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:shades: The Tracker is just a Suzuki G V with a Chevy Emblem.
Does anyone know what valve adjustments need to be done at the 22000 mile service check up?
Is it expensive to have the valve backlash adjusted?
Is anyone having problems with valves and valve tap with the 06 or 07 Vitaras?
Do you know of any common problems with the 06 and 07 Grand Vitaras that I should look out for?
Having said that, there are a few things people have run into. There's no easy way for anyone but the dealers to know how common any of them are, but I think you can be assured the list is no reason for avoiding purchasing a Grand Vitara.
Most people will have one or more from this list, but none will have more than a few, and extremely few will have the serious one, which is the vibrations. Ours was bought in Dec, '05, and has the ones with the (*). The '07's haven't been out long enough to know how many of these have been fixed, but I understand the vibrations, loose seat bolts, and faulty cruise controls have been fixed.
- fast rear tire wear due to misalignment
- slightly warped glass in rear-view mirrors*
- drivers seat bolts not tight enough*
- very rare bad battery
- serious bad vibrations while driving
- rough shifting of automatic
- one case of overheated floor under heavy load
- leather in front seat bottoms stretches*
- condensation inside headlights or taillights*
- cruise control doesn't work properly
- one or two complaints about noise in the steering assembly
You can also look up the NHTSA safety complaint listings for the GV. There are relatively few, especially if you don't count the duplicate entries.
2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6, 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic
Le Grand. I sure hope the rumored, (see the old posts),
3.2 liter engine is in the wings for '08. If so, I still think a base awd GV could serve as a surrogate Subaru Outback/Forester, but for much less money in a more user friendly sized package. Such a new EFFICIENT mill should make quite a fair bit of difference mileage wise. That could restore the cost/benefit ratio re: owning one of these attractive rigs, including for day to day use, closer to where it ought to be RIGHT NOW.
Suzuki has little excuse any longer to produce vehicles with the quirks listed in this blog, "minor" though some or even many of them may be. When and if that GENERIC problem IS overcome, and again they get decent mileage, etc., I'd probably buy another. Till then, I wonder if the Chinese or Koreans might just beat them to it? We could use another 4 cylinder, better mileage off road capable Suzuki again, (a modern Vitara), but I doubt Suzuki will build it. For myself, I'm pretty well past caring, other than obviously retaining some latent interest here. I continue to feel Suzuki has a number of more important things they should be working on other than marketing success. God, give 'em multi million dollar bonuses now for the sales numbers, or put that money into product refinement? I remain to be convinced Suzuki is "diverting" sufficient capital into product refinement. In that regard, they remain a long long way away from Toyota, Honda, or Mazda. Why? Thanks for another perspective here.
Nwdsmn.
Perhaps because he was responding to a noob? It's easy to scroll past messages you don't want to read.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I am getting about 17-18MPG (City/rural)
Kinda sucks, but my old Ford F-150 only got 13Mpg.
I also have an 2002 Chevy Impala, what a piece of crap!
BCM problems, Steering shaft noise, bad passlock sensor, bad intake manifold gasket! I will never buy a Chevy again!!
This Suzuki GV is my first Japaneese Car/SUV. So far no mechanical problems! Rides a little stiff, but the 4WD is awesome in the snow! I will report back in a year and see if my opinion is unchanged!
2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6, 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic
Sorry about that - "noob" is short for "newbie" which simply means a person who is new to a given forum. We welcome new people (we were all new at one time!) and, generally, old timers are very helpful to those just starting out. We look forward to your continued participation.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6, 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic
Again it is hard to be affirmative since you don't ear often from the people that don't have any complaints on most of the Forums and a lot more from the ones that in fact have something to say, just like the news on TV.
