buy-back!?!... in otherwords all Aerios are crap)....I got rid of the piece of junk :lemon:

    BUY HONDA OR TOYOTA
  • lynnster2lynnster2 Member Posts: 13
    Tks for taking the time to post your '05 Aerio history! We too were initially impressed with our 2005 Aerio AWD, purchased new from CT showroom in Aug 05. Drove it (very carefully, following all break in procedures) from CT to FL where it is being used by our daughter. She now says it is a piece of junk! (She drove a '96 Audi A4 quattro prior, so we knew there'd be no comparison, but it's more than that.) At less than 15K miles, the rear tires went completely bald. She only noticed this when one went flat. Suzuki dealership in Miami said there was nothing wrong with the car & blamed bald tires on daughter because she didn't rotate them! The car was only 5 months old and had been in for it's routine new car servicing while she was in college in northern FL. If they neglected to rotate them, our daughter wouldn't know, would she? And another dealership in Miami is now blaming her and making her prove it was serviced. We provided paperwork but still got nowhere and took car out of this Miami dealership as they are horrible. In any case, this is NOT why the tires went bald at under 15K miles. We contacted Suzuki customer service & fought with them for several months. They finally paid for the new tires we had to put on with no help from them! However, the problem causing the bald tires has not been addressed! Reading this forum tells us that bald tires are a common problem with this car. Suzuki first denied a problem when confronted & only paid for tires when they saw we would fight them. We then found and confronted them with bulletin numbers (#0211225 & TSB TS0511225). This is a suspension problem causing the bald tires. They finally admitted the problem but then said our VIN was not included! Worse, they let the dealership in Miami decide if there is a problem, and of course the dealership said it was our fault for not rotating and that there was nothing else wrong with the car! Most FL dealerships are clueless about AWD so this one just passed us off, saying tires are bald due to lack of rotation. (non-rotating tires would only have a pattern of wear, not complete baldness) We called dealers acoss the northern USA & most are aware of the suspension/bald tires problem. One even said problem was due to improper specs downloaded during manufacturing! The fix Suzuki came up with is to replace the biscus (?) couplers, but we don't see how this could correct the improper specs/software problem, and some people here, who had this done, agree it hasn't worked! We aren't even at that point yet, as we need to find another dealer willing to agree we have a problem with the car! At this point, the new tires are fine so how will they find a suspension problem now? Bottom line - it's all on the customer to fight, and fight hard, as Suzuki tries to wear you down, hoping you give up! The new tires have only about 1K on them, so it will take time for the rear tires go bald again (as it happened around 12K miles). We want the car fixed now, not many bald tires later. We want the BS to stop at Suzuki. They need to own up to this problem and do a recall with a true fix, and not leave it up to the owners to fight for one as this is not a minor problem.
    I would never recommend Suzuki to anyone due to poor customer care. More difficult is that we live in CT & car is in FL with 23 yr old daughter. The dealers treat her like crap due to her age. THis is one of those things that requires a strong, mature person to handle, not a young adult. Basically, anything wrong is blamed on a young person. (Miami dealer actually told the dealer who sold us the car in CT that her car was dirty! She had just driven 10 hrs to her internship in Miami, got the flat & ended up at his dealership. What did this have to do with anything?) So we now have new tires but no fix for problem, and our recent college grad has new job with NO time to drive an hour or more to another dealer, as we can't go back to the idiot dealer in Miami. So she will now lose her car for days with no loaner (she lives too far) and no way to get to work! I think we are stuck until we find time to go down and either drive the car back to CT to fix or sell, or find yet another FL dealer. This car was a deal at $17K with AWD , coming from an Audi w/ quattro. I wish Honda, Toyota and Nissan would make an AWD sedan. Bottom line - you get what you pay for and AWD for under $20K, while being sold by Suzuki, is a joke.
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    Anybody who doesn't rotate the tires on any vehicle in 15k miles is an idiot looking for an accident, but on an AWD car, it is nothing short of suicidal. Yes, it is clear that Suzuki has a problem with rear wheel alignment on most of their AWD cars, but I would not even work on a car that had not had the tires rotated in 15k miles, knowing that the idiot behind the wheel is likely to have neglected almost every other aspect of the car. Parents who buy cars for their little girls and don't teach them how to check their tires, oil, etc. aren't much better than those who give their kids access to guns without training in the proper handling of those guns. I wouldn't let my daughter out of the driveway in any car until she could prove to me that she could change a tire by herself, and check the oil and tire pressure and coolant and hydraulic fluid, and etc.

