Suzuki Aerio Maintenance and Repair

carthell · August 2005

My Aerio came with V-rated Yokohamas, which is good if you don't mind the tire wear and replacement cost! After two years and 30K miles of use, I had to buy my car a new quartet of shoes recently.

Yokohama sells a T-rated version of the tire in the same size & profile with a better treadwear and (dry) traction rating, and deeper sipes than the OEM provides (from what I remember). I hatched a plan to buy the tires online & have a local big box retailer install 'em.

After I put my order in, I was contacted by the online tire dealer and essentially asked whether I knew what I was doing, which is wierd. Most of the auto services I've ever interacted with try to *sell* me stuff rather than ask *me* whether what I wanted was appropriate for my vehicle. I hit 'em with my driving habits, and comparison data I was able to pull about the OEM and new tires that I wanted, and they shipped the tires.

Went to the big box retailer, and was flatly refused service because of the speed rating of the new tires. The counter person gave me a speech about liability issues. "Okay," I said. I decided then to not waste gas going to another big box site run by the same corporatiion. Thoughts like, Do I secretly own a Ferrari? and What, do T-rated tires on compacts explode/self destruct/(insert something bad) these days? ran through my mind.

Went to three other places in my local area. Two of the shops were too busy to do anything for me, and the third had me sign something special before putting my tires on.

I had projected a savings of around $50 off the total purchase price against the best I could do locally, If I had my way. After I was done, I think I spent more to complete the replacement: all of the projected savings plus $10.

I've put on about 800 miles since the purchase, and I noticed no difference in the handling or driveability of my vehicle.

Has anyone else experienced such difficulties with replacing your 15-inchers?

-d

aeriohawaii1 · August 2005

Where did you rent your car from? I did not know they had Aerio's as rental cars.

aeriohawaii1 · August 2005

I am having the same problem here in Hawaii. I had 2 get a replacment tire from tirerack and the shipping, $65 was over half the price of the blown tire at $102

csandste · August 2005

I had a Hyundai Elantra with Michelin Energy H rated tires. The tires were one of the worst oem tires I've ever had but everyone told me that I had to replace with other H's.

I'm now driving a Malibu Maxx with about 70% more horsepower but it has lower rated tires. Although the oem Bridgestones look bad on paper they're much better than the Michelins.

Personally I think Hyundai bought the Energies because they sound like high end tires. They probably pay about $10 per tire. Michelin gets to slock off mediocre tires that will cost $140 per tire if you're unlucky to tear one up or dumb enough to replace with the same tires.

I think the Hyundai would have done just fine with lesser rated but longer wearing tires, however once a car is blessed with H rated rubber it's mighty hard to get someone to send you something rated slower.

I think you made the right decision on tires.

joemama1843 · October 2005

My 2003 Aerio GS after only 51,000 has developed some major problems. Coming home from vacation with my wife we were stranded on the highway because the engine blew a rod. After going round and round with the dealer, they finally said they would replace the engine. After doing so, the car doesn't sound the same when starting and the car wants to die at stop lights. I advised the dealer and American Suzuki of the problem. To make matters worse, my wife and I were at a local ford dealer checking out cars when the transmission sprung a leak. This tranny problem developed after 2 days from picking it up for the engine. I'm now in the process of trying to get that resolved. I'm trying to contact the dealers District service manager. Think I got a lemon?

joemama1843 · October 2005

I spoke to the District sales manager today regarding my engine rod going out and the transmission leak. To make a long story short, he was a S.O.B. I have never been treated with so much disrespect from a company before. I asked for his boss's name and he said that he is as far as it will get and that he wouldn't give me his boss's name or number. I asked him how he could treat a customer like this. The district sales manager said he doesn't have to do anything and that he would be going above and beyond having the local dealer look at my car instead of the Ft.Wayne dealer who performed the original engine work. The local dealer wouldn't tow my car to the dealer, (saying it was against the law???) I called and complained once again to American Suzuki. I went back to the original Suzuki dealer who did the work in Ft. Wayne 2 hours away and advised of the tranny leak. This whole ordeal has been a nightmare for my wife and I. It appears that after the sale, I'm worthless in there eyes. DON'T BUY A SUZUKI!!!! I have contacted our local TV station for help, the BBB and I'm contiplating contacting a lemon law attorney. Does anyone have any other suggestions for me. I realize I'm just the small guy trying to go against the big wigs. Is there any hope?