However I can say that I'm still please with my 06 GV. After 18 months, 2 winters with lot of salt/sand/small rock, it still looks almost new. No paint stain, swirls,..., yes some few dents from small rocks, but not worse than my previous vehicules, it's to be expected here. No rattles yet, no vibrations (my Cherokee did at 30 and 60 mph), in fact no problems at all. I get decent mpg (average of 22mpg (US gal.)in city, and 27mpg on highway (30 mpg my best). I think that the 2.7l V6 engine is performing as expected as well, it is not big (many L4 are almost as big), it's not a race car, but peppy enough, doing fine for the every day driving and powerful enough to tow my 2000lbs pop-up without problem. It fufills my needs for winter driving to get me to the ski slops, towing, accasional off road for fishing, it gives me back what I paid for, and hey, it's fun to drive.
You see them a lot in my area (there is over 10 dealers with 40 miles), and everyone I see with are pleased.
I bought a 2007 GV at the end of Feb. and had a mandatory government inspection yesterday (moving to Alberta). My 1998 dodge neon passed and my 4 month old GV failed because of tire wear. Some spots did not even have 2mm left of tread. Has anyone else experienced this type of wear? I know it was a cold winter this year, but I didn't think it would cost me a pair of tires to stay gripped on the ice for 2 months. I can't find any recalls on the web, but I haven't done anything weird with my car, so I'm thinking there's got to be someone else out there with this prob. I'm bringing it in on Monday, so I'll update you. Please anyone with info!!!
Allie
So not to offend anyone, let me just focus on what their data says re: prior years, (bear with me here), specifically the 2001 to 2004 Grand Vitara's and XL--7 models. What does it show? Literally a patchwork quilt of widely varying specific quality issues, from year to year. Using common sense, (ooops, that should get me into trouble here too?), the data shows that you'd be better off buying a used 2002, vs. a 2004, reliability wise, when I'd honestly thought by '04 they'd have the bugs worked out, right? What does this have to do with the new GV? Let me help at least one individual [again] here. When the quality control issues keep cropping up and are not resolved in subsequent model years, and especially when and if nothing is said about it, well then hey, what you see is what you get, again, and again, and again. And again, and, (etc), seems too bad it's beyond the grasp of some here as to why it just might be important to do a squeeky wheel act, vs. aping and ostrich. Lots of sand down there in the southwest, I guess...
The bigger motor, (3.2l), if it ever shows up down there under the hood of them, (please, please), is not a raw power thing. Why?, guess what, it, would have to be more fuel efficient. than the 2.7, and what pray tell would be wrong with wanting that, yesterday?
Again, look at all the Suzuki SUV data in the current Consumer Reports, see, (gasp) the truth about the predicted reliability of the new GV, look at the older historic data, and see what "it" might tell you, and make up your own mind about weather or not it just might be possible there is, [for a long time now], AMPLE REASON for Suzuki to begin investing FAR more capital into quality control.... Quite right, though I kick the tires on 'em at the local dealership regularly, having my other two Suzuki vehicles serviced, regrettabley until they at least address the mileage issue, (and more, I would hope!), they've lost me, perhaps for good....
Where can I research current (and past) techical service bulletins and recalls for Suzuki? I found this link:
suzukipitstop.com/repairInfo/techbulletinslist.asp?SearchParam=4
But you have to pay for each TSB !? Seems to me if there is a known issue with a vehicle under warranty, Suzuki should alert the owner.
Besides that and a few hiccups with this new vehicle, I'm a happy owner.
TSBs are advisory in nature and the dealer doesn't have to perform them if they don't think the problem exists. So take your service manager donuts or something. :shades:
You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin
My tires still look pretty good after 20k, they should last 50k, so I don't think that yours should wear more than any other types of car (4x4 or not).
Don't know about Canadian TSBs. Anyone know a source?
The premature rear tirewear issue is being reported, not regularly, but occasionally. Enough that unless the mileage is high, Suzuki should replace the tires also. Most owners, including myself, are reporting very slow tire wear. It's important to rotate the tires on the schedule provided, and it's not clear everyone is doing that. The GV's rear tires are cambered in a few degrees, and without rotation they will wear out the inside edges of the rear tires early.