    By the way, the Quattro has one of the worst repair and reliability records on planet Earth. It's a fun car to drive fast on bad pavement or dirt, but it's almost useless for anything else.

    Also, if you have noted in the conversation, some companies make alignment tabs to make these cars stay in alignment. Find some, and send your daughter to a professional alignment shop that can install the tabs and properly align the car. There is also a supplemental stabilizer bar that will keep things set in place a little better.

    Suzuki is not always the easiest to deal with, but they are no worse than most manufacturers. On the other hand, if the owner does not do anything to check and/or maintain the car, neither Suzuki nor any other manufacturer is going to solve their problems.
  • ggmar1ggmar1 Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2006 Aerio SX AWD, purchased new in Jan 2006 from a State College PA dealership, talk about total frustration with a vehicle and the inability of the dealership to fix a drive train suspension problem. The car is a super tire eater!!! So much so, it is to the point we do not feel safe driving it. It was first noticed at 6000 miles, now we have 20.000 miles on it. During that time we have had 3 pairs of tires replaced, with rotations and 3 alignments, the dealer can't figure out why we are still having the issue since they did the fix Suzuki recommended(replacing a viscous coupling) The dealer has done everything from blame us for not rotating tires often enough, which would be impossible to keep up with since the tires are completely bald within 6000 miles, or we just hit too many potholes causing the alignment to go out!!! Strange that it is the rear tires that wear first! But the front also has a problem. The first two sets wore on the outer several inches to the cord! Now they are completely bald in the center 5 inches! We just noticed today the front set is starting to wear in the center also. The rear tires look like racing slicks, not real great on our central PA highways!!
    We would welcome any suggestions that we could pass onto the dealer to fix this permanently!! This is our second Suzuki, first was no problems in 110.000 miles but this one has been frustrating, you certainly learn how the dealer can change up when they have a Lemon compared to a complaint free car! I think LEMON may be the appropriate term for our Aerio!! After reading comments from Aerio owners on other sites and comments here we are not alone with this Suzuki Aerios mechanical problem. We don't want to trade at this point because we would take a beating price wise since Suzukis seem to depreciate so much.
  • lynnster2lynnster2 Member Posts: 13
    As owner of 2005 AWD Aerio, and as poster here myself, I just wanted to say I feel your pain as have same exact problem. Too bad the same problem continues with the 2006 model! Egads! So what are we to do? We were also blamed for not rotating our tires....
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    First, I think =rarchimedes= was a little harsh in his reply of 12/27. I drive almost 200,000 miles a year and DO NOT consider tire rotation to be a safety issue much less life threatening ;only tread wear. Something for rarchimedes to think about while driving his short time miles each year.

    Second I plan to rotate the tires on my 06 Aerio SX AWD at 7500 miles just to be sure that Suzuki cannot find that as a
    reason if and when excessive tire wear becomes an issue.

    IMHO that "failure to rotate" excuse is just a line shops give you as a lame excuse to evade the real problem......don't give them that out...rotate and see what they come up with next.
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    Tires wearing in the center as you describe is often a result of too much air pressure in the tire.

    Most people think 32 pounds in appropriate, HOWEVER, Suzuki recommends 30 pounds. Get yourself a good digital tire pressure gauge.

    I have only 4500 miles on mine but the treadwear looks even and tread depth is good.
  • lynnster2lynnster2 Member Posts: 13
    Good luck & keep a detailed diary of everything you do concerning your tires as it's very likely you will be another victim of this unfortunate problem! Happened to our car at under 14K miles, but unknown exactly when it began as car is in another state with our daughter who had it serviced according to manual. Pls note that tires were completely bald, with no tread pattern as no tread left! And both rear tires were bald - front tires were totally fine and still like new. SO, this isn't a pressure problem or rotation problem, but an obvious and serious suspension type problem. The car, being AWD, should NOT do this if working properly. My son says it must be that the rear tires are turning much more than the front tires - does that make sense to anyone?
    Good luck and again, I'm shocked that the 2006 AWD Aerio is also having this problem! What can we do, as SUzuki paying for replacement tires is NOT the answer, just a bandaid to a serious problem!
  • neal2goneal2go Member Posts: 9
    I have had the same problem with my 2002 Aerio at about 15,000 miles. I went to the dealer and wanted to replace it with the same Yokohama tires that the car came with it. Instead, I went to a Walmart, and they replaced it with Bridgestone tires and at 70,000 miles, i have had absolutely no problems with the tires. The other only problem I had with the car was the the keyless entry system which was replaced under warranty.
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    No, I'm not being too harsh. People who don't maintain their cars are their own worst enemies. Tires do need rotation. Oil needs changing. Antifreeze and other liquids need checking along with, for tires, air pressure. Anybody who doesn't notice that their rear tires are going bald until they are bald or they go pop are really unlikely to be checking air pressure, which means they probably have 20 lbs or less in the tires. On rear tires on a modern FWD car, or even AWD, there is usually so little weight that the tires will not look unusual at that pressure, but they will wear unusually. And, the AWD will just about tear the tire apart.