chrisducati · October 2005

Although I have never had to deal with Suzuki, as my car has been trouble free, I have had to deal with other companies.. Unfortunately there is not a lot you can do. Media coverage is one way to get things exposed. Airing your complaints here on Edmunds will get you a very small audience. What you need is a large group to hear what you are going through. Read your states Lemon law before you hire an attorney. It may be an expensive waste of money to hire one. BBB is useless. How many people do you know that actually get information from them before using a service or buying a product. Very few. Most of the time it is when you personally are filing a complaint with them that you find out other have also. It is just a fact that our society here in the USA is corporate biased. Unlike Europe, here the consumer actually gets little help. The only way a company is going to change is if it is faced with huge lose of profit from a practice it is doing. Look at GM. And it is so huge it is like the Titanic trying to steer away from the iceberg. Good luck to them. I honestly think Suzuki's problem is its American dealer network and it's American employees. Most Suzuki dealers are not stand alone and sell other brands too. It seems to be the red headed step child at the dealers.
Good luck with your problems, I cut my loss when I have a car like yours and bail out. I have had to do this a number of times with other car companies.

joemama1843 · October 2005

Thanks to chrisducati for your advise! Well here is where it stands as of now. The car was towed to the dealer at their expense, They gave me a rental that I don't have to pay for and the car is in need of a new transmission. All to be covered under warranty. I did contact our local TV station for help. The TV station called me back, I gave them names and numbers of people with Suzuki, and the next thing I know I'm being treated with respect. I also went up the chain of command at American Suzuki in California. Now they are calling me to make sure everything is going to my satisfaction. It's amazing what one has to go through. All they had to do was do this from the beginning without all the BS. People, please do not buy Suzuki if you know what is good for you, :lemon: . No one should have to go through this. I will spend every waking moment putting down this car company and every thing they stand for. I'll keep you posted with this.

rog4 · October 2005

I own a 2005 Suzuki Areo; bought it new. After putting about 6000 miles on the odometer, I noticed the "low oil pressure" light would come on whenever I turned sharply. When I checked the oil level, it was less than 1/8 inch from the bottom of the stick so I promptly topped it off.(I had to add more than 2 quarts). At about 7500 miles, oil and filter were change in accordance with owner's manual. This is when my ongoing ordeal with Suzuki corp. and its dealerships started. After closely monitoring my oil consumption, they still insist that it is normal and that I should change oil at 3000 miles instead. That was tried and oil level checked in at 1/4 inch above the low level mark....so the saga continues....Good luck getting an audience with a Suzuki rep. This is my second and last suzuki. :lemon:

joemama1843 · October 2005

Picked up the car today from the dealer after having the new transmission put in. Now it's making some bad noises under neath and a high pitched wining noise from the transmission. Called the dealer to tell them and that I will be taking the car back to them again on Monday. This has to be the worst experience I have ever had with a car. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:

bromics · October 2005

I have a 02 SX and have encountered a few problems.

First and foremost, is the fuel gauge. It is totally random. Some times it will go from full to 2 clicks down from full in only 50 kms, and then back up to full again, and then down one.

I have gotten as much as 150 kms before it went from full to one click under.
I brought it back to to dealer when it was under warranty, and they changed the fuel sensor in the tank, but it got worse.

Highway driving in get about 600 kms to the 50 liter tank, but in town, i barely get 400.

I got a K&N air filter for the car, and it really did wonders for power and gas milage, if just replacing the oem with a K&N did that much, i would recommend to install a cold air intake.

ONe question though, is the a/c supposed to turn on when the heater selector is set to front window defrost and floor/front window defrost.

I mean, in my friends CRV, when you put that option on, the a/c turns on, but you can turn it off.
This really sucks, and can maybe explain why the car gets such bad gas milage in the winter, because i have it on all the time!

As well, the headlights seem to have condensation in them all the time,

What is a Underdrive pully , and what dose it do?