It takes eneregy to wear tires out, and those with the alignment problem should also be getting bad mileage. Not to mention poor handling. Besides the risk of a blowout, this is a safety risk in another sense. Fast wearing tires mean the tires are always in a bit of a skid. On slippery surfaces or cornering with marginal traction, this will greatly contribute to premature loss of control. I that sense, I believe Suzuki is remiss in not contacting owners of the new generation GV's to check them for this problem. I believe it is irresponsible for them to wait until people come back with their rear tires shot, let alone letting misaligned vehicles go off the lot to begin with. If you're in the US, it's important to report this sort of thing to the NHTSA website. Suzuki can't ignore that.
denverleigh,
I watch closely a much more busy GV discussion site, and I don't recall anyone else reporting premature front tire wear. Not that it's impossible. Claiming it's due to the 4wd is an indictment of the service person's honesty or competence. 4wd as installed on the GV is as likely to affect tire wear as it is to affect tire pressure.
norwoodsman,
As for the reliability, Consumers Reports inconsistent stats may reflect a small data sampling. Consumer's Guide ratings for the GV changed dramatically between '06 and '07, while the vehicle did not change significantly. Anecdotal information, such as on the discussion sites, suggests Suzuki is putting out many well built GV's, some with significant problems, and the odd real lemon. Michael Karesh's Truedelta reliabilty website has stats provided by GV owners, but still the sample size is relatively small. Only Suzuki knows for sure what the real quality rating is. Presumably they kow that consistent bad ratings will hurt them eventually, as good ratings will help their sales. Maybe the new GV is so popular they're just churning them out too fast sometimes. JD power reports the number of problems per new car averages 1.25, with Suzuki worse than average at 1.5. Not enough reason to avoid a brand you like.
About winter conditions handling, well, these EOM tires are not great, I did buy winter tires just 1 week after I got my GV January 2006. With winter tires it is the best vehicle I drove in snow.
Any car with a problem like this is not going to have normal traction levels on any surface, and it will be much worse on slippery surfaces. Ours has always struck me as having phenomenal traction, so your perception of sub-optimal traction while cornering may very well be due to misalignment. I can't overemphasize the difference in "sticktion" between a tire rolling freely and one that's skewed, even very slightly.
On another GV discussion, I encouraged an owner to report the condition to the NHTSA website, which they report they have done.
First of all, I noticed that the rear cambers of the GV were off by a few degrees as per mentioned by xostnot. Got that fixed and do periodical rotations.
Secondly, the OEM rubbers were wearing out pretty fast as well! The treads were only about 25% left when I replaced them after 12 months, with 35k kms on the clock.
Thirdly, the OEM rubbers were not grippy!!!!! I noticed this just after a few months driving the GV.
In my opinion, those OEM rubbers were not built for durability nor were they being built for road grip...as from my own experience. Their main purpose was just for comfort for highway driving.
Now using Federal Tires after reading and hearing good reviews about them and so far not encountering any problem.
About the negative rear camber, it is designed that way. I wouldn't be able to say how many degrees is the camber on mine, but by the look, it's about the same as you often see on BMWs. On mine it doesn't affect how the rear tires are wearing, but on the other hand I'm use to rotate my tires every 10K km.
I suspect the wheels and the whole suspension set up were assembled while the car was still unladen....maybe the basic frame/chassis only...thus once all the stuff were put in, it exert stress on the setup which caused the cambers to be off by a few degrees. Luckily the springs are quite stiff, otherwise the cambers will be off by quite alot!
Since getting the cambers done about a year back, the cambers are still perfect even after a few rough drives over uneven terrains and potholes.
My advise, get it done ASAP! All the wheel alignment as well as cambers specs are stated in the user manual.
Additionally, I noticed the original tires, didn't have any of the standard ratings i.e Threadwear, temperature and traction. :confuse:
Wonder what are these values for your Yokos?
About the camber, it is fine, front 0, rear -1 15', no sign of inner walls wear, neither on my winter tires which are a lot softer. Rear spec is -1 15' +/- 0 15'.
I've seen an explanation for tilting the back wheels as the GV has them, and it made perfect sense to me. Again, we have over 15,000km on our GV, and it shows no sign of abnormal tire wear, has never been aligned since I bought it, and frequently carries full loads.