    No, you don't have to be a nervous Nelly about maintenance, but you better do some, or your car will be an early casualty. Front tires do receive different forces than rear tires, especially on an AWD car, so rotate the darn things at least every 5,000 miles. The only company that has AWD for passenger cars really figured out for full-time use is Subaru, so next time, get a Forester if you just have to get AWD. The FWD Suzuki is just fine, get's better gas mileage, is easier on tires, costs less in repairs, and is better in almost every respect than an AWD version.

    Anybody who has to drive through snow on roads knows that FWD works better than AWD, even with all the slip sensors. Snow piles up and strongly impedes the front wheels. Any push at all from the rear will bring the rear around. The very best handling vehicles were the early Subarus and Toyotas that could be shifted on the fly into 4WD for start ups and slow downs, and run in FWD along the road.
  • jaltfunjaltfun Member Posts: 8
    Dear All, I have been reading for a while now about people complaining that they have to rotate their tires. Do you change your oil? Do you use your turn-signal when you change directions? Do you take a bath at least once a week?

    Rotating tires is basic "car 101". Rotate em every time you change oil (between 3 & 5 thousand miles) and your tires will typically go twice the advertised mileage. This, ofcourse, based on proper inflation, balance and alignment.

    I have had my 2006 Aerio premium (2WD) since July and have already put 20,000 miles on her. By the way, the tires still look new. She is comfortable, quick, responsive, sure footed, quite and has a great radio. My only complaint is I can't buy anything to boost performance from Suzuki or the aftermarket.

    Regularly rotate your tires and regularly take a bath. You will be happier. :blush:
  • lynnster2lynnster2 Member Posts: 13
    We know rotation is important, but not doing so before 12K should NOT make rear tires completely bald! Come on! Problem is NOT lack of tire rotation, but is a suspension issue. Why keep focusing on tire rotation and igoring obvious suspension problem with this car? Me thinks perhaps you are somehow connected to Suzuki?
    And, to say that FWD is better than AWD in the snow is not our experience at all. Owned 3 FWD's (Olds 98's)previously, and NONE of them came close to the way our Audi A6 quattro AWD handles in the snow. Your comments puzzle me...
  • carthellcarthell Member Posts: 130
    Today, one or more (but I hope it is one!) of my power locks makes a loud whirring noise upon locking or unlocking the vehicle.

    Has anyone had such a problem? Did a fix involve simply oiling something, or replacing entire power lock units?

    -d
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    Sounds to me like a part will need replaced...I hope you have it covered under warranty b/c it may be a bit costly.
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    No, I don't work for Suzuki, but your need to blame a dealer for your own problem is more than a bit bizarre. Tires on AWD cars usually only last 24-30k because of the extra wear involved, so you're telling me that not rotating the tire for half of it's expected life is not going to cause major problems. I also did note that there is an alignment problem with the Suzuki, which can be fixed with an aftermarket solution. Also, any idiot that thinks an Olds 98 with ten tons over the front wheels is any kind of comparison to a normal front wheel drive car is not too bright. Those old V8 FWD's from GM wore out tires faster than any Suzuki ever could, but they could punch a drift. The Cadillac version was a major tank in heavy drifts in New Mexico, but if it got into deep, compacted snow, it was a goner because of it's weight. All of those also had major mechanical problems, as the internal design of the FWD was very inefficient and primitive. A Quattro handles great ON compacted snow or ice, because of the distribution of drive, but no car with rear wheel drive of any kind does well when driving into snow that is clumping in front of the front wheels. That is what you get when you are driving in actively snowing conditions. The front wheels are slowed disproportionately while clearing a path for the rear wheels, and the rear wheels cannot help but push the tail end around a bunch, even with traction control. Of course, if you can afford the Olds 98 FWD or the Audi Quattros with their usual price tags and monstrous repair bills, I can't imagine what you are doing with a Suzuki of any kind, much less complaining about the paltry repair bills.