One other thing, i have about 120 000 kms on it and i just changed to synthetic oil...
WOW>... DO IT :surprise:

carthell · October 2005

When air flow is sent to the front windshield, the A/C is on unless it is below freezing outside. Unless you do you own modifications to the system, you can't turn it off.

The gas mileage in the winter with defrost on in my '03 SX is comparable to a 2001 Sentra I once owned (21-22 mpg city). But then, I can't tell whether the car or the fuel is an influence or not (After Katrina, my mpg number went up for a while).

Condensation within your headlights would seemingly indicate a leak. I'd have someone look at that before the moisture blows out your lamp.

"Underdrive pulley" - looked up the term via the 'net; is appears to be an aftermarket crankshaft pulley that could produce more power and reduce the RPM of the engine. The performance gains appear to be from the lighter weight (and larger size?) of the aftermarket pulley. Good luck with your upgrade project. (Don't ask me for any suggestions because I tend to break things I can't fix!)

Unrelated: took my car to the dealer today for scheduled service, plus a review of a few problems: squeaky (like fingernails over a blackboard!) rear wiper motor, condensation from the A/C spilling into my passenger-side footwell area, and annoying, loud clunking noises from my car's suspension when driving on any street not perfectly paved. Sometimes, I feel like I'm driving a decade-old Crown Vic cab!

Despite the problems, I miss my car. I'll have to "bus" around town until Saturday morning.

carthell · October 2005

Unrelated: took my car to the dealer today for scheduled service, plus a review of a few problems: squeaky (like fingernails over a blackboard!) rear wiper motor, condensation from the A/C spilling into my passenger-side footwell area, and annoying, loud clunking noises from my car's suspension when driving on any street not perfectly paved. Sometimes, I feel like I'm driving a decade-old Crown Vic cab!

-New wiper motot on order.
-A/C drain unclogged.
-Bolts on my right passenger side's control arm was tightened.

-d

slick10 · November 2005

">I JUST PURCHASED A 2006 SUZUKI AERIO SX WITH THE PREMIUM PACKAGE.
I CANNOT FIND THE SUBWOOFER THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO ADJUST. WHERE SHOULD I LOOK??
MY VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED WITHOUT A CHROME TAIL PIPE TIP THAT IS SHOWN IN EVERY PHOTO FROM SUZUKI THAT SHOWS THE REAR END OF THE SX FOR 2006.
ON PAGE 14-3 OF MY OWNERS MANUAL IT HAS A LIST OF LIGHTBULBS USED ON THIS VEHICLE. ONLY 5 LIGHTBULBS ARE LISTED....IT SHOWS 2 DIFFERENT RATINGS FOR FOGLIGHTS..TYPE A AND TYPE B...HOW CAN I TELL WHICH ONES THIS VEHICLE HAS?
MY VEHICLE WAS SUPPLIED WITHOUT ANY BRACKET OR HARDWARE TO INSTALL A FRONT LICENSE PLATE...IS THIS NORMAL.
MY DEALER JUST DOUBLE TALKS EVERY TIME AN ISSUE ARISES AND THE SUZUKI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE ISN`T A WHOLE LOT BETTER.
ALSO: WHEN I FLIP UP MY REAR SEAT CUSHIONS TO DROP THE BACK OF THE BACK SEAT DOWN, I NOTICED A VERY SHORT STRAP WITH A BUCKLE ON THE END TUCKED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT CUSHION.
I SEARCHED MY MANUAL BUT MUST HAVE MISSED THAT PAGE. WHAT IS THE STRAP FOR?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY INPUT. :confuse:
SLICK10 IN PENNSYLVANIA

delicut · November 2005

Does anyone know what the recommended tire pressure is for the Aerio sedan?

carthell · November 2005

Thirty-five psi (unless something has changed since the 2003 model year).

patrickbr · November 2005

I just got a 04' Aerio SX with 10k miles on it. 2 days after I got it I noticed the wierd sound in the front suspension like the struts/shocks/or springs are bad. Is this similar to what the other poster described? I called the dealer and they said bring it in and they will check it our under the warranty and give me a loaner. Great service so far from sales and service. We'll see what the result is. I am also noticing a minor rough idle. I will have them check it also. Anyone else having a rough idle issue? Would explain my 16 miles per gallon on my first tank with the car. Overall i like it, just need to get used to it.

carthell · November 2005

The sound I heard from my suspension was like bouncing a plastic toy block within a closed box.