The dealer will work with an outside alignment shop and get another opinion on specs before and after the alignment so that Suzuki has something to investigate with as far as alignment problems or just too soft a tire in the first place.
Suzuki came through without any hassle.
I am trying to find out if the 4wd GV can be modified to allow part time 4wd and part time 2wd as mine only has the options 4H, 4H-lock and 4L-lock. It would be nice to save a little fuel and slip it into 2wd while on the road yet still have 4wd for off road.
Any help would be appreciated.
Find it here:
www.suzuki4.co.uk
The only way to make it work as a rear wheel drive would be to remove the front drive shalf and install a cap to flange yoke cover hole (cap #09928-36510).
Yes I'm sure the 3 doors would be a hit here, that segment as been left alone.
Tire wear is our only concern. At 46,000 km the Geolanders are probably 75 percent gone. Not acceptable for expensive tires. Rotation has been at dealers 10,000 km schedule. Will be making loud noises to our dealer and Suzuki Canada shortly.
I see no issues whatsoever with Suzuki quality control in our vehicle. Still the best value in the small SUV market.
Keep the good news coming, (I hope). It's encouraging as I continue to await some sign [also] that Suzuki, like virtually every other manufacturer today in todays marketplace has likewise awakened and smells the coffee, re: fuel mileage. I've pretty well come to the conclusion that GV sales numbers, as good as they are, will probably not justify their trying to market the euro diesel version in North America, despite, (note), my having seen a while back that a diesel Honda CRV seems definitely in the works around the end of the decade. So again, bring on a fully modern new mill under the hood of the GV ASAP, please Suzuki. I continue to place my bets on '08, but who knows...? Unfortunately Suzuki seldom "telegraphs" ANY such news in advance to it's customer base.
Former Kootenay (Nelsonite), Nwdsmn.
For those out there with similar concerns, I'll add that my dealer called me a day after I traded to let me know that they were finally going to authorize 4 new tires and another alignment. (The fact that the first alignment they performed did not cut down on the tire wear is troubling) Also, my neighbor took his '06 GV in this past weekend and also received 4 new tires and another alignment. So I'm unsure if this is the result of Suzuki corporate waking up or if our local dealer is taking a goodwill approach due to the number of complaints. I hope this information helps.
FWIW, I love the Santa Fe. I know, totally different vehicle but for just a little more money I got a lot more room, power, and most notably refinement. I expect quality to top Suzuki too. I think the Korean manufacturers are on to something good here.
2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6, 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic
Sorry, but those are the facts as I see them.
If it makes any difference, isn't the new Santa Fe made in the US? If you don't need a low range, you sure have lots of nice choices in compact suv's these days.
The only problem you'll have with the Santa Fe, js06gv, is that now you're stuck with the wrong id on this site.
As for a diesel GV, GV sales in Canada are running at about 350 per month. Given that North Americans avoid diesels even if they're available, would it be worth it for Suzuki to sell 30 or so of them per month in Canada? I'd guess not.
And as I've said before, the mileage penalty for always being in 4wd has to be balanced against the advantages of permanent superior control.
I'm participating with a french forum in France about the GV as well, to see how it's going with it on the other side of the sea. People from France and Belgium are strongly in favor of diesel engines, probably out of the 250 and something participants on the forum, 2 or 5% at most are using 2.0l petrol engine.
Suzuki is using a 1.9L diesel made by Renault out there, they like it, but as they say, it's far from being the best engine. They have had 2 recalls already for that engine (mainly turbo intake problems). They say that over time this engine will be high cost maintenance (higher than the petrol one) and you have to pay more for the diesel already when buying.
For all these reasons, I doubt that Suzuki will come soon to North America with it. At least if they come here with a diesel, it won't be the Renault version for sure.
At some point I believe the value of the seemingly ever waning concept of "simplicity" just might be rediscovered, (by necessity), both by we automotive consumers, and finally vehicle manufacturers, as the world comes to grips with ever diminishing resources. Keep it simple, stupid! , with compact highly efficient vehicles, including [please] models which still perform the many tasks which we as Suzuki owners have historically asked of "our "rigs". May we all live long enough to see that come about, eh?