    Again, if you let tires go completely bald before you catch them, there is little that anybody is going to be able to do for you. I can't afford to neglect my cars in that manner, and my girls know that if they were to let that happen to their cars, they wouldn't get much sympathy from me. Sounds to me like you have too much money and too little sense. You expect to buy a car costing less than a half of either of the other cars you name, and have it perform exactly like them. Reminds me of an oft quoted definition of insanity...doing the same thing repeatedly, and expecting something different to happen.
  • lynnster2lynnster2 Member Posts: 13
    Wow, that your picture in the dictionary under"nasty" or what? You must get great satisfaction here, so I won't bother to feed your ego. Have a nice life!
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    Yes, and there are whiners on every forum who are unwilling to do the least thing to solve their own problems. More than a few people on here have actually rotated their tires and paid attention to their vehicles, and they certainly have legitimate gripes. I have noted my own problems with my Suzuki, which required some persistence on my part to have fixed. So far, I have found no dealers of any brand of car who have volunteered to make expensive fixes without good documentation of a problem. Yes, and many of them do just put you off by accusing you of usually not doing things that they think you should have done. The answer to that is to do the required scheduled maintenance and document it. If you have done that, you have a perfect right to complain, and should do so until they right the problem. If you have given your child a car and expect the dealer to act as their parent in dealing with the car, you are expecting way too much of the dealer.

    If you really want to do something useful, you could work for laws that require manufacturers to publish technical bulletins at no cost to the consumer. Suzuki gives very poor access to their technical bulletins, and the only meaningful way in which you can search such bulletins is if you pay Suzuki way too much money for the privilege. I am no fan of most manufacturers or dealers, but I do know that I have to do my part for any car to last in the way that I would like it. If I do my part, and the car does not last, then I will have legitimate cause for complaint.
  • carthellcarthell Member Posts: 130
    Well, I can attempt to pass off the part as a component of the power train. Does anyone know a hypnotist? ;-)

    Thanks.

    -d
  • mesxmesx Member Posts: 7
    I had the same issue with one of my door lock mechanism and it was replaced under warranty..... only took 4 months to get the part........... Also had 6 tires go bald in 15,000 miles, even after 3 alignments at two different facilities..... maybe I should have rotated them every week?
    Gave up on the piece of junk as nobody was able to fix the tire problem....... The 1986 Toyota Corolla I bought to replace it, has already given me more trouble free miles than that 2005 AWD Aerio every did
  • lostinspce2lostinspce2 Member Posts: 5
    my first 03 has something done to it that not only makes it handle better, but keeps the tires in line, and makes them last much longer... a very wize old school mechanic (70+yrs old) took one look at the [non-permissible content removed] end and tire wear , made the following observations:
    no adjustment in the control arms in the rear, the camber is not adjustable and the tires will wear out excessively..

    the fix? got the car in the air, removed the control arm rods
    CUT THEM, made them adjustment links (looks somewhat like a turnbuckle) and replaced the rods.. ok 20K miles later and the tires still have the "nubbies" on them and should last 50K miles maybe more! my other 03 had the same problem, and the his first fix was to heat the rods, and bend them up at the center about 1 inch while on the alignment rack. this car has 75k miles and second set of tires (first set lasted 15k miles)
    and now thes have 50k and are still in great shape...
    my question to suzuki, if you guys are so friggin smart, why cant you build parts tha are adjustable and right the first time??? you can learn a lot from an older person
  • mortod13mortod13 Member Posts: 2
    Maybe you all can help me out a little...

    I have an '03 Aerio sedan and up until recently, the car has been FANTASTIC. Now...not so much.

    Basically, anytime I turn my headlights on, the indicator lights inside the car either turn off or flash, and the gas pedal stops responding. Then I turn the lights off, and everything is fine, unless of course I try to drive in the dark, haha. As long as the lights are off, the car runs great and I have no problems.