I sometimes experience rough idling from a cold start-up, but it hasn't resulted in the mpg figure that you achieved. A number of people who have posted to this forum have experienced the same symptom. I haven't seen any information on a possible fix, if any.

patrickbr · November 2005

I dropped off the car at Suzuki. The Sound in the front end are faulty factory sway bar bushings. They are replacing them with larger bushing upgrades as indicated in a service bul. The MPG they said could be moisture or fuel quality, since it just came off the lot on Saturday. They said to monitor it and let them know if it doesnt improve with non ethonol gas. They noticed a humming sound when testing and found a cable behind the heater controls vibrating against a bracket, they are insulating the cable. They also noticed a rattle from the glove box, and they are insulating the golve box to eliminate that. They also pointed out that there is a service bul. on the break springs causing a grinding or rubbing sound when breaking. The Service bulliten has upgrade replacements indicated and Suzuki is also doing that while its there if necc.

I've heard alot of neg things on this site about Suzuki reps, but this particular dealer and service have been fantastic! I have never been treated better from anyone car related then the response I am getting at Puyallup Nissan Suzuki in Puyallup, WA. And everything is covered under my 3/36 factory warr. Not costing me a penny. So far this sounds like a few minor factory adjustments, I hope the car turns out to be as good as the general reviews I found online.

carthell · November 2005

Went to chck my tire pressure today. 30 psi!!

I substituted my tires' max pressures for the car's. Whoops.

anthonyc1 · November 2005

any engine uses oil. i have a 2003 audi a4 and new aerio. maybe u should have checked your oil before 6000 miles. i think its a good idea to check every mth or so. i use a qt or so in the audi each 3000 miles too.

2002aeriosedan · November 2005

I was driving along in 4th gear at about 65 km/hr and my car seemed to go into neutral. It is a manual transmission and the shift stick was still in gear. Tried it in 3rd and second too. Then I was stuck in the middle of the harbour bridge. I couldn't start in first either as the clutch wouldn't engage when I let it out.
Could anyone tell me what the cause might be?

slick10 · November 2005

I HAVE LOCATED MY SUBWOOFER--UNDER THE DRIVERS SEAT. I STILL HAVE NOT DETERMINED WHICH FOGLIGHTS I HAVE. (35WATT OR 55WATT) I CALLED SUZUKI AND TALKED SOME "LESS THAN KNOWLEDGABLE" PERSON WHO TOLD ME THAT MY SUBWOFFER WAS DEFINATELY IN THE BACK OF THE CAR. HE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT MY FOGLIGHTS, TAIL PIPE CHROME TIP, FRONT LICENSE PLATE HARDWARE OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I ASKED. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR THE JANITOR. JANITORS SEEM TO KNOW EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON! I STILL WOULD LIKE SOME INPUT IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME. I WANT TO UPGRADE MY FOGLIGHTS TO SYLVANIA SILVER STAR BULBS LIKE I DID WITH MY HEADLAMPS. BIG DIFFERENCE! THIS VEHICLE HAS A LOT OF WEIRD NOISES IN IT AND IT IDLES ROUGH ALSO. THE DEALER SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT. WHATEVER THAT MEANS....