Nwdsmn.
The engine will also sound very rough, loud knocking sound will be heard.
For this reasons, the dealership is not importing the diesel powered version.
From what I know, almost all owners of the diesel powered Vitaras had these problems.
Seems Suzuki intends to turn many of us into "soft roaders" by default, as taking into account ALL content lying there between the front and rear bumpers, the most modern reliable and energy efficient models are only available from other manufacturers. Take the new upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan. No, again it won't be a bush beater as I understand it, but it WILL have the very latest clean spec VW TDI engine down there under the hood. When will Suzuki choose to progress beyond it's current focus on marketing glitz to actually offer the necessary content/quality changes, (in particular re: engine options), required to finally make the "new" GV truly ALL NEW.....?
Seeing the '08 lineup here, I'm no longer holding my breath waiting....
Nwdsmn.
(norwoodsman: Canoed to Blunden Island in August. At the south-facing beach, there is no cabin. But there is a flat clearing with a piece of cast-iron stove hanging from a tree.)
Only problem with all that welcome innovation seems to be Suzuki forget to remember to check under the hood of the "new" GV before bringing out the '08 model. Then there's the question of how well, (if at all), they addressed some of "your", (all current owner's), concerns about various issues re: the '06's and '07's. While other mfgrs tout annual improvements to existing models, with Suzuki you're just left out there wondering. I wonder if they've done this, or they've attended to that......?
For now the new GV "value quotient" still holds true for folks who NEED them for demanding recreational applications. For those who don't, and I'd have to guess that includes the majority of new to the breed owners, that value quotient seems a real reach to me, given the soft roader competition out there. Oh well...
Congrats on getting to the remote shores of Blunden Island. Ought to be ready now for the Hakai Pass Recreation area? Take the flight on Google Earth north from Calvert Island twds. Bella Bella, and you'll be hooked. Did an 11 day expedition there. The Tribal Island Group was my favortie.
Yrs. Nwdsmn.
How's about removable rear seats, given the rest of the GV's very poor provisions for carrying large objects.
I think they should revise the model choice, which has too many too much alike and could be covered by options instead. Replace one model with a Rav-4 fighter (loaded 2wd with traction control, soft suspension and lots of sound insulation) and a Patriot/Liberty fighter (raised suspension, skidplates and perhaps a diesel and/or beefed-up drivetrain). But what do I know.
We were on an outing this weekend with a 2001 Tracker (rebadged GV) and a representative of the next older generation of Vitara. Three generations of Vitaras.
On roads not quite requiring 4Hi Lock, all did fine. I was impressed that I was able to desend faster than the others, and that so far I've never bottomed out the '06's suspension. While not terribly harsh on pavement, it certainly is nice and stiff on the rough stuff. And the tight turning circle is really amazing. While I was impressed at the rocks we had clearance for, it was also stressful worrying about hitting that vulnerable bottom. We didn't hit anything, but must have been pretty well at the limit.
Going up steep rutted hills composed mostly of loose baseball-size rocks, the traction control kicked in a bit. The other two Vitaras would have been in the equivalent of 4High Lock.
Spectacular Hakai Pass ups the safety ante quite a bit. Might be an option for chartering "Spirit Dancer", which belongs to a friend of ours. Are you a CCR participant?
About that V6: it is a 3 liters (2993 cc), 2 common injection rails pressurized at 1800 bars, piezoelectric injectors with 7 holes, geometrical variable turbo, it will give 265 ch at 4000 RPM, and 550Nm (405.7 lbs/ft of torque) at 1750 rpm, wow !!! Never Renault has produced such a powerful engine !
Its average fuel consumption will be less than 7.5 l/100km (or 31.4 mpg (us gallon). With its particle filter, its nitrogen oxide treatment trap, ..., it will pass hands down the most strict California emission rules, it has been built with this idea in mind, make it available to the US market.
Yes, I'm already dreaming, 31.4 mpg with 265 ch and 405 lbs/ft, ooofff !!!