    I was hoping someone would have an idea as to what's wrong, and could maybe give me an estimate on cost to fix it. I am a sophomore in college, and BEYOND poor at this point...definitely can't afford for the car to break on me.

    Has anyone ever heard of problems like this?
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    What's weirder is that you have owned your Aerio for so long, and do not understand the way your headlights work. They are always on when the handbrake is off. It sounds as if the voltage regulator in your alternator is not providing sufficient voltage to drive the system. This normally results in the battery not being charged sufficiently to start the car, but the Aerio is very easy to start, so I suppose it is possible that your car could continue to work. On the other hand, there could be a short in one of the various running lights that only come on when the headlight switch is turned on.
  • mortod13mortod13 Member Posts: 2
    Ha, sorry, I understand how they work...I realize that the headlights stay on all the time, but the backlights, and the indication lights inside the car do not. When I turn those on, that's when I lose the functionality of the car. When it first started acting like this, I took it to someone who wanted to replace my entire transmission since it wasn't being engaged properly. That seemed a little outrageous. That's why I'm asking.
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    I agree with rarchimedes ......sounds like an electrical/charging system problem.
    May be that the battery needs replaced, or else the alternator.
    Have the charging system checked.
    Many auto parts stores will do this for free....especially the larger ones like Advance.
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    The cheapest things to check would be the various running lights that turn on when the lights are turned on. Just remove them. The system should warn you, but if your big problem goes away, you will know that is the problem. Also, examine the wires in the area around those lights. They may be pinched, grounded, or crossed. If the problem is with the indicator lights in the cab, you have a more difficult and expensive problem that you are unlikely to be able to deal with yourself.
  • brenbren Member Posts: 24
    All of a sudden my wagon's rear hatch won't open. The part on the rear that you grip and squeeze together to open the hatch seems to be 'seized' -- it's squeezed together and won't release... but the hatch won't open. I can just imagine... 2 hours of labor at $100 per hour + $175 worth of parts to fix it. :mad:

    Also, it's pretty common belief/knowledge that the Yokohama Geolandars that came standard on our Aerios are not so great. I had to replace them at 26,000 miles. However, I guess the Geolandars actually have NO treadlife warranty. Ironically, I replaced mine with 80,000 mile warranty Yokohama Avid Touring tires. After 26,000 they are almost worn out, too! That's only 1/3 of the supposed treadlife! I'm getting new tires tomorrow, and I hope that Yokohama will honor the tire warranty so that I can get a new set of tires at a major discount.

    One other issue I've had is when my air conditioning is in use and I turn right, I hear squealing that sounds like a belt. I actually had a Suzuki dealer look into it back when my car was under still under warranty, but of course they didn't hear it despite the fact that it happens EVERY SINGLE TIME. :P
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    I would guess that parts/labor on that hatch would run about 200-250. I had a similiar problem on my Toyota.

    Can't help you on the tire issue...only have 4600 miles on mine, but I did notice a hard thumping when starting out in the cold until they warm up...very strange to me.

    The noise is most likely P/S belt needs adjusted/replaced...you can try spraying some belt lube on it.