HELP~!!!!~!!

davidd5 · November 2005

I would say you may have had an axle pop out. Suzuki does have a TSB about some aerios that had a problem with an axle popping out.

aeriohawaii1 · November 2005

I would also like to upgrade my fog lights.
Where are the Sylvania Silver Type H11 available at?

asandbag · November 2005

Have you tried pulling the bulb out of the fog light and see what wattage it says on the bulb?

ryno4 · November 2005

I had an 03 aerio and I recently traded it for an 06, but the other day I hear a looud cluck in the front end when i went through a dip on a street I've traveled on many times with my 03. Of course when I took a tech for a ride, no noise. It almost souded like a top out, or the new weird flaps behind the front wheels ground against the pavement? The 2.3 feels much stronger than the 03 2.0 and their has been a ton of improvements overall!

joseofferrall1 · November 2005

I had an 04 sedan that had a rough idle. i changed the spark plugs. perfect after that

joseofferrall1 · November 2005

Has anyone tried putting an intake on a 04-05 Aerio sedan or SX. I tried it on both but the check engine light comes on. The code reader says System too lean. any suggestions on what i can do to keep the intake on it without the check engine light?

ryno4 · December 2005

Try removing your negative battery connection for 20-30min and let the computer reset itself, it worked on my 03. It should self calibrate to the new air/fuel mixture ratio. Try NGK Iridium Plugs as well, and use a grounding kit, your spark will be stronger and more consistant.

aeriohawaii1 · December 2005

Where do you get the grounding kit from?

ryno4 · December 2005

Ebay has tons of stuff for the aerio, but a grounding kit simply removes any ground loops which exist in many factory assembled cars. It does'nt have to be for an aerio specifically.

ryno4 · December 2005

Is yours an 06, because my 06 has weird noises coming from the front end as well?

joseofferrall1 · December 2005

Im gonna try that in morning see if it works....i hope it does..thanks bro

carthell · December 2005

"Have you tried pulling the bulb out of the fog light and see what wattage it says on the bulb?"

My service manual states that you have to take off the front bumper to do this.

Otherwise, Sylvania's own web site seems to indicate the Aerio switched from a H11 to a H8 bulb for MY 2005. The H11 ate a recommended 55 watts. The H8 is on a diet at 35 watts.

hurt · December 2005

I have a 2006 aerio sx awd which I purchased for the fuel mileage and awd. My first tank I got 27mpg that went to 24mpg at 1800 miles ,I took it to the dealership with my complaint, they performed a ecu logic update now I get 22mpg@2400 miles.This to me is nowheres near the 29mpg that they claim for highway .

2002aeriosedan · December 2005

You are exactly right. My front left axle came loose. I had it fixed and about 4 weeks later this happened again. Any idea if they had a recall or anything with this????(Getting expensive :sick: ) Also, it happened both times about 1 Mile from work. Our parking lot is fairly slanted and laid out so I park with the left side uphill. Any idea if this could trigger the problem?

2002aeriosedan · December 2005

Sorry, I didn't know what a TSB was. I'll have to look into it. Thank you for your help.

patrickbr · December 2005

Since my visit for the bushing and the rattle the car has been great! In moderate traffic commuting I am getting about 28-30mpg, in wide open driving I am getting about 32-33MPG. The dealer was fantastic and I am happy with the car. My only remaining concern is a soft oil smell when I'm in traffic. My levels are fine and I see no leaks. Could it be an exhaust leak? Otherwise very happy. :shades:

nscarguy · December 2005

I started experiencing the same problem with my 2003 sedan a few months after I bought it new.The dealership was notified on a number of occasions but nothing was ever found.The rattle sound occurs during acceleration and is much worse in the summer months. If I push the accelerator down all the way it seems to stop the rattle.Higher octane gas helps a little but it is still there.Personally,I think it's the timing chain as the sound comes from the upper passenger side.

pocono35 · January 2006

Living in NEPA and looking for an AWD. I came across the Aerio AWD for about 17K loaded. This is a deal if the car is a reliable and decently engineered vehicle. Will only buy AWD now. A friend of mine owned a Geo Metro in Canada and loved it. Please tell me of your ownership experiences related to maintenance costs, reliabilty, etc with Suzuki. This car is 10k less than a Suburu and after building one on-line it looks like a decent car.

