2002 Suzuki Grand Vitara problems
The 2002 Suzuki Grand Vitara has 63 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (25%) concerns cruise control. Next are brakes (16%) and seat belts (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 63 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 27,000 miles 34 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 14 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 34 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 27,000 miles. For cruise control specifically, the median reported mileage is about 23,000 miles (10 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 9 model years of the Suzuki Grand Vitara with enough data (53 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The vehicle experienced a problem with the accelerator cable. The vehicle went out of control and rolled over which resulted in a crash. The vehicle was totaled. Provide further details.................................................
My 2002 suzuki grand vitara (limited 4wd) was involved in a single car accident when the cruise control was engaged on the highway at 55 MPH. It was a hilly stretch of highway near pittsville, mo and there was a light dusting of snow just starting to fall. The cruise control made the car jump into a lower gear when ascending a hill to keep it at 55 MPH.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 suzuki grand vitara. The contact stated while making a right turn onto a bridge during inclement weather conditions from a stop sign, control of the vehicle was lost causing a crash into a cement wall. The contact could not gain control of the steering wheel and her body lunged forward onto the steering wheel as the seat belt did not retract. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. A police report was filed (number 19005490).
When starting the car it shakes for two to three minutes and then finally runs normal. Before this it won't start. The dealer replaced the starter but I still have this problem. The dealer says they can't do anything about it unless they can duplicate the problem. So now I have to worry about the car breaking down.
While driving at any speed and hitting a bump in the road lost steering wheel control. Also, front tires were not aligned, and the inner part of the tires wore out prematurely.