    YES, I am finding out the hard way that the infamous Suzuki
    warranty is not worth crap.
  • neal2goneal2go Member Posts: 9
    Suzuki's warranty is not the problem. It's the car dealers themselves. They will find every excuse not to honor the warranty.
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    Because warranty work pays less that their regular hourly rate.
  • brenbren Member Posts: 24
    Thankfully my rear hatch which stopped opening needed only to be lubricated. I was quite relieved to avoid a several hundred dollar repair bill. :)
  • neal2goneal2go Member Posts: 9
    I have a 2002 Aerio and there is a crack in my windshield but it was not caused by any chips or rocks. When you touch the crack, the glass is regular. It feels smooth when I touch it from the inside and outside of the windshield. I bought an extended warranty for the vehicle until 100,000 miles if any of you are wondering. Do you think the windshield can be replaced under warranty?
  • bluebubblebluebubble Member Posts: 1
    Has anybody had problems with keyless entry?
    I replaced the batteries in both remotes and even reprogrammed
    the transmitters as outlined in the owners manual but the
    keys still wont open the door. can anybody help me with this?
    thanks
  • neal2goneal2go Member Posts: 9
    I had a problem in the early years with my car with the keyless entry. I went to the dealer and they replaced the entire keyless entry system covered under the manufacturer's warranty.
  • meulemanmeuleman Member Posts: 2
  • meulemanmeuleman Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2006 aerio sx wagon i have had the same problems with back tires going bald. I am on my third pair. I was blamed and told my customer service from suzuki how this was my fault and they couldnt help me. The dealer told me the alignment was fine. I had an independent alignment done at my expense turns out the car was way out of alignment on the rear of the car. The cure is for the alignment to be done according to suzuki specs and also they have to change the magna cam caser kit 12mm to alow the aignment place to cure the problem properly. I would tell you suzuki will tell you that the people doing the alignment arent using the right specs well they are trust me this is the cure. You will notice a big difference the reason why the tires go bald on back is because the car is dog tracking. For the folks with back and front tire problems, the front tire problems are caused by the rear of the car out of alignment causing a thrust on the front of the vehicle and the front wheels. If you have any more questions please contact me m_meulemans@yahoo.com
  • lostinspce2lostinspce2 Member Posts: 5
    my 03 sx with 77k miles suddenly spun rod bearings (one so bad it was dust in the pan) previously (day before) i went to the dealer complaining of a tic which quickly turned to knock/squeel.. a month ago I had gone to the same dealer (with a tic tic in the engine) AND with the 2nd gear syncro not engaging, and front wheel bearings growling (both) so far the tally is as follows: two front rotors, pads (2X), transmission, wheel bearings, and now engine.. nice going SUZUKI! good thing you have a warranty!
    even if you dont honor it! all this in 10k miles of ownership!! wow what a deal! im lucky if i can unload this heap for 1/3 what I have in it.. comments? email me directly please,, lostinspce2@yahoo
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    Since you have owned it for only 10k of the 77k that it has traveled, just how do you know that the problems are Suzuki's. it sounds as though the vehicle has been consistently over-revved, driven very, very fast, and very, very hard. If you are so stupid as to buy a vehicle with 67k on it without having it checked out, you get what you pay for.
  • lostinspce2lostinspce2 Member Posts: 5
    well suzuki of NA called me today and told me that the engine
    was defective a "maufacturing defect" and said a new shortblock was on the way and would be fixed free.. as for the car being drivin hard or abused, not likely, first its a black sx with absolutely no dents dings scrapes marks, or even swirls in the paint, a nearly perfect car inside and out cosmetically, and the prvious owner had a complete :) record of all the service work and warranty work (he was 60 yrs old also) not likely the car was ever abused , and as for me a 50 yr old with a family I have better things to do than wreck something I am paying for.. also i bought the car from a suzuki dealer ..
  • carthellcarthell Member Posts: 130
    Has anyone been able to go to either a big box or specialty auto retailer to pick up (not special order) an air filer for a 2003 Aerio's engine intake? Can't seem to find any offline; my favorite non-dealer car maintenance place has never caried the item.

    The choices online seem to be limited to K & N, if a choice exists at all. It appears that absolutely none of the major auto part makers that I've heard of (including AC/Delco) carry what I need.

    -d
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    http://www.champlabs.com/catalog/index.html

    Champion Labs has the filter.
    I do not know if you can buy it direct,but surely they can tell you which of their dealers has it.
  • rarchimedesrarchimedes Member Posts: 25
    Dealer: Yes, and me sainted grandmother only drove it to church on Sundays. Now, she did say that her nephew borrowed it to drive to work on week days, but he would never abuse the car. He polished it and cleaned it out twice a week.

    Customer: Oh, so that's why it looks so good, but is slightly sagging on the springs and shocks.

    You get the idea. I assume you did a check on the actual car history. Much of what you say indicates to me that the car was possibly partially submerged at some point. That might explain the like-new interior. Wheel bearings and disks just do not go out like that without some contributing factor. Now, the synchro problem is well documented, and should be repaired on every 2003 Aerio. Actually, the problem is not with the synchros, but with the 5th gear train. I had the synchros replaced, with zero effect on the problem. The second time, the entire 5th gear assembly was replaced, along with most of the synchros, and the problem has not recurred. The same was done on my daughter's 2003 Aerio Sedan. Suzuki has spent almost zero dollars since 2003 to revamp it's line, doing most of it's work in integrating the Korean manufacturer that it bought. Suzuki's reputation for safety, well earned in the 2000-2003 time frame is now entirely outdated. No Suzuki even scores in the first group on any safety test, and most are well below average.