carthell · January 2006

2003 Aerio SX:

-Suspension rattling. Some bolts in the suspension were tightened up. No problems since. No charge.
-Initial problems with car not starting up quickly after sitting for 24 hours or more. Was adjusted once, no problems since. No charge.
-Rotor warp, twice (between 20 - 30,000 miles). Paid $200 for each fix, rotors aren't covered by the car's warranty.
-For me, fuel usage is worse than a 2001 Sentra I owned (consistent 26 mpg vs. 21-25 mpg); most of my driving is in the city. Fuel efficiency climbs to 27-30 mpg on long trips.
-The skirts at the bottom of the doors are something to watch (replaced front door skirts once under warranty). Tell you daughter to be aware of how she and her passengers opens her doors near curbs.
-Took the car to the dealership for routine maintenance, so my costs would be higher than many others. On the other hand, there are service intervals (starting @ 3,000 miles, and continuting about every 6k from that point) where only an oil change and inspection of certain items are needed.
-If you are unfortunate enough to have V-rated tires, have your daughter put aside money to replace all four. I'm no "track-a-holic," but I managed to wear my tires out within about 2 years/30,000 miles of use. (Yokohama 195/55 R15.) Picked the same-sized tires with a longer wear rating and a lower speed rating. Had some trouble getting 'em installed because of various installer policies.
-AWD is nice in wet or slick situations, but if you're counting on the car to plow though deep snow, forget it. The car doesn't have the ground clearance.

aeriohawaii1 · January 2006

The low profile tire with the Short sidewalls are fragile.
I have just bought the car and only had a couple of hundreds miles on the car. and I blew out a sidewall. I called Yokohama and they were Very Nice and air freighted me a new tire from "Tirerack" and it arrived the next day from the East coast all the way over to Hawaii. They even paid for the shipping that was almost as much as the tire for overnight delivery. My hats off the Yokohama for the Excellent customer service. Also "55" profile tires are kind of hard to find. For some reason they equipped the car with "V" rated tires, so does mean it can Actually hit 150 mph ? The Tirerack has some "Kuhmo" brand tire from Korea that have gotten a pretty good rating

rannug1 · January 2006

Bought an 06 SX w/ auto. At 700 miles got a little over 19mph. At 1300 a little over 27. Mine too, has that front end clunking noise that sounds like a tie rod end is ready to fall off. Mechanic said all is ok. The next time it goes in, he will change his mind. Really like the car.

2002aeriosedan · January 2006

My from left axle has popped out twice and I'm trying to get it fixed for free. There is a TSB on it that I got from All Data online but when I called suzuki she said it wasn't an official TSB and she had no record of it. I called All Data to see if it was from the manufacturer and they verified it was issued in june 2004. Is it likely that its not a TSB or are they just trying to brush me aside.

justice4peace · January 2006

My 05 Aerio developed that front end clunking noise very early on. I think it was about 6 months old with about 5 or 6K. There was a defective part in the front end. My wife took it in and they should her the skimpy part. They changed it and ordered a newer heavy duty part that was to take its place - that came in maybe 3 or 4 weeks later. You would think they would not have used that part in the 06 model especially as they had coem up with a new part to replace it.

moonwalklady · January 2006

Love how it drives except on snow and wet highway. Had it to my tire dealer and found out that tires are bald on back. Less than 8000 miles. Right one is worse than left but he suggested talking to dealer about it. Has anyone else had this problem?

suzio · January 2006

I have a 2004 aerio, first set of tires went at 22,000 miles back ones were completely bald. 2nd set came at 42,000 miles again back ones were going bald, replace with a "snow tire" car driving great now... Also had had alot of problems with vibrations after every tire rotation, had dealership rebalance twice. Dealership is saying that I should have a 4 tire alinement twice a year trying to get the dealership or tire company to back up their products with out very much luck.. I'm just going to wait for the third set to go bad, and cry :lemon: If you find anything out let me know... thanks

tabitwit · January 2006

I had a 2004 awd Aerio however on 01/12/2005 i got into an accident that totaled it. I then decided to switch to the fwd 2005 aerio. I really like the car however dont care for the fact that I had to replace 2 tires after 4 months. I also have dents in two of my rims. Not serious enough that I had to replace them immediately, but I do have to get new rims because if I were to rotate the rims then I would end up with a vibration..

watermelon · January 2006

I am having trouble starting the Aerio and hear a clicking sound. Do I need to change the starter? Is it under warranty. The has 60000 miles and is a 2003. Thank you for your help.

Suzuki Aerio Maintenance and Repair

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