    If I were going to do anything, it would to check on my dealer and the history of the car on something like CarFax. The alignment and transmission problems are well documented and have known solutions, even if Suzuki normally ducks on the alignment issues, but most of the rest of the problems, to include things like the automatic doorlocks, appear to be more industry-wide type things. That doesn't mean that Suzuki should not repair them, but then so should the rest of the industry, and they resist also.

    I would not buy another Suzuki at this point, because they just are not keeping up with the industry, especially on safety, and not very much on gas mileage. There are many better bargains out there for the dollar at this moment in time. In 2003 and 2004, the Suzuki Aerio and SX, many times selling for around $12k dollars was about the best bang for the buck on the market. Time and tide wait for no manufacturer. Maybe they will leapfrog on out there, but at the current moment, all I see them doing is filling up the really cheap...not inexpensive...slot in the market.
  • shftngrsshftngrs Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2003 Aerio SX and I'll list the problems I've had with this car as confirmation of what others have detailed here.

    Day one of ownership the dealer was so desperate for a sale that the salesman allowed me to take the car without signing the final contracts (financing was finalized but not signed) and we agreed I would return the next day to sign them. That night, it rained and somehow water leaked in from the front passenger side windshield. Initially the dealer wanted to try to repair the problem, but when reminded that the deal wasn't actually final, they gave me another SX that has had no leaks.

    The same tire issues others here have noted have plagued me as well. My tire specialist did say that the tires that Suzuki includes on the car are unsuitable. Replacing the tires did wonders for the AWD, but since the replacement I've heard an odd popping noise when I make tight turns (yes it has been an issue for years).

    My brakes grind and are horribly sluggish. The pads and rotators have been changed more times than I can remember to try and rectify this, but since reading a previous post I'll now try non-Suzuki parts.

    My electrical problems include replacing wires when the electrical system died and the clock light continually shorts in and out. Also, the cd player doesn't work when the car gets cold (bizarre but true).

    And, finally, at 73k the engine needs to be replaced (I've had a car that had no problems until well over 100k so this was a shock to me). The dealer/service department has been great, but I did call Suzuki's customer service department to complain about the amount of time they have taken to approve the repair and send parts. They told me two different things about the approval process (in one version the dealer requires it and in another the district office does) so I definitely now feel like they are lying, to those of us who've purchased the 2003 Aerio SX, about the problems we've all had.

    You do get what you pay for so this will certainly be the last Suzuki I own.
  • mmhlongmmhlong Member Posts: 1
    i have over 175000 miles on my '03 aerio. I'm having quite a few issues with it right now. For starters the tail light will not come on. There was a hole in it from where my mom backed into a pole. I replaced the entire thing. new bulbs and everything purchased from the dealer. The brake light which wasn't working is now working and the tail light which was now isn't. I also replaced the fuse for the tail light still not working.
    The other issue I have is no a/c. When i turn it on it blows but not cold and makes a kind of clicking sound.
    The clock light does not come on any more and the radio will come on and then it pops off.
    Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone know how to fix it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. :lemon:
  • carthellcarthell Member Posts: 130
    Tail light: My service manual suggests that the problem could be caused by a blown bulb or a wiring/grounding fault. Since you already checked the bulb (please double-check!), then the problem is...

    A/C: The service manual lists 14 possible causes for your situation. Typing all the info would be kinda tedious, so I'll list the items that don't require tearing down components in the engine bay or passenger compartment:

    -Refrigerant under- or overcharged.
    -Compressor drive belt loose or broken.

    Otherwise if you have a huge chunk of free time, some tools (some simple, some specialized), good mechanically-inclined friends, some tunes, and an uncluttered area where you can work (or just a good A/C shop), it is possible to attack the problem.

    Other components that might be involved in the trouble: the HVAC temp. control cable, heating element, condenser, evaporator, expansion valve (connected to the evaporator, I believe), the compressor and/or clutch, any of the sensors in between, and/or (throat-clenching horror!) a leak somewhere in the system.

    Clock light, radio: check fuse 15 first. If it is ok:

    -If you can see the info in the LCD display, the lights are simply burned out. Find several time/temp units in a junk yard, install each one until you find a working unit.

    -Same for the radio (other places to find a cheap/free basic radio are flea markets, yard sales, and vehicle upgrade shops). If no radio works, either all of the radios you got were bad, or the wiring to the radio is bad.

    Good luck!

    -d
  • 2002aeriosedan2002aeriosedan Member Posts: 5
    My aerio won't turn on. I took it to a local mechanic who replaced the fuel pump and then told me the computer was bad so they replaced that. It worked for one day when the exact same thing has happened again.
    Has anyone experienced this or have an idea of what the cause may be I would greatly appreciate your help.
  • logmgrlogmgr Member Posts: 39
    I would take it right back to the shop that suppossedly fixed it. I am sure they gave you a big bill.
    In the interim check the fuel pump fuse;and the wires going to the pump as one may be shorting out to ground along the frame.
  • dkarasindkarasin Member Posts: 10
    If you are still having trouble try Rock Auto online. It was the only place I found that I could get one other than at the dealer. Be careful, I got the wrong one for mine and it took a little while to work out. Measure your filter and make sure the one listed is the right size. I got the Beck Arnley 042-1665 which was about 3" to short. If this is the one you need you can have it for the cost of shipping.

    I have also had a real problem getting parts for my 2003 Aerio SX. I have had to over pay at the dealer several times.
  • dkarasindkarasin Member Posts: 10
    I bought my Aerio SX (AWD w/ Automatic) new when the 2004s came out. I admit I loved it for a while. I had several trips to the dealer for little nuisances exhaust rattles and CD player not giving my CDs back. The first replacement CD player skipped so much I had them replace that one. After they did that work the clock light would go out and on when it wanted to. I also had the exhaust rattles fixed again on all of these trips.

    With less than 20K miles the radiator sprung a big leak. it left us stranded. Inconvenient but the 7 year / 100k mile warranty will cover it it. Wrong! I had it towed to my local earlier. They refused to cover it and said that it must have been a rock or something. They wanted $650 to fix it. I said that was a lot for a radiator and they told me the part alone was $500 and the dealer was the only place to get one. Fortunately, they were wrong and I found it online for under $200 sipped next day. I replaced it in their parking lot.

    When 36k miles were up I took it in for exhaust rattles, a/c did not seem cold and a few body clips. They said that they fixed the rattles and all of the little stuff, nothing wrong with the A/C. The exhaust still rattled and some of the clips were still gone. Back again they said it was fixed. Still not fixed. I finally gave up.

    A few months latter I started having a problem with the heating system. It would blow hot air on the driver's side and cold air on the passenger side. The colder it was outside the colder it would be on the passenger side. The hot side could not keep up. The dealer wanted $400 to fix it. They claimed it was a mouse nest. I did not think that was the cause but I thought they would fix the problem while they were working on it. The had my car for 10 working days (no loaner for me)and did not fix the problem. They needed it back when a few parts came in. When I got it back It still had the same problem and now I could not select a temperature or shift from defroster to heat. Eventually the parts came in. I took the car back and they charged me for the parts and labor. Of course they did not tell me that it still did not work. On a cold day the right side would blow 30°F colder than the left. Several mot trips and back and forth they never got it fixed and I never got my money back. Summer came and I let it go.

    I should have sold the car but I did not.

    The car started revving fast at idle. Since I did not have confidence in the local dealer I took it to the next closed dealer on 80 miles. I new that it was some thing to do with the IAC but since it was still under the 7 year / 100k mile warranty let them take care of it. turned out not to be covered because the IAC was fine but the ground wire was burnt. They took pity on me and only charged $100 to splice in a little piece of wire. I still can't figure out what a ground could short to to cause the problem. It does not run with any other wires.

    One night driving home the car started to make a noise coming from the final drive on the front (seemed to be at the wheel speed). I cold not see anything wrong I drove it hoping the car would die so I would know what needed to be fixed. After a few days (probably related) I would start to get the check engine light and the transmission would go int a limp home mode. 2500 RPM in second gear. A key restart would usually fix it for a while. The code said that it was a transmission feed back sensor error. After a test drive I the dealer said they would replace the transmission and it would take care of the noise and the error code. 3 weeks latter when the part came in i took it back and asked them to look at the heat while they had it for the transmission. When I got the car back the noise was still there, the error code still comes up periodically, an the heat still does not work. That was $300.

    I called the Suzuki NA line for help again. I did not want to bring that up before because this is long enough as is. The were insulting and no help yet again. The regional representative is the all mighty power and no one else at Suzuki can help.

    An A/C line in the engine compartment blew and now I don't have any heat / cooling / transmission part of the time.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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